Change Your Image
iterlongum
Reviews
Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001)
Incorporation of Tradtional values for a better modern Japan
A girl is traveling with her parent to their new home when they come across an old gate and cross over into a world populated by spirits. She loses her parents and must pass three tests in order to save them.
The structure of the movie is that of a Modern Japanese Narrative with deep Traditional Japanese elements and symbolism. The story is told from multiple perspectives that flow smoothly throughout the film. The is a time discontinuity which begins at the moment the family passes through the gated tunnel until they return to their car at the end of the movie. The movie is based on the Japanese religion of Shinto which believes there are spirits in all things, from organic to inorganic, natural and manned. All of the spirits that the main character Chihiro encounters are such spirits.
The movie is based on the conflict between the traditional values of Japan with the modern values of Japan. It is clear that Miyazaki believes that modern Japanese society is selfish, greedy, and polluted. He believes that the only way to correct these problems is by incorporating the traditional values of: politeness/manners, hard work and dedication, helping others /self-sacrifice without personal gain, and finally, love and devotion to friends and family.
These three values are established throughout the movie in simple life lessons. The first of the three values is a lesson on being hardworking and steadfast by completely what you start. She picks up a large piece of coal, which he can barely carry due to its weight, and drop it into the broiler. Next, was cleaning the river spirit that stank to high heaven from the pollution of the modern world, and the job of freeing her parents, which she set out to do at the beginning of the movie, for example.
The second value that she learns is politeness/manners. She learns to thank those who have helped her along the way by bowing and giving thanks. She does this with the broiler man that helped her get her foot in the door in getting a job at the bathhouse and Jin for teaching her everything she needs to know for her job and for helping her out when he was in trouble, to name a few.
The third value, helping other/self-sacrifice, is most evident in Chihiro's desire to save the life of Haiku, the dragon, even though she knows she may get hurt. She climbs the side of the bathhouse, gives half of her plum, a gift, to help heal him, and travels on a long journey to save his life.
The three tests given to Chihiro, by Yubaba, deal with overcoming the pollution, greed, and selfishness of the modern world, which are all in the form of monsters or beasts. The first monster is a monster that has been corrupted by the pollution of the modern world. The monster is filled with garbage, discarded objects and industrial waste. Chihiro rids the monster of the pollution and he is cleaned and become whole, as things should be. The second monster is a monster of greed. The monster, No Face, offers Chihiro many bath tokens far more than she needs (During the cleansing of the first monster, she had a bucketful but only used what she needed) and offers her lots of gold, which she declines. No Face goes crazy from being in the bathhouse (many things of the modern world) and leads him away into the rural land around the bath house, which is clean and pure and beautiful (aka traditional values). The final test comes when Chihiro has to figure out which of the beastly pigs are her parents. Because she has learned to love her parents and her friends unconditionally, she has renewed/cleaned sight and she passes the test by seeing that none of the pigs were her parents.
In the end, she learns all of the traditional values that have been lost in Modern Japan and becomes a better and stronger person because of them. She takes that knowledge and the values she learned and incorporates it into herself then travels away from tradition and enters the modern world. (She doesn't lose the traditional values; they simply became a part of her. Like reading, you don't think about the process of reading, you just read.
Rashômon (1950)
Rashomon - Japanese Crime Drama
Rashomon is a combination of Akutagawa's stories, Rashomon and In The Groove. I was weary about the combination, but Kurosawa pulled it off with beauty and smooth transitions from one scene to the next. The scenery, which was all shot outdoors, was imposing but beautiful, consuming you in nature.
Deception is the prevalent theme throughout the movie. During the interrogation, all of the characters retell their stories to make them seem noble and good to the audience so we sympathize with them instead of judging and persecuting them for their actions. Everything that comes out of their mouths is full of lies and deception. They only care about themselves. This is a testament to human nature. Since we were kids, we have lied to keep from being punished by our parents or teachers, even if we were the ones involved in a deceitful act.
The movie is overall long and drawn out, with lots of extended nature walks. This is its only drawback. Make it through that, and you are entertained by the ridiculousness of the character's stories and their actions.
This is a good movie for someone who wishes to see how the modern movie began and to see human nature as it truly is, or if you like funny crime dramas.
Gomgashtei dar Aragh (2002)
The Strength to Survive
The movie, "Marooned in Iraq" is about a man's search for the women he loved, who happened to leave him for his best friend. He is accompanied by his two sons and they journey across Iraq and Iran to find their father's beloved ex-wife.
Throughout the film, you see homes that have been turned into piles of rubble because of the bombing of Iranian Kurdistan by Saddam Hussein. These destroyed homes are symbols for the families that have been wiped out during Saddam's purging of the Kurds from Iran and Iraq. A heartbreaking example is shown when the father, Mizra, and his two sons, Barat and Audeh, come upon a teacher giving a class to a group of children, who are orphans, in the mountains on the Iran/Iraq border. The teacher is teaching the children about bombs and planes. The teacher explains that the planes are the things that fly overhead with people in them and that they drop the bombs. He then explains to the children that the bombs are the things that caused the houses to be destroyed and death of their parents. The teacher has to link those things together with the destruction of their homes and death of their families. Then the children through paper airplanes into the air over the edge of an outcropping and the sound of warplanes can be heard flying overhead.
This shows that the Kurds are separate from the rest of the people of the Middle East, as they indeed view themselves, and that they are a resilient people. They are determined to keep surviving and living their lives no matter the circumstances. This act shows Saddam that he will never be able to destroy them and that all of his bombing and chemical warfare is futile. They are one people who will help each other through anything and nothing that break that bond. This is a very powerful statement from such a small group of people.
I would recommend this film to anyone who likes to see the "little guy" triumph over the "big guys" in their actions, indirect though they may be. The film may seem slow to an American, but it will sustain your interest.
Bacheha-Ye aseman (1997)
Beautiful Poetic Imagery
Children of Heaven is a simple movie, but creative in its imagery and symbolism. The story is about a boy who loses his sister's shoes and his fierce determination to get his sister a replacement pair. The most poignant scene that illustrates the boy's desire to help his sister and bring her comfort is shown in the marathon race around the lake in a modern downtown city in Iran.
Ali enters a marathon race to win third prize, which is a new pair of sneakers, for his sister, Zahra. The race begins and Ali is in the middle of a pack of boys, all around his age. A few times, Ali trips and falls to the ground, causing him to fall behind the other boys in the race, losing his place. Every time he falls down, he picks himself back up with a look of fierce determination on his face and charges back into the race. He is breathing heavily and fatigue begins to show on his face, but he only thinks of his sister and his promise to get her a new pair of shoes. This show of fierce family loyalty is so moving, especially from one so young.
All around him there are birds chirping and trees moving past him, with a large lake behind Ali in every take. This reference to a garden, water, and Ali's promise are striking allusions to the Islamic religion on which this movie is based. The lake is an Islamic symbol for purification, alms, and the Will of God. Water is an unstoppable force that cannot be avoided just as God is an unstoppable force that is always affecting man's everyday lives. The trees and the sound of the birds singing is another allusion to God through nature. This nature is a representation of the Garden of Eden from which all of mankind derived and will one day re-enter.
This movie ties together to Islamic tradition of family helping one another in times of need and the will and power of God in their everyday lives. This is definitely a movie worth seeing if you love simple and beautiful imagery, straightforward story line, and the determination of man to overcome adversity.