Rowan Sullivan, Author at FilmRoot

401

Okja (South Korea)

At last, a film on Film Root that you can watch with a large popcorn and coke. It’s just like the Hollywood blockbusters you are familiar with and you can watch it on Netflix! It has a recognizable cast, action, clear demarcations between good and evil, and drama. You’ll also get Film Root points for watching this, as it is made by Korean Bong Joon-ho and features a bit of Korean! So have a day off from the art-house and slow films usually on here and enjoy!

Here’s a teaser trailer (no spoilers this time)

Why Watch Okja?

It’s a Hollywood film, it’s mostly in English, and it’s on Netflix! It’s an easy way for you to say you’ve watched an international film!
To see more from Bong Joon-ho, the great Korean director behind The Host and Snowpiercer
Learn about the brutal side of the food industry (to learn even more check out Food Inc)
If you like cute pigs!

Breakdown

You’ll see the high heeled Lucy Mirando (Tilda Swinton) open the film with a swanky presentation that is one part Steve Jobs and two parts Pop Idol. She introduces Mirando (a rip on the real life Monsanto) and their latest innovation that will solve world hunger: a Super Pig.

For the Pop Idol twist, Lucy Mirando introduces a worldwide competition. She will send a bunch of Super Pigs to the best farmers from around the world and see who can raise the best Super Pig.

Sure enough, one of these Super Pigs is sent to Korea. As next we follow Mija, the young farm girl who takes care of Okja.

From the scenes with Okja and Mija, the director makes it clear that Okja is more than just a piece of meat. Okja helps Mija catch fish and harvest fruit and even saves Mija’s life in one of the opening scenes. These early scenes with Mija and Okja establish that Okja is a sentient and intelligent being.

However, Mirando, like the real life Monsanto and any good capitalist business is all about profit margins. Despite the best PR attempts of Lucy to hide her company’s lack of responsibility, it is obvious to us that they are bad!

Conclusion

Okja brings the ugly corporate controlled food industry to Hollywood with style! It has everything you want if you’re used to Hollywood blockbusters and you can watch it at home on Netflix!

Favourite quotes from the film (the first is also a personal goal of mine):

“Learn a new language – it opens doors!”

“Translations are sacred”

402

White Sun (Nepal)

White Sun Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

In White Sun, a Maoist rebel returns home to bury his Royalist father after peace has been reached in the Nepali Civil War. He comes face-to-face with a neighborhood that fought against him in the war. Will he be welcomed back or will old enemies and hatred be rekindled?

As usual only watch he first 40 secs of this trailer, unless you’re happy to venture into spoiler territory!

Why Watch White Sun?

To see a film from Nepal (a country not known for it’s films)
For an opportunity to learn about the Nepali Civil War (fought from 1996-2006) something that I didn’t know anything about!
See Nepal’s beautiful scenery and cultural diversity whilst learning a bit about Nepali customs and tradition as well!
It’s a comedy! But not just a comedy – you will learn a lot along the way

The Breakdown

The first thing you notice in White Sun is the beautiful scenery. It opens with a widescreen shot of mountainous hills with Himalayan peaks in the background. We can hear a radio playing in the background: a peace deal has been reached between the Maoists and the Royalists, putting an end to the 10 year Civil War.

In the next scene a Maoist rebel returns home from the city. He has come home after a long absence to bury his Royalist father. From the start he is neither welcomed by his family and former neighbors and does not seem too happy to be home. It is clear that the recent peace deals have not healed the wounds of the recent Civil War.

This village also hasn’t forgotten the caste system that the Maoists fought to eradicate. In this rural town, a young boy thinks he isn’t human (he thinks he’s a porter) and women pollute the dead (by simply touching them).

Conclusion

While relations between the returning Maoist and the traditional village folk festers, the children offer a vision for a peaceful future. This is a heart-warming but insightful film that explores the lasting effects of the Nepali Civil War.

403

Over the Years (Austria)

Over the Years Film Difficulty Ranking: 5

Want to watch a slow 3 hour documentary starring a group of Austrian factory workers? Probably doesn’t sound too enticing right?

Well you shouldn’t be put off. During these three hours you will gain a greater appreciation of life and death.

Why Watch Over the Years?

You want to watch a long documentary that explores the meaning of life
To understand what it is like living from week to week in Europe
See an example of the industries that have been left behind by modernization (this one is a good companion to Factory)
Get to know a group of Austrian’s intimately over a 10 year period

The Breakdown

The Anderl factory near Schrems (in Austria) once employed 250 people to produce textiles. In 2004 only a handful are still working at the factory.

This is the story of the handful still working at the factory in 2004. The film visits the group every few years over a ten year period to see how their lives are changing.

Ultimately, their lives are not changing. Even though the factory closes down, they end up in similar jobs after periods of unemployment. Some of them prefer their new jobs, some of them retire and pick up some hobbies. It is all pretty mundane – none of them leave town or try anything different to what is expected of them.

It is as if they are just living out their allotted time like the decline of the factory they worked at. The factory faded away with the tide of modernization and globalization. Similarly, over the ten years of filming, the characters slowly age, hinting that they (like us) will fade away too.

Conclusion

So what is great about this film then if it’s just a portrait of the mundane? Well, for me, it’s the incredible portrait of time passing. You get to witness this group of people experience ups and downs. You get to live their lives for 3 hours. And what does that give you? A much greater understanding of the meaning of life. It made me appreciate my mortality and the limited time I have on this earth. DEEP!

404

After the Battle (Egypt)

After the Battle Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

Like me, you may have heard of the Arab Spring (2011) and the protests at Tahir Square in Cairo (documented on Netflix’s The Square). But do you know what happened afterwards? After the Battle explores the aftermath so you can see how life has changed (or stayed the same) since the Arab Spring. Ignore the bad reviews (yes, the film is a little bit cheesy in parts) and go watch it!

For all those not sure – check out the first 45 seconds of this trailer (then turn it off unless you want spoilers!)

Why Watch After the Battle?

To learn about the political climate and quality of life in Egypt following the Arab Spring in 2011
Explore gender politics and class structure in Egpyt – lots to discuss!
It’s not hard to watch – it has the tone of a TV series so all of you can watch it without getting lost in any pretentiousness
For a great post-Arab Spring viewing companion to Asmaa

The Breakdown

On February 2nd 2011, Tahir Square protestors were attacked by camel and horse riders from the pyramids. This event became known as the Battle of the Camels. Footage of the event shows horse and camel riders riding into protestors armed with whips (and nothing else). One of the riders falls off of his horse and is beaten by the protestors.

Mahmoud is the rider who falls from his horse in the Battle of the Camel. He is a poor horse rider from Nazlat (a suburb of Cairo near the Pyramids) who made his living from tourists. However, a great wall was built to separate the horse riders from the tourists, so he no longer has a job. He has to rely on the ‘good-will’ of his relative/local boss to get by. He is the one who lets him and his family live in their house and provides them with a little income when needed. Mahmoud represents the lower classes that were not represented in the Arab Spring, that have continued to be exploited by their ‘superiors’.

Rim is the woman we follow throughout the film. She is a liberal middle-class woman and a strong activist for the Arab Spring. She is marginalised just like Mahmoud. However, instead of class prejudice, she experiences sexism. After being groped whilst protesting, she is told that the place for a woman is at home, not on the streets. However, her revolutionary ideas meet a challenge when she meets Mahmoud – her antithesis.

Conclusion

Another interesting exploration of Egypt in the aftermath of the Arab Spring (also see Asmaa). The film tries to cover a lot, from gender politics to class, but ultimately manages to cover it all without appearing vague.

405

Eyes Wide Open (Israel)

Eyes Wide Open Film Difficulty Ranking: 4

Do you know much about the Hassidic Jews of Israel? Do you know how restrictive religion and conservative societies can be? Watch Eyes Wide Open to learn how religion can repress your sexuality and turn you into an outcast. Check out the melodramatic and revealing trailer below if you’re not convinced.

Why Watch Eyes Wide Open?

To learn a bit about the Orthodox Jewish religion
For a great companion to the Israel-Palestine conflict shown in Omar and Ajami. In this film you will see a different side of Israel.
Find out how difficult it can be for religious gay people
For the two main actors who manage to so much with so few words

The Breakdown

A man tries to open a sliding door to a shop as the rain pours down on him. He gives up trying to unlock the padlock with his key and grabs a rock to break the lock. After a few throws, the lock falls off. He carefully peels off a poster from the door (a notice of death) and enters the shop.

A tracking shot of the floor shows an overturned chair. The man carefully folds up the poster and puts it to the side. We can deduce who has died from the clues the director leaves in the opening sequence. The way the man carefully folds the poster notice of death means that it must be someone close to the man. And the fact he has a key shows that it is probably a relative. So when the man finds a picture of a young boy and an older man sitting outside the shop he has entered we can deduce it is an old picture of him and his father.

In this film, you need to pay attention to the film’s subtleties. The two main characters do not share much dialogue. Instead they communicate in short, clear sentences. However, pay attention to the way they say things, as this reveals more than what they say. Their short and unemotional conversation reveals their repressed emotions. The strict religious society they are a part of prevents them from expressing their sexuality.

Conclusion

Eyes Wide Open is beautifully filmed and acted. It will also open your eyes to the difficulty of living as part of a strict religious society as a gay person. You may have witnessed the difficulty of living within a strict religious society in Sand Storm or Asmaa. But unfortunately the plight of gay people in strict religious communities is rarely shown. Eyes Wide Open is one of these rare films that is also beautifully filmed.