Categories: cinema
Date: 21 September 2008 07:17:47
Two very warm days in Sydney town, though yesterday's 30C+ temperatures were warmer than today's. The sun is out, the sky is clear and spring is well and truly establishing itself.
I was not out enjoying it [I much prefer the cold...], but taking in two movies over the weekend, Caramel [سكر بنات] and Welcome to the Sticks [Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis]: and they were two great movies indeed.
I saw Caramel today, on a busy day in the CBD as a running festival was on -- the atmosphere was very celebratory, and the runners were cheered on by bystanders as well as family and friends as they neared the finish line. A very pleasant experience for me -- to see at least; I wouldn't be running, I'll leave that to ed_m.
The film, which has taken some time getting down here in general release, is Nadine Labaki's [who also stars in it] first feature film, and I believe she has done a wonderful job in bringing this simple, but yet so engaging and beautiful, story of five Lebanese women who are dealing with issues of love, tradition, sexuality, aging and caring for one's family, among many others. Before going in I had assumed the title referred to "sticky" experiences and the joined and shared life of us all, but watching it I realised that as well as this, it could also refer to the method of hair removal used in the film: heating sugar, water and lemon juice.
I, and the cinema, laughed, sighed, gasped, almost cried and everything in between. Truly a snapshot of 'ordinary' life, but one told with such tenderness and love, and one in which, due to the fine performances of the actresses and actors, you cannot help but be drawn in.
Yesterday, after taking my uncle [as he wanted to try Lebanese food] to a local Lebanese restaurant [Frank's] for a very enjoyable and delicious lunch [Frank's is a great place: I had not been for ages, and will hopefully go again soon], I went to see Welcome to the Sticks, a very enjoyable French comedy about Philippe, a postal service manager, who cannot get a job on the at a Mediterranean seaside town to make his wife happy, to make her happy. He pretends to be disabled, as they supposedly get preferential treatment, but upon being found out he is sent to Bergues, a town in northern France, for two years. The view of this place, "the sticks", is a cold, a very cold, and rainy place inhabited by unsophisticated bumpkins who who speak a strange dialect of French, known as ch'ti.
This film is simply fun, playing on stereotypes -- and in fact showing how demeaning and offensive they can be, and how the truth is far different. And I think this view has universal application: we all know of areas considered "the sticks" and what people think of them. But this is not, as far as I could see, purposefully a deep movie: though that may come out -- it is simply a lot of fun. If anything, the sheer beauty of Bergues is an additional star of this film -- I'd be happy to visit any day. The film-maker, and one of its stars, Dany Boon grew up in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais area, and a dedication to his mother at the end of the film gives an indication of his love for his native region.
As with Caramel, though two very different films, you can let yourself sit back and be taken on a very enjoyable, entertaining and fascinating ride.