Change Your Image
mstzu
Reviews
Visa al paraíso (2010)
Biography of Gilberto Bosques
I saw this movie as part of Jewish Latin American Films @ Skirball Museum of Los Angeles. As one who has some background in Holocaust related history, the biography of this person, Gilberto Bosques, was a complete revelation to me. I am truly baffled why he and his significant diplomatic career have been largely overlooked in English language sources; I hope that is not the case within his own Spanish speaking sources. I was intrigued enough to follow up once I was home and discovered that he has not been honored as a Righteous Gentile in Yad Vashem, although even the Raoul Wallenburg Foundation questions this obvious oversight. I wish more people had access to seeing this exceptional film that explores the life of an exceptional man who modestly maintained "I followed the policy of my country, helping, giving material and moral support to the heroic advocates of the Spanish Republic, of the brave paladins of the struggle against Hitler, Mussolini, Franco, Petain and Laval." Run, don't walk to see this life affirming biography sensitively directed by Lillian Liberman.
Dolphin Boy (2011)
why I love this film
Whenever one sees an Israeli film that includes Arabs, one can assume a meaningful "message" will follow. And that does happen here but in a totally unpredictable way. This movie is about the power of love, but also the strength of love. The depicted relationship of the father and son transcend boundaries we may have seen before, let alone been lucky enough to experience personally. Selflessness, devotion, patience, persistence, and TIME. This miracle took 4 years to accomplish. (I couldn't help thinking that in the US after the initial treatment failures, this young man would have been institutionalized to remain lost in his personal limbo; insurance would not cover this therapy.) I realize I'm reading translations but even the language used by the father and son were poetic (not exact but "he is the blood that runs in my veins," "who can love her more than I," or when the son finally acknowledges his mother after 2 years, she says that the milk came into her breast as if he was newborn). An incredible confluence of events made this film possible. Please see it