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Wadjda (2012)
Great Movie about a young Saudi girl
Overall I thought this was a great movie,that showed how life typically is like for young women in Saudi Arabia. The main character in the film Wadjda goes to an all girls school, and is one of the top students in her class for chanting out of the Koran. In the film she signed up for a Koran Recitation Competition, but the principle of this all girls school isn't very friendly. Wadjda was not always in good relations with the principle, since she occasionally got sent to her office for "misbehaving" on school grounds. She wasn't really doing anything wrong, but her two acquaintances at the school were doing things that were supposed to be forbidden in public like: painting ones nails, and reading magazines. What I liked about this film is that, it showed the educational system in Saudi Arabia. Most people would think that their education system is not very good, but it seemed good in the film. My favorite character in this film was Wadjda, because she was always very determined and confident in herself. Her friend was a neighbor's child, and he always rode his bike around, which made Wadjda want one for herself as well. This desperation to have a bike of her own angered the principle, because this was seen to her as an insult. Wadjda won first place in the competition. When she was asked what she would do with the money she receives, she said that she would "buy a bike", this did not satisfy Ms. Hussa. Ms. Hussa (the principle ) said that she will give the money to donations, like Qatar . I thought this was despicable, Wadjada should have been able to do anything she wanted if she were given the money as a prize. This was a good movie, I would give it a 5/5.
Sufat Chol (2016)
Good movie
This was an interesting movie, because things turned out differently than expected. Layla, one of the main characters in the film lives in a Bedouin community with her mother and siblings, and they start having a hard time coping to life, when their father introduces his new wife. Layla goes to college outside of the territory, and she starts falling in love with a student in the school. This becomes an issue, when he is introduced to her dad Suliman, because he is not part of the Bedouin community. Layla has to marry an old guy, whom her father has arranged for her, and at the end she ends up marrying him. Towards the end of the film, I was very surprised, because when Layla was in her car on her way to see Anwar, she turned off the engine of the car, and went back to her family. I did not expect this to happen, because Layla did not want to marry a random guy whom she was arranged to marry, and her mother started excepting her choice to leave, but she decided to act otherwise. I did not like Layla's dad in the film, because once his new wife came along, he abandoned his children, and left them in a rotten house, while he lived in a newly built one, he took away their electric power, and they were left with nothing. Layla's mother was upset when this happened to her and her children, that she decided to stay with her parents, Layla was taking care of herself and her siblings, but dropped them off to their mother, when she wanted to run off. Overall I would give this film a 4 out of 5.
Omar (2013)
A Great Film
Overall I enjoyed this movie, and I also thought it had a good ending. What I liked about this film is that it showed more of a love relationship than a violent political side. Omar the main character in the film is a Palestinian who lives in the Palestinian Territories, while his girlfriend Nadia an Arab Israeli lives in Israel. In order to see Nadia he must climb over the wall which separates the Palestinian Territories and Israel itself. He does this successfully, but throughout his relationship with Nadia, conflicts start to occur when Omar is sent to the police for being convicted of a crime he did not commit, which was killing one of the Israeli military soldiers. Omar is sent to capture Tarek, who was the one to commit the crime, but is given an option to join the Israeli secret service. Amjad who likes Nadia told Omar that Nadia was pregnant even thought it wasn't true, so there were conflicts among Omar and Amjad. The ending of the film was very surprising to me, because I did expect something like that to happen. Omar killed the Israeli, instead of Amjad. I thought Omar was going to go after Amjad for stealing Nadia from him, or coming up with lies, but instead he decided to act otherwise. In some parts of the film I was kind of confused why certain things were happening and why, so for this reason I would give this film a 4/5.
Paradise Now (2005)
interesting movie
Overall, I thought this movie was good. It showed the border conflict in Israel, and how they are some Palestinians who live in the Israeli territories are not content with their life styles, and therefore some intend to get into Israel and terrorize innocent people. This movie was about two Palestinian friends Said and Khaled who are recruited into a terrorist organization, and are ordered to become suicide bombers in Tel Aviv. Said and Khaled stayed together throughout their mission, but once they got pass the border guards and were in Tel Aviv, Khaled reconsidered his mission, and his thought was that both him and Said would give up the mission and return to where they were, but once Khaled was in the car Said stayed behind and decided to go on with the mission.Khaled knew that Said and him would die if they did bomb Tel Aviv, that's why he wanted to leave, but this did not convince Said. I liked this movie, because everything was explained, but while watching this movie you do not know what happens to Khaled when he returns without completing the mission. I think if they added that in the film it would have been better, but I did like how everything made sense, that's why I would give this film a 4/5.
Tuya de hun shi (2006)
Not the best foreign movie
This film was very different than most foreign films that I have seen. At most times during the film I was confused, because it would not really show what actually happened or what the results turned out being. The main character in the film Toya divorces Ba'toer, who then tries to commit suicide. This affects her and her children as well. Toya was in terms of conflict when deciding who her new husband would be. Even though she would be marrying someone else that man would have to promise to look after Ba'toer since he was need for medical care and did not have enough money himself, but many refused to do so. I think Toya wanted the best for Ba'toer after she left him, because he was still an important person to her, but I think she left him for the reason that he didn't have enough money to take care of herself and her children, that is why she goes and seeks for a wealthy man.I did not really like how the movie ended, because it never shows who she ends up being with, and I think this movie would have been better if things were clearer. However, I found it interesting how this film showed life in Mongolia, and this family was not very poor, like seen in most foreign films, they had a lot of animals, and lived in a house. Overall, I did not enjoy this film, as much as I thought I would have. The pacing was really slow, and many aspects of the film to me seemed bad, that is why I would rate this film a 2/5.
Xi you: Xiang mo pian (2013)
Chinese film
Journey to the West is a Chinese film that focuses on the Buddhist traditions and beliefs. This was a very interesting and entertaining film. I liked the way that it used the concept of Buddhism in the movie, and made things science fiction, resembling to American films. In the beginning of the film there is a village and they are being attacked by a demon creature.The main character Chen presents himself as a demon hunter, and tells the village that he will protect everyone from the demon, but yet fails to do so. In replacement to his position is a woman named Duan who presents herself as a demon hunter as well, and yet she succeeds at turning the fish creature into a toy. After this scene Duan always finds Chen and comes to his rescue in the troubling times, when he does not know how to protect himself. Duan showed her love for Chen in the film, but Chen never did and this was the main conflict. My favorite character was Chen, because at the end of the film even though he failed at protecting Duan from the monkey king, he admitted to have loved her all along. After this overview, I would rate this film a 4/5.
Qin ai de (2014)
Chinese Movie about Child Abduction
I learned a lot from watching this Chinese film. I had never really heard about child abduction in China, since we do not hear about that problem there, but not only does it happen there, but it can happen anywhere. This film was unique in that, it was about a real story and events, but some parts of the film were added. This film is about a couple who lose their child, and find out that he was abducted. Peng-Peng(the little boy ) decided to wander off on his own after playing with a few of his friends, and saw his mother in the car driving away, as soon as that happened he was taken. Once Peng-Peng's dad found out that his son was abducted he panicked, and Peng-Peng's mother felt guilty, which is later explained in the film. Both of Peng-Peng's parents decided to join a group that involved people who have gone through the same situation, and they try to help families by making them feel better about their current loss, and also find ways to find the children of the families, by disguising themselves as a tour group, but often times it did not work out. It takes a while for Peng-Peng to be found, but when he is he did not recognize his parents, since he was very little when he was abducted, therefore he wanted to go back to the woman who abducted him. The only thing I did not like about this film was the end. It seemed to be very unclear and was a bit confusing. Based on this reasoning, I would rate this film a 4/5.
Chennai Express (2013)
Unique Film
This was a very interesting film that changed my perspective while watching it. In the beginning of the film I thought that It was kind of strange how it integrated singing as part of the title and the whole movie, but when realizing that it was a romantic comedy it all made more sense. I enjoyed the film, but thought that the passing was kind of slow, making the movie last much longer than it should have been. My favorite character was Rahul, because he was a very determined and caring person who never gave up on Meenamma. The first time that Rahul met Meenamma they both fell in love with each other, but the problem that was going on at that moment and throughout the film was that Meenamma's dad ordered some of his men to stop her from running away, because she was supposed to marry a man that she did not want to be with. At first Meenamma did not really care about Rahul, since she did not really know him well enough, but as soon as they stayed with each other and once she saw that he was going to do everything and anything for her in order to protect her, she immediately changed her views on him. My favorite scene would be when Rahul confronted the goons and the guy that Meenamma was supposed to get married to, and proved to himself, Meenamma, and her dad that he was strong enough to stand up for the person he loved by fighting and never giving up, and eventually Meana's dad let her marry Raul. I would not have changed the ending of the film, since it was a happy ending, but even though the middle to end of the film was good, the beginning was not at that same level. For this reasoning, I would rate this film a 4/5.
Ajeossi (2010)
A great Korean Film
Overall this was a great film that I would definitely recommend to watch. In the beginning of the film, I thought that the pacing went kind of slow, but my perspective on the film started to change while getting more into it. The main character in the film owned a pawnshop, and met a young girl when she came to his shop. The owner of the pawnshop Tae-Sik Cha, became close with the young girl when he noticed the danger that she and her mother were in. Tae-Sik Cha had a secret dark past, which eventually effects the way he behaves. The little girl's mother and the girl one day get taken away by some people who are involved with drug violence, and cutting people open and selling their organs illegally. Tae-Sik Cha wanted to save the little girl and her mother, and was able to save the girl, but unfortunately the mother perished. The little girl in the film sees Tae-Sik Cha as her own father, but has troubles realizing if he will save her or not, but he is able to defeat the bad guys and save himself and the little girl. There was a lot of violence in the film, but most American films are violent, so this could be an issue to some. I liked how the movie was filmed, and how it showed some parts of the film as if one was actually in it, but the only down part of this film, is that most of the time I was very confused why certain things happened which was never explained in the film, and therefore I would give this film a 4/5.
Whale Rider (2002)
Interesting film to watch
This was a very interesting film, and one that I can not relate to other international films, since it was so unique. The main character Paikea was by far my favorite in the film, because she proved her grandpa that she was able to do the same things that the other boys were able to do, and yet was more capable. Paikea's grandfather in the film was not very astonished with Paikea, and would always seem to be degrading her, but towards the end of the film when none of the other boys were able to retrieve the whale tooth necklace, Paikea was the one to swim to the bottom of the ocean and find it, and he became more considerate. Seeing how the grandfather acted in the film will make it seem like he was always disappointed in Paikea, and doesn't show so much emotional feelings around her, but I wouldn't say that. I think the grandfather saw more in Paikea, that he could not see, but once he saw what Paikea was capable of he immediately became more attached. I liked how the whales were a big part of Paikea's culture as well as her ancestors. Overall I would give this film a 4/5 stars, because even though it was a great movie, it did have some flaws. Many times things were not very clear and a bit confusing at some parts in the movie.
Metro Manila (2013)
An amazing film!
Overall I thought this was an excellent film. Oscar the protagonist in the film and his family flee the Northern part of the Philippines, and venture out to Metro Manila with no food, money, or any place to stay. They have troubles adapting to their new life, but try to find ways to earn some money in Manila, by finding occupations that they wouldn't do, if they had the choice. Oscar's wife who has two children finds a job at a club, but has a hard time doing something that she is against, as for Oscar who had a hard time finding a job and a place to live with his family, found a job as a security officer for Manila Armored Couriers, and bonded with Ong one of senior officers that he worked with. At first Ong was nice to Oscar lending him an apartment to stay in, but soon started to threaten Oscar. Oscar started getting more involved with Ong, and the mess that he started, which was staging a robbery, and taking a security box with him,and told Oscar that he needed a copy of the key. The day that Ong and Oscar went to stage the robbery, Ong tries to surrender to box, but fails and gets killed. At the end when Oscar finally retrieves the key that opens the security box, he gets caught on camera, and unfortunately dies at the end of the film. The ending of the film resembled to some American films, because even though Oscar died, his wife was able to get hold of the money in the box, and move on with her children. It shows that to a bad ending, there can always be happy endings as well. My favorite character in the film was Oscar's wife, because she was a very determined and brave woman. She was always there for Oscar and her kids, and tried to do her best, in order to help her family in some way, rather than have Oscar do it all himself. After seeing this film I think that it earns a 5/5 stars.
Difret (2014)
An Excellent Ethiopian Film
Overall I really enjoyed this film,and the way that it is based on a real story that happened. This film is about a young fourteen year old girl named Hirut, who lives in a poor village with her family in Ethiopia. Hirut gets told by her parents that she will have to marry an older man, whom she does want to be with, and on her way home from school one day she gets kidnapped and abducted by this man. On her escape she grabs his gun, and runs for home, but encounters the man surrounded by other men. terrified and panicked she aims the gun and shoots the man. This becomes the plot of the film when a woman named Meaza comes to Hirut and her family saying that she will be representing Hirut in court, and defend her case saying that it was an act of defense, and that she is innocent. My favorite character in the film would be Meaza who was playing as Hirut's attorney in the film, because she never gave up on her case, and on Hirut. Meaza did things that was not required from her, like taking Hirut into the city, and letting her stay in her home for a few days, because she knew that with everyone who knew the man that got shot was against her,and wanted her killed, and she wanted to protect Hirut, and also care for her. Meaza wins her case, and Hirut does not get charged with murder of the man, as it was said to have been an act of defense. My favorite scene in the film was when Hirut decided to go with Meaza,and leave her family, but then decided to go back to her family, saying that her sister will need her, and that she will never be able to live without her. I thought this film was excellent,and would give it a 5/5 stars.
Timbuktu (2014)
Fascinating Film To Watch
Timbuktu is an intricate movie. It shows the conflicting problems occurring in Mali, and that being the control of the extremists. This movie presents a very accurate amount of detail on the treatment of women in Mali, but that's also happening in other countries as well.In this film, many women and men were not able to do activities that are common in the daily lives of others living in America and Europe, like singing, or playing soccer. I liked the way that this film showed how the character's lives were being affected daily in their lives. Many were forbidden to do things that are said not to be written on any written document, and were set up by the extremists to control the people. My favorite scene like many others who have seen this film would be when the young boys were pretending to play soccer without an actual ball, because it was forbidden by the extremist laws. This shows that many who live in Mali, and other countries that are controlled by extremists wish to do activities that they know if they are caught doing, will put their lives in danger. Overall I thought this movie was very good, but the only thing I would change would be the ending. The ending of the film was very weird to me it showed Toya one of the main characters in this film, and her brother both running in a direction which seemed like never ending, and then the film ends. I would give this film a 4/5 stars.
Rebelle (2012)
Great Movie
This was a very interesting movie, and probably the best filmed African movie that I have seen. This movie is about a young girl named Komona who describes her life and her situation that she is in. In this movie, the rebel army takes her in, and brainwashes her to kill her own parents, this eventually affects her throughout the film. Komona was seen as a girl with "special powers", and was seen as a "Witch" to the rebel force. My favorite character in the film was Komona, because despite the fact that she had to murder people, one of them being her parents, she was still brave throughout the movie, and managed to survive on her own towards the end of the film, after the Magician perished. Overall I thought that this movie was great, and would not have changed anything. I would give this film a 4/5 stars.
Kinyarwanda (2011)
An Interesting Film
Overall I thought this was a very interesting film. I particularly liked how the film maker decided to use different stories in the film, and intertwined them together, as well as using flashbacks. This film showed many problems that went on during the Rwandan genocide, like the conflicting problems between the Hutus and the Tutsis. This film tried to show that with all the violence that went on during the genocide, and some of the people who decided to act violently by murdering their own people, there were others who decided to risk their lives in order to save the ones who were about to get murdered. This portrayed that the genocide was not all bad, there were people who decided to help others who were in danger of getting killed, like the military soldiers who were trained in Uganda, and decided to rescue the people who were in the middle of the genocide, but were not a part of committing violent crimes, and murder. This film showed how religious freedom and peace was an important role for those who were against the genocide, and the ones involved in it. This film is not American, but it does share some similar things to American films, like the happy ending at the end of the film, most American films have happy endings, so it was interesting to see that as well in this film, and how they spoke both English and Kinyarwanda. I would not change anything about this film, and therefore would give it a 4/5 stars.
Hotel Rwanda (2004)
A Great American Movie On The Rwandan Genocide.
Overall I really enjoyed this movie. I thought that the actors, some who are famous did a really nice job by acting out exactly how the people in Rwanda were feeling during the Rwandan genocide. Although this is not a foreign film, it is very educational, because one who has never really heard about what exactly happened during the Rwandan genocide or know anything about it, can learn something new by watching this film. I particularly liked Paul the best in the movie as he was also one of the main characters. He took the risk, by taking in refugees that were going to get killed, and let them stay in his hotel, which I thought was a very audacious thing to do. I really liked the way that he cared for the other Rwandan people, since he was the one to step up to save them. There are many things that I enjoyed about this movie like, the way it was filmed, and the scenes and emotions that the people showed, but it would have been even better if this film showed the effect that the Genocide had on the Rwandan population and the younger children. This film stressed Paul as a heroic character, not only did he protect his family, but he protected others. I thought this was a great movie, and based on this reasoning I would give it a 5/5 .
Voces inocentes (2004)
Great film about the Civil War in El Salvador
This film is about an eleven year old boy named Chava who is affected by the Civil War occurring in his village in El Salvador. This was a very interesting film, because it showed how there are still wars in major countries, and one of them being in Latin America. This is an international film, and that is what makes the perspective so wide ranged, because you get to see a major war problem in a country that you would not know has to deal with not only poverty, but war. I really enjoyed this film, because Chava who was scared to be recruited into the army knowing that he was turning twelve soon, set the movie to become so captivating to watch. Not only did it show major violence of the war that was going on, but it showed how they lived through their daily lives despite the war that was going on. I would say Chava was a very brave character in the film, he was only eleven years old, and was already looking after his mother and family, searching for a job, so that he could help his mother. Throughout the horrible war that was going on in El Salvador, Chava was still able to enjoy some childhood memories. I would give this film a 4/5 stars.
Cidade de Deus (2002)
Two young men take different paths, and learn how to live in the slums, one uses his passion to escape, and the other does not.
This film was very intriguing to watch, and got me thinking of why certain scenes and parts of the movie were shown in a specific way. In the beginning of the film I was confused, because it showed the ending part of the scene, and then went back to the beginning, and told the story. The way that it changed from ending to beginning, and then replayed that scene at the end made this film very unique, and some American films are similar, but what makes this different than most American films is the language, and shows life in a different country during the 60's and 70's , and how the people there were living like, so I got to see a different perspective. Throughout this film, it talked about each character describing them, and went back and forth, which I thought was very distinctive. My favorite character in this film would be Rocket, because he did not agree with his friends and "acquaintances" in that they were involved in a gang and committing lots of crimes, and were doing drugs. Rocket found something that he was very passionate of, and that was photography. He used that in a way to escape the gang life, and separated himself of those bad "acquaintances". Even though he was there at the time of when shootings were going on, he tried to stay away from violence, by not actually killing anyone, and this showed who he was as a person. I would recommend watching this film if you like inspiring stories, or want to see an international film that will teach and narrate a unique story from a different perspective.
Hermano (2010)
This film is about the bond of two brothers living in Venezuela, and their dedication to soccer, and family.
"Hermano" was a very interesting film, and was something that I had never seen before. The reason why I enjoyed this film, is that it showed the bond between family such as siblings, who are dedicated and committed to achieve the same goals and want to do it together. The actors in the film in my opinion played their role very well, even though the movie was violent, like most American movies are, this film is not like most American films , because it has a different plot , whereas American films base off of the same idea. Daniel and Julio are raised together being brothers, and try to escape the slums by committing to soccer, they were both dedicated and talented players, and throughout the movie have a strong relationship, because of it. Daniel really cares for Julio and their mom especially since they were the ones who saved him when he was an infant, so throughout the movie he has a very good relationship with them,and it was really nice to see that in the film. Once the tragic moment occurs in the film, Daniel is not willing to give up, he keeps on trying to stay motivated, especially because soccer might bring him and his brother Julio to a successful life, but even though he tried to stay positive after the incident, it was very hard for him to control his emotional feelings, and this is what got him to act in a certain way, which therefore caused the plot to happen. The main reason why I would not rate this film a 10/10 is because the ending of the film threw me off a bit. Overall I would say it was a good film, but would it give this a 3/5 stars.
Una noche (2012)
Raul is planning to venture out of Cuba to Miami, and asks his friend Elio to help him, but they are faced with many challenges.
. Overall I really I enjoyed this film. I thought that it did a nice job showing the daily lives of Cubans, that some to this very day still have to go through. It should the social and economic crisis of Cuba, and how most people are treated very poorly due to their social status. The actors in the film were able to emotionally and physically act in the way that made everything seem more surreal, and the fact that they spoke the native language, made things even more intriguing to watch. Seeing this film can make others realize that there are people in the world who are less fortunate, and are living in extreme and horrible conditions, and have to commit to doing something that they would not do if they were given a choice. I would not have changed anything in the film, because I was emotionally connected to every scene that was presented, the ending of the film led me to curiosity, because it doesn't actually tell you what will happen to the main actors, it leaves you thinking what you would think will happen, and that makes a great film. Based on this reasoning I would give this film a 5/5 stars
Sin nombre (2009)
A young Honduran girl who reunites with her father, goes on an adventure to the U.S., and who involves herself with a Mexican gang member.
This film is an international film, and once you start watching it you can already tell that the whole movie is not in English, but rather in Spanish, and this is what makes it so captivating to watch. The film is not like most American films that people are used to watching, most American films end with a happy ending or the protagonist in the film ends up having a great life at the end of the film, sometimes even better than before. What makes international films so intriguing is that it is different, but different in a unique and special way. If I had to describe the setting of this film it would be depressing, and violent. I really enjoyed how the film showed daily life in Central America, and how Spanish speaking peoples are affected by gangs. The characters in this film is what made the movie so intriguing to watch, the way they showed their feelings throughout the film, and the way they acted, is what made the movie realistic to similar life situations . This film does include some sexual contact, blood/violence, so if this is not what you prefer to watch, then this film is not the right choice for you. I believe Sin Nombre was a really great film, because it got it's point across, and you can really see what's going on in Central America, and learn about something that you weren't aware of before, or knew of but didn't know how it affects people in Central America . I would give it a 4 out of 5 stars