allstarmestd Reviews

Marooned in Iraq (2002)

Alternate View on War in the Middle East

[7/10 · 7 March 2007]

Family, laughter, music and unlikely endings, "Marooned in Iraq" is a fill that offers a much different point of view of the Middle East than most American's are accustomed to. This story of a father and his two son's search for happiness by leaving their homes in Iran to cross the border into war torn Iraq shows a more humanistic view of the effects of war. Each man is searching for something to fulfill their lives amidst the great turmoil.

The film really focused on how small people are by themselves and how they really have no control over what happens. He often showed scenes where the characters were traveling alone along broad backdrops of huge landscapes. The director really seemed to want to get the point across that these men might be together, but they were such a small part of this enormous world.

It was surprising how light-hearted some of the film was. For instance, the time spent with the orphans was not a dark gloomy time, but a time of music, dancing and happiness. At the same time, the sound of actual jets brought the viewer back to the reality that all of these children had lost their families because of this brutal war.

From the view of an American, this movie was extremely interesting. Sometimes I think we would like to think that war in the Middle East does not affect many, because many of us are not directly affected, but this film shows the other side. People who are interested in seeing the other side of this Middle Eastern conflict should watch this movie and witness the hardship these people must live through on a daily basis.

The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980)

Enjoyable

[7/10 · 20 November 2006]

After watching this film, the only word that comes to mind is "entertaining". Throughout the whole film I found myself laughing at the slapstick situation and the mocking the lack of coordination between Western culture and traditional African culture. I felt that the documentary style commentary was a highlight. I didn't see it as an offensive slam against the !Kung culture, but instead a highlight on the satire of how the West views Africans, like uncivilized people. Through out the film, the !Kung people were portrayed as naive and primitive and some aspects of the film didn't add up to the reality of how the !Kung people live, which took away from the overall credibility. The huts and lack of social interactions, for instance, were inconsistent compared to reality.

Overall I didn't find this movie to be extremely racist. Although it pokes fun at both Whites and Africans, it does it in a manner that is light hearted and playful. The true !Kung language is used and the people are able to sustain themselves throughout the film. On the other hand, the Western whites are seen as goofy and uptight. The language of the !Kung people, although was not subtitled, was still an authentic language, not just clicks and noise, which added to my thinking it was not a racist movie. I think that both of the "downfalls" of each society of overplayed and emphasized for comedic sake. Because of it's goofy and slapstick humor, this film is accessible to almost anyone, whether or not they are familiar with African culture or not. It would be helpful, however, to be aware of what was going on in the world during this time period. Understanding the time period would be key in explaining why the terrorist was a Russian. Overall, I was enjoyed this film and would suggest it to others.

Twist à Popenguine (1994)

Interesting Take on Current Africa

[8/10 · 23 October 2006]

Moussa Sene Absa's film portrays life in the town of Poponguine and how colonization has effected the population. Through Absa's film it is hard to decipher exactly whether or not he agrees with the adaptation of the population to the influence of French and America. From what I gather, Absa saw a blatant difference between the elders and the young people in the community. The young men were more willing and interested in wearing European style clothing and listening to American and French pop music. They also spoke fluent French instead of Wolof, unlike the older people in the community. Although it seems a bit disheartening that the young people are drifting from the traditional way of life, I think Absa realizes that the influence isn't going away and must be accepted. It also seems that Absa saw a lot of faults in the white males in the film, but in the end everyone was able to get along together.

I found this film to be very entertaining and believable. They actors did a nice job considering most were Poponguine natives who had never acted before. There were minor lapses in scenes that confused me a little and some of the scenes seemed to drag, but I could have felt that way just because I am used to the fast passed American cinema. I think the film successfully showed how much influence the West has had on Senegal and how much of a challenge it is to integrate the traditional culture with the new influences. I recommend this movie to anyone who is curios about current African culture and anyone interested in foreign films.