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Bjornek1
Reviews
Druk (2020)
Feel good, and sad
What a beautiful celebration of life this movie is.
Free Solo (2018)
Enjoyable film with an unfulfilled potential
I enjoyed watching this movie. The footage of free solo climbing gives adrenaline and sweaty hands. The glimpses into Alex' personality and relations with his family and girlfriend are interesting. And even more interesting are his reflections on life and death, that he has to consider when doing something so dangerous.
But I think the movie gives too little time to these interesting parts, and somewhere in the middle of the movie, when he and his girlfriend is looking at a house, I find myself bored. I was also left unsatisfied by the part involving the climb itself, giving too little time to show the amazing footage of the climb, and instead changing camera angles at a fast rate accompanied by dramatic music.
It is like the directors felt the need to emphasize how dramatic and thrilling the climb was, instead of letting the audience decide for themselves. I believe most people understand that climbing a steep hill with few grips, without any rope, has a huge risk. And the filming itself is breathtaking
Valkoinen raivo (2015)
about bullying and how it affects a person
A great documentary about school bullying, its causes and consequences. The narrator tells his story from early childhood, through adolescence to adulthood. As he is telling us his story, we get news clips from school shootings, and from other terrorist acts.
The narrator is himself a researcher on this topic as well as having personal experience as a former victim of school bullying. He offers explanations of these horrific acts, both from an academic view and from his personal experiences. He is both close to, and has a distance to the subject. I think that this is a what makes the documentary so great. The personal story of the narrator is engaging and it makes me empathize with him rather than judge him, even though he is starting to walk down a very dark path.
The academic view makes connections between his story and other stories possible, which makes me understand that there may be some common factors behind these acts that in the first glance seem unexplainable. The theory offered, of black and white rage, is easy to grasp. The narrator voice is calm and easy to follow. I like that the story is not told to fast. It is a heavy subject, and the slow pace offers time to digest what has been told.
Grizzly Man (2005)
Interesting documentary telling about a guy, grizzly bears, and human's place in nature
We get to know Timothy through his own video footage, as well as interviews with people who knew him, and small accounts of his background. We get to know Timothy as a seemingly "normal" American kid, but also as a troubled youngster who struggled with alcohol. He venture into the wilderness and he find himself to fit better there, alongside bears and foxes.
People that were closest to him tells the story of a very charismatic and good hearted guy. Judgement of his choice to live so close to the bears, and also to take his girlfriend with him, ultimately leading to their death, varies. His ex-girlfriend is naturally sad and horrified about the way they died, but at the same time, she says that she respects their choice to live their life like they wanted. Other people judge him more harshly, including the narrator voice. Timothy seems very aware of the dangers of living so close to the bears. He also clearly found something out there in the wilderness, that he did not find in human society. I think this part of his story is relatable. I think human beings lose something by living so secluded from the rest of nature. And Timothy clearly found something out there that was good for him. I do however question his self designated role as protector of the bears. How exactly does he protect the bears from living with them? And from what? I also question his choice of bringing his girlfriend with him. It seems like a strange choice with his awareness of the dangers of living with them. We also get very little information about his girlfriend and their relationship in the documentary.
I think that the people that are interviewed, as well as Timothy's own commentaries, highlights more sides of his story, making us able to think for ourselves. What I miss is more understanding for his choice of living with the bears, especially from the narrator voice.
Turist (2014)
Interesting film
For me, the main theme of the movie is owning up to yourself.
I think the film is at its best when Tomas is confronted with is actions, first when Tomas and Ebba takes a beer with another couple, and then after the dinner with Tomas' friend and his girlfriend.
Off course, Ebba has a problem with Tomas leaving them during the avalanche, but I think the problem grows much bigger when Tomas denies it. The moments of denial are brilliantly played, in my opinion.
I think the discussion between Tomas' friend and his girlfriend afterwards also is interesting. But here, I think the roles are switched. Because the girlfriend first comes with accusations, and then, when he wants to discuss them, she backs away and just tell him to forget it. If the accusations are legitimate or not is not possible to know for us. But it is clear that they need to be resolved in one way or another. And they are not. Just as Tomas' and Ebbas situation is not resolved until Tomas' breakdown.
The situations where the film is most confusing to me are the "accident" of Ebba in the mountains, and the scene in the bus at the end. They seem a bit out of character for her, and they also seem constructed and not entirely believable. They make me question whether the main concern for Ebba is her children, or her husband taking care of her. It is totally irresponsible for Tomas to leave his children in the middle of the slope searching for Ebba. It is also strange that Ebba in the bus, suddenly is not concerned for her children anymore.
I like how the film contrasts the dramatic event with our protected lives. If we always live in our safe bubbles, there are sides of ourselves and of our close ones, that we are never confronted with.
Amy (2015)
Sad, beautiful and disgusting
The film is first and foremost a portrait of Amy, her music and her relationships but it also shows a disgusting side of the ruthless music and media industry.
Bot the good and the bad of Amy is shown, but all in all she comes across as a lovable person. She is funny, talented, energetic and caring of other people.
It is sad to watch as the one thing that makes her tacle her demons, her music, becomes a demon itself as she gets pushed into this role she is not made for.
The film shows that many persons around Amy cares for her, and try the best they can to help her, her friends, her bodyguard and fellow musicians to name a few. But there are also some persons who clearly fail to put Amys best interest first. And with her self destructiveness, Amy herself is one of them.
The film manages to show Amys personality, and the mix between video footage, Amys songs and interviews of the people who knew her is a good way to tell the story.
It makes me think if her dying like this was really inevitable, and how important parents are for their children.
I Bought a Rainforest (2014)
Great documentary!
I really enjoyed this documentary, and it reminded me a bit of "Salt of the earth", because it investigates a large issue, nature conservation, from a personal perspective. This is what makes the story relatable to me, and not so distant and moralising as some nature films can be. We follow Charlie as he get to know the people who live in and make a living from the forest. And as Charlie get to know the people, we also get to know Charlie.
I find it easy to put myself in Charlies shoes from the beginning, and throughout the story, I think the whole human emotional spectrum is involved. I think Charlie grows as a person from his encounters, and the subtle pieces of personal information we get from his wife and the narrator voice, make us take part in this development. In these encounters, there are many touching moments, as we get to know the stories of the people that are cutting the forest.
I find the conclusion realistic, but somewhat hopeful and inspiring: It is actually possible to do something, even if the situation is complex.
Melancholia (2011)
Superficiality and truth
The main message that I got from the movie is the contrast between the superficiality of all the participants of the wedding, except from Justine and her mother. Justine is able to face life without illusions, but her approach crashes with the display of all the rest. Her mother has become bitter, but she is honest. In contrast, her husband (Justine's father) seems to enjoy life, but when Justine asks him to spend the night, he runs away. Justine says she has to talk to him, but he avoid it by leaving without saying good buy.
When faced with the ultimate destiny of the planet crashing into earth, Justine is the only one who does not brake down. To me, this is the main theme of the movie: The lies we make up for ourselves to avoid the hard truths of life that we ultimately have to confront anyway.
Justine's sister says that she is ill, but it seems to me that her illness is just being honest.
I love the subtle acting and dialog in the film, not overstating a message or moral, but making us think. I guess this is also reflected in the many different interpretations people seem to have of the film.