Strands Best Films- Page 27 of 41

131

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind – Invention Saves the Day

Shot from The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

The Boy who harnessed the wind Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

If you love entrepreneurship and seeing deserving, hard working kids succeed, you’ll love this film. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is a humble success story of one bright kid in Malawi. It’s also a quick 101 of the causes of the Malawian famine, and a brilliant addition to the Netflix catalogue.

From: Malawi, Africa
Watch: Trailer, Watch on Netflix
Next: Queen of Katwe, October Sky, Not One Less

132

Impression of a War – The Legacy of Violence in Colombia

Impression of a War Film Difficulty Ranking: 4

You probably know who Pablo Escobar is and what he did. You also may know about the war that has raged on in Colombia across the last several decades. While the wars have ceased, the mist of violence still remains. In Impression of a War you’ll see that violence still lingers in Colombia. It is hidden in the landscapes, the music, and the people of Colombia. This film will show you where to look.

Image result for impression of a war

Why Watch Impression of a War?

You’ve seen Narcos and possibly Colours of the Mountain and Maria Full of Grace and want to see a more experimental look at the legacy of violence in Colombia
It’s a kaleidoscope of images showing how violence has permeated all aspects of life in Colombia
To see Colombian soldiers shooting at guerillas one minute, and dancing salsa the next
It’s a Silver Leopard winner at the Locarno Film Festival

The Breakdown

The river of Medellin has changed colours many times in it’s contemporary history as textile factories up river dumped excess dye into the river. One time the factory chucked bucket loads of red dye into the river turning the whole river red. This happened at the height of Escobar’s violence in Medellin and as a result, the media turned this blood red river into a symbol of the cities violence.

This anecdote is one example of the violence entrenched in Colombian society. An entrenchment that cannot see a river coloured red by red dye, but a river soaked in blood.

Impression of a War is a work of art that tries to cast a subjective gaze at the legacy of violence in Colombia. Restrepo (the director) captures any visible trace of violence in the daily lives of the people living in Colombia. He shows us images from the battlefields, images from the landscape (as above), and interviews with those affected by the violence.

All these traces, whether deliberate or accidental, constitute the raw material for Impression of a War.

Conclusion

This 30 minute documentary covers a lot. Violence has affected everything from the colour of the taxis to the cities music. Will the new generation be freed from this legacy?

133

The Eagle Huntress (Mongolia) – How to Train Your Eagle

The Eagle Huntress Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

For beautiful scenery, eagles, and sexism check out The Eagle Huntress. It’s the closest you’ll get to a real life version of How to Train Your Dragon. Plus you can watch it here on Amazon (free with Prime).

Image result for eagle huntress

Why Watch The Eagle Huntress?

If you love good documentaries
Experience nomadic life in Mongolia – complete with freezing winters
Learn how to catch, train, and hunt with an Eagle
To see a 13 year old girl beat a bunch of old men

The Breakdown

The Eagle Huntress starts with a montage of epic scenery shots. There’s the stunning snow capped mountains, the endless salt flats, and beautiful valleys. It’s a perfect opening for Mongolian tourism. However, one thing you might notice from the opening is the lack of humans and wildlife. Whilst it’s beautiful, this area isn’t made for human life. Winter temperatures often drop to -40 degrees Fahrenheit. The brutal landscape provides the perfect setting to demonstrate the strength of Aisholpan and her father.

Anyone that lives as a nomad in Mongolia has got to be pretty hardy. Therefore if any girl can train an eagle to compete against the men in the local tournament, it has got to be this girl who grew up in the bitter cold countryside watching her father train them.

You’ll be with her every step of the way to the eagle festival. First, you’ll see her father rebelliously train her up with his own eagle. Secondly, you’ll see him take her into the mountains to catch an eaglet of her own (not the best advertisement of animal rights). Then she manages to get her grandfather’s blessing to train her own eagle before she eventually enters the eagle competition. If you ever wanted to own your own bird of prey, here’s your chance to experience it.

Documentary or Drama?

Whilst this film looks like a documentary, it definitely plays up the gender narrative. Every time Aisholpan takes a new step with training the eagle the film cuts to a montage of old Mongolian/Kazakh men saying that a women’s place is in the kitchen.

The grumpy old men are edited into the film to highlight how Aisholpan is not welcome in this male-only tradition. However, none of the people she comes into contact with on camera with her eagle seem offended that she’s training an eagle (the judges of the festival, her grandfather, the other competitors). Instead, all of the controversy comes from shots edited into the documentary narrative. The director uses these shots to dramatise her ‘against-all-odds’ story.

In addition, the pop-idol style music that plays whenever Aisholpan overcomes an obstacle in her training and the English narration from Daisy Ridley take you out of the documentary intimacy and add to the drama. Whilst this is a documentary, it’s editing, music, and narration add unnecessary dramatic tension to the film which ultimately holds you back from fully immersing yourself in the film, whilst also making it feel more manufactured.

Conclusion and What to Watch Next

Don’t be put off from watching this documentary based on the documentary or drama debate above as the narrative is still great (I just thought it was dramatised unnecessarily). Plus, The Eagle Huntress is worth watching for the incredible footage alone – some parts feel like another episode of Planet Earth.

If you love the girl-power vibe then I strongly recommend you check out both The Little Girl who Sold the Sun and Wadjda. The Little Girl who Sold the Sun features a young Senegalese girl who tries selling a local newspaper to support her blind mother. Wadjda features a young Saudi Arabian girl who fights for her right to ride a bicycle in a patriarchal society.

Or if you want to see another film where someone struggles to become something they want against all odds, check out The Orator. It features a little person from Samoa who is bullied by all the regular sized locals.

134

When the Stars Meet the Sea – Life’s Journey set in Madagascan Myth

When the Stars Meet the Sea Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

Why Watch When the Stars Meet the Sea?

If you like mythology – Kapila’s Madagascan origin story is like a dark version of Hercules.
It’s also a Siddartha-esque story about tuning out hate for peace and happiness.
To see how Raymond Rajaonarivelo uses the landscape to represent the story of life.

From: Madagascar, Africa
Watch: Trailer, Vimeo, Kanopy, IMDb
Next: Zerzura, Kirikou and the Sorceress, Sleepwalking Land

Kapila is born during a solar eclipse in the opening of When the Stars Meet the Sea. According to traditional Madagascan beliefs this gives him destructive powers, so his father secretly leaves him in a cattle pen to be trampled. He’s permanently crippled, but before the cows kill him, he’s saved by Raivo, who takes him to the city to raise as her own child. However, even though he’s brought up by a loving adoptive mother, he’s never able to fit into the community because of his crippled leg and growing supernatural powers. So he starts to question his roots, and with the help of a mystical blind woman he starts a journey into his past.

A dark Madagascan version of Hercules

When the Stars Meet the Sea feels a bit like a modest Madagascan version of Hercules. In both, a child with supernatural powers is left to die but is saved by a humble villager that raises him as their own. Similarly, they both grow up with supernatural powers and realize that their humble families are not their own. So they go on a quest to find their true identity. However, whilst Hercules is destined for greatness, Kapila is cursed to use his powers for destruction.

Taming Vengeance with Love

Kapila’s journey therefore becomes his battle with destiny. Society believes he’s evil because of his birth date, and the glimpses of his destructive supernatural power justify their fears. It appears in his weakest moments: when’s he’s bullied or grieving. In order to allay his power, he has to quell his desires for vengeance against those who cross him, and replace those desires with love. In this way, his journey resembles that of Siddhartha: he can achieve peace and happiness if he tunes out his anger and desires for vengeance. It’s a journey of purification and finding peace with oneself.

The Landscape Holds the Ultimate Journey

When the Stars Meet the Sea infuses the landscape into the story. As Kapila walks through the Madagascan landscape on his way home he passes through the desert, woodland, mountains, and the savannah. The variety of scenery may look like an advertisement for the beautiful landscapes of Madagascar, but it’s also representative of the diversity of our own lives. In traditional Madagascan beliefs, the sky (where Kapila draws his supernatural powers) and the sea (where he journeys towards) represent birth and death. The earth represents the life in between. His journeys through the different Madagascan landscapes therefore represent the diversity of life and its challenges whilst his journey towards the sea represents life’s ultimate journey in this world: from birth to death.

What to Watch Next

If you’re looking for more African films in which the main character embarks on a magical quest, check out Zerzura from Niger. It features a psychedelic journey into the desert to fight the Djinn. You could also watch the brilliantly animated Kirikou and the Sorceress which features a magical baby that takes on an evil sorceress that demands human tributes from his village or Sleepwalking Land which features a post-apocalyptic Mozambique.

Otherwise if you’re looking for more films with a bit of magic and family secrets, go watch Eve’s Bayou, an American film set in rural Louisiana.

135

The Rocket – Cheer for the Family Underdog

The Rocket Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

If you always like supporting the underdog, you’ll enjoy following ‘Little Balls’ in The Rocket. As he was born a twin, his family think he’s cursed and destined to bring bad luck to the family. What they don’t see is that he’s the future of their traditional way of life. The more they blame him, the more distant their link to their heritage becomes.

From: Laos, Asia
Watch: Trailer, Free on Vudu, Rent on Amazon, Buy on Amazon
Next: Whale Rider, The Boy who Harnessed the Wind, The Eagle Huntress