Bonus – Masculin Féminin

What stood out for me in this film is its use of episodes throughout the film that interrupt the main story for its subplots. There are scenes that just jump from one setting to an entirely different setting with different characters, and we do not see the correlation between those scenes. One example is during the first part of the film, when Paul meets Madeline for the first time in a cafe, and then the woman shoots her husband for leaving with the child. After she shoots him, the scene just changes to another setting wherein Paul meets his friend in another restaurant. Even though I did not find the plot that exciting, the random sequences kept me interested because of how strange the scenes were, and we see this in the first part when the woman shoots her husband. The couple had no connection with Paul and any contribution to the story, and yet that was how the scene ended. We also see how the story progresses slowly and how the characters are not particularly active towards a goal. The episodes in the film just show the everyday life of Paul and his friends concerning love and politics, and they do not have big events that alter the course of the film.

The prop that stood out for me was the cigarette because Paul smokes in majority of the film. Not only is Paul smoking a lot in the film, but he also smokes in a way to impress people around him and make him look cool. One example is during the scene in the bowling place when he sees Madeleine and her friend come, and then he gets his cigarette and flips it to his mouth. The manner in which he puts it to his mouth is unnecessary, and the only reason he is doing that is to catch Madeleine’s attention. Another instance is when he and his friends ate in the restaurant, and they see the German and the prostitute and another adult couple smoking. After seeing these people, Paul brings out his cigarette and flips it again to his mouth. The cigarette reveals Paul’s character as a typical young man who wants to impress girls and look cool through the means of smoking. He also uses smoking as a means to appear mature to Madeleine because smoking is seen as an adult thing, and we see majority of the characters that smoke are adults in the film.

The acting of Madeline caught my attention because even though she is romantically involved with Paul, I did not see her showing that much affection and attention to him. An example is when he went to the studio with her friend to visit her singing, and after he entered the room where she was singing, she did not mind him. We can also see in the many interactions between Paul and Madeleine that she doesn’t really emote as if she doesn’t really care. This acting gives the impression that Madeleine isn’t sincere in her relationship with Paul and most probably just thinks of herself. We can see evidence of Madeleine’s dishonesty in the bathroom scene wherein she has her first real conversation with Paul, and she admits it herself that she has lied. Another instance is when she was having her interview after her recording, and states that she rarely wears makeup but we know that isn’t true.

Bonus – Wild strawberries

While Wild strawberries can be a confusing film, I still enjoyed it because narrative style and cinematic codes used in the film greatly helped in making it a successful story about redemption. The flashback and dream scenes make the story confusing in understanding the story, and the main character unreliable. The first instance is the vision Isak had that introduced Sara and his brother Sigfrid together in the woods and sharing a kiss, and while all this is happening Isak is there watching. After gathering the berries, they family heads into the house for lunch, and then during lunch Sara gets upset from the teasing of the twins. While all this is happening, Isak is present and watching even though he was not truly present in that memory because it was stated that he and the father were out. Since he was not there, the events that happened in the vision are not reliable information but instead a subjective perspective, and so this makes Isak unreliable as a character. The second instance is the vision of his wife’s rape scene in the woods wherein the examiner states how Isak stood on that very spot behind the trees watching his wife get raped, and that he can never forget. However before this event, the scene was of Isak failing his doctor examination and being deemed incompetent as a result, and yet we know for a fact that Isak passed his test and became a great doctor. These events make the audience confused because there seems to be a blur between dream and memory.

The film made good use of lighting to emphasize one of the key themes of the story which is Isak’s loneliness and cold personality. From the first dream scene, the camera angle zooms out to show Isak on the street framed against a dark square while the rest of the building is white. This view shows how he is framed out or segregated from the rest of the white, and this gives a hint to the loneliness he has felt for most of his life. The second instance is during the lunch scene of the family, and we see again Isak watching from a distance in the dark doorway leading to the stairs while the dining area is bright. This time by showing a group of people having lunch and Isak separated, this also reinforces the idea of how Isak has lived his life as lonely outsider. The last instance is during the scene wherein he watches his wife get raped from a dark area behind a ladder while the area of Karin is bright as well. We see that even during his marriage they were not happy together because he was a cold husband as stated by Karin.

The film’s cinematography greatly helped in conveying the message of the important scenes. One instance is during the first dream scene wherein the camera angle zooms out to give a view of Isak walking the street because I think this is useful in showing how alone he is in the dream. It reflects what Isak has felt throughout his life which is loneliness and being an outsider. The scene is also quiet and foreboding, and this gives a feeling of a horror movie. The second instance is during the family lunch vision because of how the camera angles the scene wherein you see the family eating up close while Isak is seen far away watching. This helps in conveying to the audience the distance he must have felt from people even like family and friends. The last instance is during the scene of his wife being raped because it shows the perspective of Isak which is very far from the scene happening. This can show how even in his marriage he felt distant and unhappy with his wife, and the wife even states how their marriage wasn’t successful.

Impaled Rektum

Before watching this film, my initial expectation of the film would be that it would be about very serious and maybe even tragic journey because of its title. Then as I watched the start, and saw how it was about a heavy metal band, I thought this was for going to be serious and dark because that is what comes to my mind when I think of heavy metal. Heavy metal has songs that revolve around death and violence, and so it lead me to think that the film would follow this theme. I was soon proven wrong as I continued watching further because this film was the opposite. It is a witty and playful film that is not to be taken so seriously.

I really enjoyed the film, Heavy Trip, because of its interesting story and light hearted comedy. The plot is fairly straightforward because it follows a Hollywood style narrative, and so it is easier to understand as compared to the past films. Even though the story is a bit cliche, I still enjoyed the story because of how it tells a story of overcoming adversities in order to follow your dream. It revolves around a heavy metal rock band, and it shows the particular struggles they faced in becoming famous while keeping it witty and funny. One scene in the film that really struck me was when they were trying to come up with an original song because all these time they have only been playing covers. I found it funny how their first original song came from an accident wherein one of the members puts a goat into the chopper, and the sound that comes out is what gives inspiration for the first song. Another moment I enjoyed was when the band members are caught by the police at the edge of the cliff, and I thought that was the end of it because how were they going to escape. Then the group decides to just jump off a really high cliff without really thinking about the dangers. This scene really shows how unorthodox and spontaneous this movie can get.

I believe that the film’s purpose is not merely to bring out laughs and just plainly be a comedy, but it is also here to teach a lot of valuable lessons as well. It teaches us in being perseverant especially when it comes to pursuing our dreams. Despite the many obstacles they faced such as being discriminated, finding a way to the concert, and even losing their original drummer, they still managed to push through all of that and become a famous band. It also taught me that friendship is something we can always rely on when things get tough. I do not think they would have been successful if they separated or had given up. This film also gives us a lesson about not judging a book by its cover because a person can be much different from how we may initially perceive him. We just need to keep an open mind and take time to truly understand someone. Lastly, the film taught me that our dreams are not as crazy as we think they are if we just give it a chance and pursue it.

Raw

Having watched this film before, I already had an idea of what the film would entail but after I watching this film for a second time I found it to be much more. During the first time I watched the film, I was just focused on the graphic content and reason behind why the two sisters crave human flesh like animals. One scene that really struck me the most is when Justine and Alexia fight and bite each other in school because Alexia manipulated her to bite a corpse for entertainment. It made me see a different side Alexia because I initially thought she was just a kind and loving sister until that point. I saw how she can be manipulative even over one of her family members. The ending of the film also shocked me because I learned that the craving for flesh is actually a trait passed down from the mother after the father showed his wounds. It shocked me because there was no mention of the mother having these traits or that the behaviour was even inherited. The parents knew this and yet they did not make any efforts to guide their daughters of this behaviour. If they sent their daughters to a different school or if they informed them ahead about what they have, then things could have been different like Alexia would not be in jail.

Watching this film a second time allowed me to understand the deeper meanings in the film and in the characters. I noticed how Alexia’s character is a contrast to the character of Justine. Alexia is more confident in herself and does not care for what other people think of her, and this leads to her taking more action. An example of this trait can be seen in the during the part wherein she jumps in front of a car to make it crash into a tree. After it crashes, she starts eating into the flesh of the person in the passenger seat, but Justine stops her. Justine is more hesitant about herself, and is more concerned about other people and what they may think. Even though Justine craves flesh, she still makes efforts to stop herself because she knows of how it will affect others. One example is when she has sex with Adrien and starts biting him, and so in order to stop her from going farther, she bites herself instead. Even thought Alexia is in jail while Justine is not, the fates of these two sisters are still similar in way. Alexia is confined in jail, but she does not let her craving for flesh constrict her in any way because she accepts it and does not care for what others think. Justine is not in jail, but she must make sure her actions are in accordance with societal norms and ethics. She must control her behaviour, and restrain herself from eating other people. These two characters are both trapped in a sense, and I think it depends on the perspective to see which is a better situation.

The Edukators

I found the film entitled Edukators is a very interesting film because of how it brought out an important theme and problem in today’s society. The story is about three teenagers who break into the houses of the rich and privileged in order to make them snap out of their selfish ways and indifference to the less fortunate. The film brings a realization about progress and capitalism, which is that it does not benefit everyone equally. It is the rich who benefit from this society, while the poor are left to suffer, and the rich seem to be uncaring of these people suffering. The theme of this movie reminds me a lot of my Theology 141 lesson regarding the inequality between the rich and the poor. Thoughtlessness and greed are one of the main roots of this problem because many of the rich just care about improving their wealth and benefiting themselves. Another contributor to this is that majority of the rich do not share the same experiences as the people suffering, and so it leads to the mindset that “if I am not suffering or being affected then it is not my problem”. This division and isolation from the poor leads to a inability to empathise and relate. One example of this from the film is Hardenberg whom they kidnapped because Jan knocked him unconscious for attacking Jules. When they take refuge in cabin, it is revealed that Hardenberg was a radical as well before in the 1960s and even the leader of the Socialist German Student Union. After marrying and getting a good job he later lost his ideals. Then later in the film we see that Hardenberg character starts changing and going back to former self. He even forgives Jules and promises her that he will not make the police come after her. This new experience for Hardenberg made him realise that he is not entirely happy even with all his money. He was able to reflect and change his mindset that a life full of riches does not bring meaning.

This film teaches us what wealth and material objects can really influence our perspectives in the world. It can close us off from caring about other people and our relationships. We may think that we need more money and possessions to be happy, but in the end we will not find meaning here. The film also shows how changing society can really be a struggle and even seem impossible. We saw how Hardenberg was a radical as well in his youth, but as he got more successful he succumbed to the temptations of wealth and greed. It makes the quest of the three teenagers seem like just a dream because of how imperfect society is. This film sends us a message to really reflect on today’s society because it is not a task that only three teenagers can solve. We need the cooperation of everyone in society to wake up to these problems and make the resolve to change these unjust structures.

Timecrimes

Compared to the past films, Timecrimes is one of the most thrilling and interesting films because of its use of time travel and horror. I am very fond of horror and science fiction films because how it explores the unreal and makes it seem so real that it makes my imagination go free. Timecrimes starts of very mysterious and strange because of how we see Hector see a woman undress in the forest. Then when Hector investigates, a bandaged man stabs him, and this causes him to flee to a building and into a time traveling machine. Then we see the mystery of the bandaged man become clear, because it turns out to be Hector himself who became injured and forced the woman to undress. Learning this later in the film shocked me, but it also made sense as the film progressed. Even though this film is a thriller, I still find some elements of horror in it especially at the start. It shows this through the air of mystery with the bandaged killer, and through the several jump scares in the film.

I really enjoyed this element of time travel because it adds more intensity to the thrill of the film. The character is fighting against time to fix his mistakes, and this makes the audience more curious about if he will succeed or not. Time is always passing, and so if he made a big mistake then his efforts would mess with the timeline again. This concept reminds me of the film interstellar because the main character is also in a race against time to save the Earth. There are is one scene wherein the planet they visited made them so many years on Earth, and at that point there seems to be little hope. Timecrimes does this as well when Hector fails to follow the scientists advice of letting time unfold, and this leads to the death of his wife.

I find the main character to be very flawed because of how he acts without really thinking and on what he wants. One of the main roots of the problem in the film is that he is unfaithful to his wife. During the initial part of the film, he is sitting outside of his house, and then he sees a woman undressing in the forest. Instead of staying in the house, he goes out to check the naked woman, and this starts the chain of events which he tries to fix in the film. Another example is when Hector travels back in time, the scientist tells him to just stay put and let time unfold, but instead Hector goes out and drives away and gets into an accident. If he had just listened to the scientist, then things probably would have been better, and he would not have had to go back again in time to fix. I think it is these flaws that make him very relatable for the audience. We all make mistakes and can give in to temptation, but the struggle to fix these mistakes and become better is what makes us human.

Trollhunter: European vs American

Compared to the past films, I enjoyed watching Trollhunter the most because of its mix of European culture and American style narrative. It showed American style of narration because of its straightforward plot, dynamic characters, and the many action scenes. The college students are shown to be active characters because of how they set out to make a documentary about the bear poacher named Hans. They soon find out that he is a Trollhunter, and they follow along in his journey by helping him hunt trolls. This is a contrast to many European films because many of their characters are not very active, and so little is accomplished. The action scenes are very exciting, and they are not very common in the usual European films. The scene which I enjoyed the most was the fight with the last troll named the Jotnar in the snowy mountains. During this scene, Hans failed several attempts in killing it, and then it became him facing the troll of one on one. At this point I thought he was going to fail because of how impossible it looked in the scene, and it was like a David and Goliath battle. However, Hans was able to defeat the Jotnar by shooting it with a missile which turned the troll into stone.

After researching about the background of this film for a presentation in class I believe that what made this film uniquely European cinema, is the incorporation of the many cultural references of Norway. The characteristics and appearance of the trolls in the movie are faithful to Norwegian legend like for example, the multiple heads, ability to smell Christian blood, and turning to stone when exposed to sunlight. There are also a references to Norwegian fairy tales such as Three Billy Goat Gruffs, which can be seen during the part wherein Hans lures a troll by using three goats. There is another reference to a fairy tale entitled Soria Maria Castle wherein Thomas stands in the same pose mirroring the painting by Theodore Kittelsen, and then asks his friends if he looks like a famous painting. Another European film characteristic is how the film does not end with closure but instead it leaves it open ended. After Hans defeats the last troll, the government comes after the college students, and they lose the footage during the chase. Then the film states how the students are never found nor heard from again. This leaves the audience to speculate what happened to the students since no information was given, and this is a common trait of European films.

Even though this film incorporates American style of narration, I do not think it loses its identity as European film because the many cultural references in the movie are unique only to Norway. If this film was remade in American cinema, then it would become entirely different because it would lose these cultural references and even the Norwegian humour present in the film. It would likely be about a different creature like Bigfoot or the Yeti, and it would American humour instead.

Holy Motors

Out of all the films that I have watched so far for this class, the film Holy Motors has left me the most confused and uncertain because of its bizarre plot and acting. I am not sure if there even is clear story goal in the film because of the many random scenes and subplots. Throughout the film, Mr. Oscar is tasked with many different roles and complex scenes that can be for another person or sometimes for no reason at all. The role that struck me the most is his third role wherein he plays the role of a crazy red haired man, and he kidnaps a beautiful model from her photoshoot in the cemetery. This struck me the most because his acting showed a completely different person from his last role. I felt very disturbed and scared for the actress because based from his irrational behaviour I thought he was going to kill her. He brought her to the cave and ate a part of her hair, and then he strips off his clothes and goes to sleep on her. This scene also confused me because I was wondering if he did this role for no reason as there were no cameras seen filming his performance. The terror and fear of the people looked so genuine that it looked unscripted and very real. Another moment in the film which I did not understand was the last part wherein Mr. Oscar reaches his last role which is a family scene, but it turns out his wife and daughter are both chimpanzees. All these roles are very random and do not seem to be connected, and because of that it leaves me wondering how to make sense of it.

Despite the confusing and random scenes in the film, I think it makes a great job in blurring the lines between reality and fantasy. There are many scenes in the film, which I am unsure of if they are his real life or just a role Mr. Oscar played. One scene which looked very real was when he picked up his “daughter” from a party, and scolded her for staying in the bathroom and not socialising with others. The whole scene was inside a car, and there was no indication that he was being filmed or that it was really a role. I thought that she could have been really his daughter, and that this could have been a peek at his real life. Then there is another scene with a woman named Eva who supposedly had a child with Mr. Oscar in the past, and then after leaving he sees Eva and her partner jump off a building. The pain he shows makes me think that his relationship with Eva could have been real as well, but then if it was real why did he just run away to the car instead of staying to help. Finally the last scene shows him having a chimpanzee family, and this leaves me being unsure again about what is his real life. I think that this uncertainty in the film is what makes it exciting because it makes the audience continuously reflect and try to understand what they are watching.

A Beautiful Lie

The film Good Bye, Lenin has both a comedic and serious tone for the fall of the German Democratic Republic. The story revolves this German family wherein the mother falls into a coma after seeing her son get arrested in the riot. After the she has fallen into a coma, the Berlin Wall collapses and this shows the audience that times are changing and capitalism has triumphed. When his mother finally wakes up, the doctor tells Alex and his sister that any sudden shock can kill their mother, and so this begins Alex efforts to give his mom an illusion that everything is still the same. Alex goes to great lengths such as refurnishing the apartment with communist decor, finding the groceries that his mother loves, paying kids to dress as Young Pioneers to serenade his mother, and even recreating old TV newscasts. These ridiculous feats achieved by Alex are what bring a comedic tone to the movie and what shows his great love for his mother, like for example Alex and his friend, Denis, filming for hours to produce fake news in order to ensure his mother that the world is still the same. This illusion brought by Alex has a comedic feel also because of the cinematography effects used in these scenes. For example, the scene wherein Alex is refurnishing the apartment is played in fast forward with music that brings a light and funny tone to the scene. Apart from bringing a comedic atmosphere, the film also shows a serious message to the audience concerning this period because the friction between the two parties brought positive and negative consequences to the German citizens. It was shown in the film that Christiane also had her own secret which she kept from her family, and the truth was that the father did not just run away with some “enemy of the state girlfriend”. The truth was that the father’s refused to join the ruling party at that time, and so it would make his job more difficult. The plan was to flee the country and his family would follow him, but the Christiane decided not to because she feared the government would take the children away from her. She also hid the fact that the father wrote many letters to them. We can see here the parallelism of lies because one lie made by the mother and one made by Alex. Both Christiane and Alex went to great lengths in constructing these lies and illusions to protect their loved ones from the truth which could bring them harm. I find this aspect of the film to be very interesting because it shows how far people would go for the ones they love even if it means lying to them. After watching the film I was left with many emotions because of the complexity of the characters and interesting perspective during this time period in Germany. I enjoyed how the perspective showed one of the two sides of the reunification which many of us do not realise.

The five obstructions

When I heard that the film, The Five Obstructions, would be set in more recent times, I thought this film would be easier to understand compared to the past films, but it still proved a bit of a challenge to interpret. The story is narrated in a straightforward manner but the content of the film is what confused me. The character Lars asks Jorgen to remake his old short film The Perfect Human five times with different rules and restrictions. When I saw parts of The Perfect Human I was very confused as to what the goal or the driving force of it was because it just shows a man and woman performing various actions and a person narrating what they are doing and asking why they are performing those actions. The would also repeat himself, and the camera angles would sometimes just pause at the person’s face or body part. After researching a bit to understand the point of Jorgen’s old film, I learned that it was meant to understand the human person and how his mind works because of how it would observe the man and woman as if they were test subjects. This helped me understand better the context of the story of the current film.

I believe that the whole film can be one big remake of The Perfect Human because of how it allows the audience to see and understand the minds of two great filmmakers. Lars sets boundaries for the remakes such as having no set, shot in Cuba, and many more, and these rules can make filming a good movie seem impossible. Then next we see Jorgen adapt to these rules and express his creativity in successfully remaking his old film. I enjoyed the cartoon remake the most because it was a very different approach compared to the past remakes. Even though Lars and Jorgen both stated that they hate cartoons, I believe that the art of the cartoons helped bring beautiful visuals to his old film, and it brought a fresh perspective to me. I also found interesting the second obstruction because one restriction was to not show the place in the film. I was confused at first because I wondered how would he not show the place. Will he put up a blank wall behind him as he ate? Then when he began filming the second obstruction he had placed a transparent wall behind him, and I was impressed with his creativity even though he did not follow the rule to the letter. The film not only showed the creativity of great filmmakers, but it also showed the conditions and processes that filmmakers have to go through. For the first and second obstructions, Jorgen had to fly to Cuba and Bombay, set up the place, and look for actors to join the film. The fourth obstruction needed to be a cartoon, and Jorgen needed the aid of Bob to film because cartoons are not his specialty. The goal of this documentary is to inform and show the audience what creativity in filmmaking can achieve, because his old film was remade five times and yet it gives the audience a fresh perspective.