Rio, Casablanca - Not your proverbial gun trotting "southside" children
I was visiting my county's public library after a 5 year impasse. Back then it was my only comprehensive resource for Naipauls and authors alike with all that "The Raj" nostalgia.
This time around, a short stack, with a bunch of DVDs caught my attention - a dozen to be precise. They were labled 'Film Movement'. I was ecstatic to find two foreign films. I picked up both of them. One's Moroccon (Ali Za0ua) and the other was from Brazil (Man of the Year). Ever since 'City of Gods', I have been fascinated by the narration techniques that the brazilian filmmakers employ.
I watched 'Man of the year' last week and 'Ali Z" last night. This morning, it occured to me that both the films had pretty much the same theme - children on the streets facing the perils of life and death. Ali is set in Casablanca with the raw imagery of the streets by a placid port (slacking economy). "Man of the year" is set in the favellas (slums in Rio), of an adolscent finding an unsual power of supremacy when he dyes his hair blonde.
Both the flicks are ripe with the grave, grotesque poblems that orphaned, abandoned children face on the streets of a main city. For some reason I felt, its not the same story we hear on the morning feeds, about children in south side chicago or atlanta who are raised in foster homes, children who are presented a clear opportunity to change their lives.
The inability of the governments of the so called "developing nations" to provide a system and regimen of rehabilitation has led to a social condition wherein these children depend on each other, align themselves to a whimsical idealogy leading to formation of gangs. Sniffing, drugs, serving the pedophilics, rash killings, all become a way of life for these children.
Neither of these films didnt let me down. Realism as seen through a filmmaker. Would it be reasonable to ask some of our screenplay writers from sunset blvd to move out of their beach house mansions and live in cities like Rio and Casablance where human drama unfolds?
This time around, a short stack, with a bunch of DVDs caught my attention - a dozen to be precise. They were labled 'Film Movement'. I was ecstatic to find two foreign films. I picked up both of them. One's Moroccon (Ali Za0ua) and the other was from Brazil (Man of the Year). Ever since 'City of Gods', I have been fascinated by the narration techniques that the brazilian filmmakers employ.
I watched 'Man of the year' last week and 'Ali Z" last night. This morning, it occured to me that both the films had pretty much the same theme - children on the streets facing the perils of life and death. Ali is set in Casablanca with the raw imagery of the streets by a placid port (slacking economy). "Man of the year" is set in the favellas (slums in Rio), of an adolscent finding an unsual power of supremacy when he dyes his hair blonde.
Both the flicks are ripe with the grave, grotesque poblems that orphaned, abandoned children face on the streets of a main city. For some reason I felt, its not the same story we hear on the morning feeds, about children in south side chicago or atlanta who are raised in foster homes, children who are presented a clear opportunity to change their lives.
The inability of the governments of the so called "developing nations" to provide a system and regimen of rehabilitation has led to a social condition wherein these children depend on each other, align themselves to a whimsical idealogy leading to formation of gangs. Sniffing, drugs, serving the pedophilics, rash killings, all become a way of life for these children.
Neither of these films didnt let me down. Realism as seen through a filmmaker. Would it be reasonable to ask some of our screenplay writers from sunset blvd to move out of their beach house mansions and live in cities like Rio and Casablance where human drama unfolds?
posted by Still in Trance @ 9:55 AM
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