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lavanyabarnett
Reviews
Memento (2000)
Confused but interested until the very end
First and foremost I'd say to anyone going into this film blind, do not come in thinking you're in for simple linear narrative with a clear start and end point; it's one of those films that can will never be easily explained, the narrative is just that complex.
The film follows a man named Leonard or "Lenny" with after an accident now lives with extremely short term memory. This characteristic is the very foundation of the film because we as the audience follow Lenny from start to finish, we know everything he knows, we learn everything he learns. However just as we learn everything Lenny does, Lenny is unable to remember the new information which adds good layer of intrigue and mystery as to how the film will end.
The narrative as I've mentioned before is non-linear, the events as we see them are not chronological for the most part. The only scenes that actually run in chronological order are the series of black and white scenes that incorporate flashbacks providing additional plot points. The scenes in colour play backward in contrast to the black and white scenes in what Christopher Nolan (the director) describes as a hairpin narrative where the narrative loops on itself and the true end point lies around the middle of the story.
As my summary suggests Memento had me confused for the large majority of the run time, what with the unconventional narrative structure and the slight frustration I felt as Lenny's memory issues proved to be his greatest weakness amidst everything and everyone around him. However the overall mystery of the film kept me engaged from start to finish, although the conclusion may leave some (as it did with me) with an anti-climactic feeling due to how Memento resolves its plot threads. Despite this Memento is still gripping from start to end and I'd highly recommend checking it out, especially for those interested in more unconventional and experimental storytelling.
Murdered by My Father (2016)
Hard-hitting, emotional and very thought-provoking
Murdered by my father much like its predecessor, Murdered by my boyfriend follows a narrative based on true events, only this time Murdered by my father is more a collection of stories that influence the one story that we as the audience witness. The story follows 16 year old Salma, a British Muslim girl who is has been promised marriage to the less than stellar young man from a different family. Salma as a character is a very relatable and in my opinion very realistic, she attends college, helps out around the home and argues with her younger brother. These factors for me made the story even more tragic and somewhat disturbing due to how normal she was as a person as she really isn't that different from me and other teenagers I know today. The beginning starts very similarly to Murdered by my boyfriend with the ending being shown before the narrative shifts back to the beginning to see how the ending events eventually transpired. Just like MBMB, this beginning is powerful and tragic as the audience already knows how everything is going to end. In regard to the how the subject matter was handled i.e. Honour killing/Asian community. I think they handled it carefully and with great respect which was what the director (Vinay Patel) was going for. The story in turn becomes much more than a daughter dying at the hands of her father but more a story of how the family dynamic can break down due to tradition, personal opinion and love. Overall I can't really say that enjoyed Murdered by my father due to how emotional it was, I can more say I found it very moving, respectful and reflective.
Orange Is the New Black: Tit Punch (2013)
A good start so far
Before getting right into the review I have to mention the opening, the fact that it uses real life female prison inmates I still find really interesting as it helps differentiate the show from a lot of others as well giving the show a a bit more substance due to the fact it's based on true events.
On with the review, in this episode we see a lot more flashback sequences which give development to certain characters. I found the flashbacks interesting but also a little heavy handed in places but essentially did what they were supposed to do which was add development to characters in the show.
There was good humour in this episode which helped balance out a lot of the serious aspects that were happening in the show such as, piper being starved by the other inmates. A lot of the characters remain essentially unlikable,one of the prison wardens in particular and Piper's ex-girlfriend, Alex. It does however remain unclear at this point whether they will be given development which might shed some light on the reason for their behaviour but that is something I'd definitely want to see in future episodes.
Lastly with the how the episode ended it seems that the narrative is going to address more of the taboo subject matters in the show e.g. Lesbianism although opting for a comedic exploration of it by using the character of Sue(Crazy eyes.) I think its good for the show to explore this due the fact Piper the main character used to identify as a lesbian and it's known in the prison that acts of lesbianism are not uncommon. I look forward to the next episode.