Dec 03 2008
A Foreign Films
Shuffling into the theater Tuesday morning every week is a joy. Not because we are going to see a movie, that could have been easily achieved by just staying home from class. No, it’s because we are all about to view a genuinely good movie. Although every film has a few flaws, its’ other elements boost it beyond anything mainstream American cinema has to offer today. In short, the movies in class portray something thing severely lacking in movie theaters today, they portray true emotion and soul.
“The Wooden Camera” , a film from South Africa by director Wa Luruli Ntshavheni, presents us with the story of two boys who come upon power. The older boy, Sipho, chooses to wield a gun he finds on a dead man. The younger boy, Madiba, chooses to take the man’s camera. Sipho accordingly gains the power to destroy, whilst Madiba gains the power to create. I especially enjoyed the parallels between the two characters. The dualism reminded me greatly of an animated film called “Tekkonkinkreet” by Michael Arias. In that film, much like in “The Wooden Camera”, two brothers face a schism as one goes off to wreak havoc on town while the other wallows in his own imaginative reality.
I felt the film was powerful and quite clear in some places in exhibiting South African culture since the end of apartheid. The long panning shot in the beginning showing where Madiba lived was a good way to show the rampant poverty plaguing the region. The way the children reacted when Sipho pointed the gun at them, to me, seemed to convey that they had had this happen to them before. Estelle’s character represents the new way of thinking, while her father plays the counter in that he is the old mindset of the area. Another scene I felt really well done was the staircase scene between Estelle and her father. The positioning of the two characters foreshadowed the rest of the movie quite nicely, with the father falling and Estelle passing him on his way down.
Another aspect I felt was done right was the introduction with Madiba’s sister. It set up his character so that you expect him to be different, he is a creative soul in a bleak setting. He embraces film making as an outlet and finds a kindred spirit in Estelle, who is also an artist in a restricted environment. Their relationship is best displayed in the montage at the beach. Sipho’s voice over introduction being done at the same time as Madiba’s was a brilliant move. It pairs the two and makes the changes that occur to the characters much more noticeable.
The movie overall was very well done. Honestly there is nothing I can pick out that I felt didn’t work. The actors, although they were mostly younger children, played their roles superbly. The rough and grungy camera work was perfect for the scenes depicting Madiba’s home because you could actually feel the state of poverty these kids had to deal with day to day. The social commentary based on the depiction of South African life from the point of view of a black South African, and the use of many different symbolisms added a refreshing amount of depth to a story that was already deep to begin with .
The other film that really stood out from the group that we saw was Joon-ho Bong’s “The Host”. This movie does very little to hide it’s political commentary, with the monster representing the chaos America threw Korea into. This film was the most popular of the others, which was strange for a foreign film. This was most likely due to the fact that it resembled greatly a Hollywood movie. To me I feel that the movie “Cloverfield”, by director Matt Reeves, borrowed a lot of it’s elements from “The Host”. However the premise was better executed in “The Host”.
The overall tone of the movie constantly threw me off. Even in the most serious of scenes you couldn’t help but laugh. For instance, when everyone is running for their lives, a moment of hilarity occurs when Gang-du, the main protagonist attempts to save his daughter but instead grabs the wrong girl’s hand. Or when the family is mourning the loss of Hyun-seo it is pitiful, but quickly turns into a wacky, over the top dramatic show. I can’t however say that the constant and rapid changing of moods hurt anything, I just found it a bit odd.
Personally I love monster movies. Godzilla was my childhood hero, even if he was a giant dinosaur that for some reason was fascinated with terrorizing Japanese citizens. Usually the monster is either not seen very clearly, or it does not have as big an impact as it did on the Park family. This change up was very well received by me. In my mind’s eye that is how I always pictured monster movies to be (with the exception that the monster always wins in my head), Bong did a monster movie, and he did it right.
Surprisingly I expected a lot more of the Park family to die. I did not expect Hyun-seo to die at all. I suppose this was to help Gang-du become a better father to the young boy. The twists, like there being no virus, keep you constantly glued to the screen. The uncertainty of it all makes the story fascinating since no one is really sure what is happening, not the Park family, not the government, not even the audience. It is quite possible that the only one that knows what is really going on is the monster.
“The Host” was just a likable movie. Even though the entire family was presented as bungling, you had to love them a root for them constantly against the monster from the sewer. Their struggles against a world that is hunting them, and amongst themselves is cliche but just adds on to the likability. And the final sequence with them all coming together at the end was very Hollywood, but a great end to a great movie.
Both “The Wooden Camera” and “The Host” are movies well done. By my standard, a well done movie is one that can draw you in, and keep you there until the very end, and sometimes even after that. These movies accomplished just that. They are constantly enticing us to watch more and more, while informing on a symbolic and subconscious level. Both films represent what movies can offer, as long as you are willing to try something different. I loved them both and will very soon be adding them permanently to my DVD collection among other favorites.
