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Not Out (2022)
An emotional roller coaster!
The dichotomy and complexity of the relationship between Rahul and Sid were pretty well explored and made for a very emotional viewing. I loved the retrospection into Sid's childhood as a recurring theme. The poetry also played a major role in elevating the emotional quotient of the narrative. The ending was abstract in a good way and made it look like this entire story could have been a figment of Sid's imagination as a writer who is on a quest to achieve artistic excellence.
The parallel storytelling and pacing were effective in driving the narrative forward. The camerawork, sound, and music played apt roles too. The mellow and melancholic moments had a very static visual feel, and the chaotic and tense moments had a very shaky handheld feel to them. The parallel storytelling of 'Amores Perros' that met with the poetic nature of 'Mirror', coupled with raw, unapologetic, and natural performances by the actors, were the highlights of this film for me. Congratulations to everyone involved. I look forward to more films by the director and his team.
Sniffer (2006)
Sniffer by Bobbie Peers
Denotative implication - A surreal world. Anti-gravity is the norm. More like a way of life. You have been made to accept that the society lives that way.
But, that's not what this is about. We see organized rhythm within chaos (also, in the edit), an assembly level design at every possible strata of society, also deliberately reflected in the visual design and sound design of the film, which is quite interesting, also because we do not see an iota of social interactions between people, at the least. One man seems to be struggling with this setup. He's probably the only one "sniffing" decadence, a clearly harmful social decadence (I can confidently say so, otherwise he wouldn't be sniffing at armpits of sweaty fat men, yuck!). However, it leeches on to him as an occupational hazard, as he is seen impersonating his deodorant tester-self at home, probably trying hard to make sense of decadence and brainwashing himself to fit into something he clearly has no idea about. (Also, suggested by the fact that he is forcefully brought back down to the ground by his wife) There's a pigeon, but the pigeon, however, meets its end, as the stench of "decadence" becomes too much to handle. Before meeting its end though, it somehow epitomizes the significance of decadence, quite literally, and this has a major bearing on the sniffer, who unstraps himself, to metaphorically mimic what the pigeon was trying to suggest - 'Fly away, if you don't want to get bogged down by norms that you have trapped yourself in.'
Connotative implication - A philosophical poem on how the decadence of society's organized assembly-level setup, has a clear bearing on the physiological, psychological and moral ramifications of an individual, thereby the society as a whole, implicitly.
*Sniff, *sniff... /*Writer passes out.*/
Pasazerka (1963)
Passenger
This movie primarily deals with recollections of memories through a series of still images and documentary style story-telling, as we see a woman traveling on a ship narrating the events of her life to her husband, after a chance meeting with a person aboard the ship, who bears resemblance to a Jewish prisoner at Auschwitz she had once saved, during her tenure as a Nazi officer. The film is all but an expanded portrayal of a chance meeting with a stranger aboard a ship, who somewhat bears a stark resemblance to a past acquaintance, strictly dealing with recollection and recounting of memories. This film also happens to be one of Andrzej Munk's unfinished works, setting the tone for the film in terms of the filmmaker's unfinished goals and dreams. Munk's friends took it upon themselves to finish this project as an ode to a visionary filmmaker, who met a premature end to his life. This piece of work not only reflects the protagonist's memories and trauma, but also that of the filmmaker, Andrzej Munk. The protagonist, now a retired Nazi SS officer, is aboard a ship with her husband, sharing figments of her experiences at a Jewish prison at Auschwitz, where she had certain personal encounters and conversations with a Jewish convict, who had everything but freedom. Although, at the helm of the story, it is a fleeting moment or a passing moment at its best, the film captures a score of unspoken emotions and sentiments. What the film tries to capture is a vague retelling of an incident wherein a person whom we believe to be a past acquaintance, could be more than what meets the eye. What makes it more intriguing is the prospect of reconciliation or reuniting of two opposing or similar sentiments or feelings. The film is unique in its storytelling and visual style as it follows a non-linear narrative with narration and documentary-style flip book image storytelling. The unfinished segments of Munk's film have been filled with pictures and artist's impressions of sequences to give the story a more coherent sensibility and feel. However, the segments that Munk himself had shot are a treat to watch, as he had tried to look at a chance meeting with a stranger bearing a resemblance, to be nothing but a fleeting or a passing moment, yet arrive at a point where the character consciences come to a consensus or maybe even come to terms with the harsh realities and truths that they were previously unaware of. Since the film primarily deals with the resurfacing of thoughts ignited by an external agent, in this case, the chance encounter on the ship, it is the utmost responsibility of the film to weave all nostalgic events and lost memories in realist terms, and in totality. Also, this film deals with the plights and sufferings of a country in general and its people in specific. Hence,it is important to observe the intricacies that the above specified film has to offer.
Howl (2010)
Howl
Howl, a movie entirely based on a poem written by Allan Ginsberg, one of the pioneers of the Beat Generation, with the same title, is one of the best examples that highlights freedom of expression, aggression due to social taboos, a writer's creative freedom and the problems associated with it and the consequences that a writer or a creator of a creative work has to face if he/she took refuge in the fact that creative freedom and freedom of expression are to be taken for granted. This has always been the major cause for concern for so-called unconventional writers. It is quite clear that mainstream writing has been reduced to a medium wherein the writer is merely forced to cater to the needs of the "reader" with conservative outlooks, as it has been for ages, instead of how it should actually be, i.e. a writer speaking his heart out. Of course, we have come across many such incidents in the past, and have also witnessed the writer's names not only fade into the depths of oblivion but also getting erased from all records and pages in the history books. Their identities and very existences have been questioned and debated for doing what they believed in and doing what they loved doing. In spite of the fact that certain works had literary quality, such works were the eyesores for certain conservative readers, yet the cynosure of all eyes for few others. Allan Ginsberg's Howl and Other Poems was a direct reflection of his upbringing in a society strapped with moral, social, cultural and religious taboos. Writing was a merely a medium to vent his frustration and anger towards a society that treats its own people as aliens or outsiders. His works, especially Howl looks at the very same aspect of life with a magnifying glass. His homosexual tendencies, his world view of life's happenings and other views expressed in his poems put the state of mind of the writer under the scanner, as it was evident from the clear disregard of the writer towards the needs of the readers and placing his own manifestations of thoughts ahead of all else, which is very important for any writer to represent any true work with a degree of authenticity. Talking about the movie in particular, the movie has been handled with utmost care. The director of the movie has taken good measures to ensure that the legacy of Allan Ginsberg lives on, whilst providing cues to other such similar or upcoming unconventional writers to come out of their shells. What makes it more special is the fact that conservatism was at its peak in the 1950s and that was exactly when Allan Ginsberg made his works public. This served as an inspiration to millions of non-conservationists who were trying really hard to express themselves and emerge out of their cocoons to stand against people who opposed radical changes. The Hippie culture, censorship in movies, inter-racial romance and many other taboos in the 1950s took the driving seat for most part of the 1960s and has since stayed strongly with us. The taboos of the 50s or until the 60s, finally gained a moral victory over the so-called conservationists, thereby opening up a plethora of new ideas to think, debate, analyze and ponder about. This sudden change also influenced the way people started thinking, the various cultures and a bevy of other organized structures. Howl and other poems was a major and prominent part of the victors' side. Freedom of expression, creative freedom, emerging out of one's "moral" shell and various other aspects that were previously considered to be taboo derived new-found meanings which facilitated more and more creative works of literature and art to be created and made public, which surprisingly found many takers from the opposite camp as well... This evoked a sense of awakening in the minds of the people to open up to a playground of unheard ideas and thoughts. The brainchild of imagination was the surreal movement, which started gathering momentum in the 1970s. Interconnected threads – Allan Ginsberg's life experiences and the way it is received by the readers and the society as a whole, and how a candid interpretation of a writer is blown out of proportion and dramatized forms the core of the movie. It also has its share of animated sequences with a hint of surreal treatment, probably to suggest the fact that imagination is like an open field where anyone can achieve anything and infinite dreams can be realized. The crux of Allan Ginsberg's Howl and other poems has been replicated with intricate detailing and juxtapositions of contrasting thoughts of the readers who testify for and against the writer at the obscenity trial. On a biopic-style ending point of view, Allan Ginsberg's life has been documented in facts on screen. There is an almost surreal treatment to the film, with the animated sequences in perfect amalgamation with certain key elements in Allan Ginsberg's life, or to be precise, one particular incident in his life of major significance, Howl and its almost ridiculous and astounding obscenity trial. The film and the book, in particular, was certainly an eyeopener to many a people in terms of its literary treatment and gave heart- felt writing a whole new meaning and dimension.
Europa (1991)
Europa aka Zentropa
Lars Von Trier's Europa, also known as Zentropa, is a movie that essentially deals with memories and trauma. This film is unique in its approach because it follows a multi-layered treatment of elements like time and space, as events that transpire in the film seem to be part of certain distinct time frames. The time frames conspicuously deal with supposedly three different generations, but ultimately amalgamate into one coherent happening. It is the story of an American who gets offered a job at the Zentropa railway network by his German uncle. The events happen in the backdrop of post Nazi-Germany, but the narrative structure follows an uncanny rendition of post war sentiments and post war trauma. The protagonist's encounter with various memories and traumatic incidents are actually a backward projection of his own life's happenings, which is reminiscent of the film's visual style and treatment. Hence, the constant visual references make vociferous impact because of the plain fact that it so unmistakeably mimics the premise of the film in question.
The film also deals with topics like love, sympathizers of German wartime decisions and sensibilities, especially WW2; and specifically also those who vehemently stood against it. Therefore, we see the protagonist's mind and ideologies being challenged by two groups which are polar opposites of each other, namely, the American mercenaries and the residual entrée of post Nazi sympathizers. The protagonist is at loggerheads constantly, as he is seen in a fix when it comes to making or taking decisions involving those that question his mind. He is also seen struggling to take sides as his moral obligations lie with both his original fatherland and adopted motherland. As succinctly put by Lars Von Trier in this brilliant piece of art, we see not just the protagonist, but also many other central characters, like those of his lover struggling to take a stand as they are very strongly bogged down by various moral and intellectual standoffs, which clearly arise from differing points of view and differing ideologies.
The characters of the imposing lover and her father are important as they are in close quarters with the protagonist and ultimately play an important role in the protagonist's sense of understanding the moral and social obligations that shape his psyche and reduce him to a wreck psychologically. All the conflicts in this film are a precursor to the complicated flow of thought processes that the protagonist is involved in; which eventually lead to his demise. The treatment of time and memories is unique as it is not on unilateral grounds; very much in tune with the protagonist vis-a-vis his mind's internal conflicts and issues.
The dilemma that the characters face, where they are facing constant conflicts of gargantuan proportions, is proof of the fact that the mind is the master. It is the human mind that calls all the shots, as is seen in distinct sections of Max Von Sydow's voice-overs, where he is playing the role of the guide who drives the mind to deep sleep, devoid of all internal and external conflicts that the world has to offer.
The shot-taking and editing pattern of the film are complementary to the thematic influence of the film, which also epitomizes the superficial nature of human relationships, pretty much outlined by the absurdity of the feeble nature of one's mind, as is seen in the case of the female who instigates the murder of her own father, in spite of the fact that she is deeply in love with her father. Hence, a lot of emphasis is laid on the absurdities of the mind and its associative thought processes, which finally underlines the crux of what the film is all about, of course in the looming shadows of time and space and its apparent lack of disparity.
Every frame in this film tries to weave a story. Lars Von Trier's formalist approach in terms of portrayal of memories and trauma is evident from his shot-taking. The realist approach juxtaposed with dream sequences and surreal representations of time and space are the unique features of this film. To sum it up, this film clearly deals with a character who starts out as an idealist, is forced to take sides against his own wishes, falls prey to the ambiguities and fallacies of the mind and its complicated set of ideals and what those specific ideals stand for and emote.
Ostrzhe sledované vlaky (1966)
Closely watched trains
Closely Watched Trains by Jiri Menzel is a film that particularly deals with youth and its connections with memories and its various afflictions. It has a rather inter-weaved plot, wherein both memories and trauma are treated on the same wavelength. Memories and trauma go hand in hand, as is evident in the portrayal of events on screen, where a young man tries to get comfortable with the fact that he still remains a virgin, despite having made a few attempts to get rid of that tag.
The humanistic side of a young boy trying to come to terms with the uncertainties of his mind and trying to dash all its insecurities forms the formal narrative of this film. Introspection is not merely about looking into one's own self with a degree of contemplation or thought. It helps one with a better understanding of one's own taste and preferences. This is exactly the topic that has been dealt with in this film with utmost care and affection. Films are an effective way of expressing one's ideas or ideologies. With films, there is freedom for a viewer to be either subservient to the film maker or choose not to take back anything at all. It is certainly one of the standing points in this film, because every event that is part of the film is deeply connected with every other event in this film, and elimination of even a single event would spell certain downfall of this profoundly deep narrative.
The finesse with which Jiri Menzel has treated this subject is outstanding. The incessant fixation of a youth for love is closely linked to the mind's preoccupation with the urge for primal sex. This has been externalized in the form of the protagonist's station senior, who seems to overshadow all the activities of the seemingly boring station with his sexual prowess and exploits. He manages to invite the wrath of the station master, who can't seem to part with his love for pigeons, while also playing the role of the protagonist's unofficial sex expert, again carefully dealing with topics of longing and love, which are closely associated with the way the mind treats its memories and creates a persona out of certain traumatic experiences.
Ivanovo detstvo (1962)
Ivan's Childhood by Andrei Tarkovsky
If one were to break down a life span of a human into distinct phases, childhood would certainly be one of the most prominent phases of one's life. Andrei Tarkovsky has conveyed exactly the same message through his first feature, Ivan's Childhood. This is a beautiful rendition of the protagonist Ivan's childhood, a childhood that cannot be possibly recaptured in all its glory. The story has a non-linear plot and has a surreal and almost dreamlike representation of Ivan's memories and experiences. The traumatic experiences, especially those memories of Ivan's parents and sister murdered by German soldiers have a strong bearing on Ivan's mind, as he is fueled by the desire to take revenge against his perpetrators. The traumatic experiences have such a strong impression on his mind, that he no longer fears the strong possibility of death. He volunteers as a spy for the Russian Army, determined to find the light of the day against the injustices he has faced. Despite much hesitation by the generals at the Russian HQ against his enrollment initially, he manages to persuade the head-honchos at the Russian HQ to finally accept his services as a spy. Every frame in this film tries to weave a story. Tarkovsky's realist approach in terms of portrayal of childhood trauma is evident from his shot-taking. The realist approach juxtaposed with dream sequences and surreal representations of longing are the unique features of this film. Ivan, who is now on the forefront of the Russian platoon, on its mission to vanquish the German Army, finds himself of great help to the Russians due to his small size and agility. The vast barren landscapes and the war-torn areas portrayed in the film are nothing but an overt externalization of the people's memories and trauma in general, and Ivan's memories and trauma in specific. One of the most famous shots of the film is where Ivan is seen in the frame all alone with sharp spikes left behind after a war scene, all pointing towards Ivan, almost as if to indicate that the mind has entangled the poor boy and is trying to consume Ivan in whole. The ramshackle state of Ivan's mind has been beautifully externalized by swampy marshes portrayed in the film. The most interesting aspects of the film though are the initial and final dream sequences. The initial dream sequence shows how the free spirit of mind (in this case, Ivan's mind) can turn into his own adversary, by falsely implanting a happy thought that he might have shared with his mother. But the truth be told, the mind does not comprehend it to be a reality anymore, thereby taking evasive shape as a 'nightmare'. The never-ending possibility of the outcome of memories projected by the mind are portrayed by the long pine tree shown at the beginning of the film as the crane goes up to quite a substantial height to finally reveal the already tiny stature of Ivan. The final dream sequence, however, is on a contemplative note, where Ivan is seen running behind a small girl. It is probably a deliberate ploy adopted by Andrei Tarkovsky as it has the potential to convey many things at the same time. Longing, the desire to recollect one's lost childhood, lost fragments of a mind, a man chasing after his dreams or simply his desires. What is heart-wrenching though is the fact that Ivan dies without ever realizing or experiencing any of life's gifts. Also noteworthy is the inclusion of two other distinct dream sequences which refer to fragments of Ivan's memories, which Ivan particularly yearns for. Tarkovsky's obsession with incessant portrayal of nature is pretty evident, with focus predominantly on the various nuances of nature. Conscious decisions to use different faces on nature to represent different forms of human emotions is the forte of this masterpiece, which puts it in the same league as some of his later works, like Stalker and some of Bergman's and Kurosawa's films. Tarkovsky's portrayal of human emotions has defined a new style of film making, with many filmmakers like Akira Kurosawa and Ingmar Bergman acknowledging his style of contemplative film making. Persistent images of childhood resonate with the need or desire to familiarize with the deepest and darkest recesses of the mind. Hence, the images in this particular film are totally reminiscent of the hidden chambers of the various aspects of the mind which accentuate the need to empathize or sympathize with certain people or their lives' happenings.