When the Tenth Month Comes Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

When the Tenth Month Comes will move you. Other films may have better story-lines and better cinematography, but this one has the most vital ingredient: pure emotion. Watch it for free here on YouTube – let me know if you find it anywhere else!

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Why Watch When the Tenth Month Comes?
  • If you want to watch a great film from Vietnam
  • Witness the emotional impact of war – it’s emotional!
  • There’s ghost towns!
  • It’s currently available to watch for free here on YouTube – let me know if the video is taken down or you find it available elsewhere!
The Breakdown

When the Tenth Month Comes starts with a young woman named Duyen returning home. We first see her walking along a dirt road before she hops into a canoe to cross the river. Throughout the opening scene, her blank expression, partially obscured by her conical hat, makes it look like she’s preoccupied or not totally present. Whilst she’s on the canoe, she loses balance and falls in, losing a letter from her satchel. Combined with the dramatic opening music, it’s clear that she’s bravely holding back her emotions.

The story patiently reveals what has happened. First, we find out she has a husband who has not sent a letter to his family. When she is asked why he has not sent anything home, she never gives a clear answer. She says his duty as a Vietnamese soldier is keeping him busy. Whilst the answer convinces his family, the close-ups of her face do not convince us. It’s obvious she’s hiding her husband’s death from his loving family for fear of upsetting them.

Only one person finds out about the death of her husband, a local teacher and poet named Zhang. He agrees to held out Duyen by writing letters to her family signed by her dead husband to keep her family happy and excited for his return.

Pure Tragic Emotion

There’s one scene in this film that will stick with you. In the scene, teacher Zhang stops at a public theatrical performance with his girlfriend which the majority of the town appear to be watching. They watch for a minute before his girlfriend gets restless. But just when they start to walk on, Duyen appears on the stage and starts singing her part in the performance. Zhang, his girlfriend, and the whole audience are captivated as she sings emotionally for her lost love. Only us (the viewer) and Zhang know the pain she must be feeling, but she keeps singing the tragic lines of the song. In every line it feels like she is about to break down but she keeps singing for a few minutes until she finally breaks down and disappears behind the stage curtain. Pure cinematic emotion.

Conclusion and what to watch next

Some films are harder to pinpoint than others. The story line of When the Tenth Month Comes is a bit cliched and the music is often a bit overly dramatic, but this film succeeds where many of the greats don’t: it manages to translate raw emotion to film. As a result, it’s this transcendent portrayal of raw emotion is what makes this film one of the greats.

For more raw emotion I recommend checking out Umberto D. , one of the most emotional Italian neo-realist films. It follows the tragic plight of an old man trying to get by without a pension.

If it’s something more arty you’re looking for, check out Lav Diaz’s From What is Before. It’s a 5 hour 30 minute epic that charts life in a small village in rural Philippines under the Marcos dictatorship.

 

 

 

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Purple Butterfly Film Difficulty Ranking: 4

You might find Purple Butterfly confusing to watch at first. It’s not clear what’s going on because of the constant cutting and lack of dialogue. However, if you watch on, you’ll be rewarded with a film that is stylistically different from many you’ve seen and uniquely beautiful.

From: China, Asia
Watch: Trailer, Buy on Amazon,
Next: The Grandmaster, Summer Palace, Burning
Continue reading “Purple Butterfly (China) – Wartime Resistance”
The Journey Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

How much do you know about the Iraq War? Chances are, you’re picture of the war is made up of news footage and films like American Sniper. You’ll rarely see the Iraqi perspective of the war, which is inexcusable as this war happened in Iraq. So do yourself a favour and check out The Journey and learn about the effects of the Iraq war.

Why Watch The Journey?
  • See how the war has affected Iraq and the people living there
  • To see the Iraq war from the Iraqi perspective as opposed to the western perspective shown in The Hurt Locker and American Sniper
  • You’ll also get to know and understand a suicide bomber
  • It’s a perfect companion to Ahlaam
The Breakdown

The Journey starts with our protagonist, a woman walking along train tracks to a train station. As she gets closer she pulls off her hijab and throws it away and joins a group of schoolchildren to disguise herself as a teacher. In this disguise, she gets past the security checks and through to the station.

In the station, she stands silently people watching. You quickly see two kids cleaning shoes, a man loudly talking the phone, and hear the sound of a busker nearby. As life goes on, the camera cuts to a close up of her hand wavering over a detonator. She’s wearing a bomb vest!

The story was spawned from a news article that Mohamed Al-Daradji saw about a female suicide bomber in Iraq. Just before she was about to detonate her bomb vest, she went to the police station. But later on, she still blew herself up. What’s interesting is that she went to the police; possibly a moment of regret or doubt. Her uncertainty inspired Mohamed Al-Daradji to focus on a suicide bomber, to explore what could be going through their minds.

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The Conclusion

The Journey is a must watch for everyone who remembers the Iraq War. It explores the side of the conflict that is rarely seen: the Iraqi perspective. It shows normal Iraqis carrying out the lives infected by the trauma of war. You’ll also meet a suicide bomber and become her friend.

Ahlaam Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

Amazingly, this film was the first film shot in Iraq following the end of the Iraq War. Even more amazingly, it does not hold back at all from showing the devastating effects of the war on Baghdad and it’s citizens. If you haven’t seen an Iraqi film before, go watch this one! But beware, it’s not something you can sit back and relax to with a big bag of popcorn.

Why Watch Ahlaam?
  • To watch a film from Iraq! How many Iraqi films have you seen?
  • For a chance to learn a bit about the effects of the war in Iraq
  • Experience an Iraqi wedding complete with music and lots of ululations
  • Witness the fall of Iraq from the eyes of regular Iraqi citizens
The Breakdown

Ahlaam starts with bombs falling on Baghdad 3 days before the fall of the city. Inside an asylum, the patients are startled and scared by the exploding bombs. It is obviously not a pleasant situation to be in.

The film follows the true story of three Iraqi people as the Iraq war starts. One is a soldier for the Iraqi army. Another is the happy fiancee of a local man. The last is a man training to be a doctor. They are all based in Baghdad and all lead happy lives in what they describe as a ‘beautiful city.’

Of course, from what we unfortunately now associate with Iraq (war), we assume their happiness is not going to last. The director, Mohamed Al-Dara, does his best to foreshadow the bleak future. Firstly, there’s the snippet of the patients in the mental asylum at the start before the film jumps back to before the start of the war. Secondly, there are just too many nice statements. When you hear someone say ‘Baghdad is beautiful,’ and another say that ‘one day military service will be but a memory’ it’s obvious that Baghdad will not be beautiful by the end of the film and the army will be ever present. It’s like Chekhov’s gun, when you introduce a gun, it will be fired.

Conclusion

By the end of the film you will see the effects of war on the regular citizen of the world. It’s well worth a watch, but probably not the best option for your first date!

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A War Film Difficulty Ranking:3

If you enjoy watching people try to deal with high pressure scenarios then check out A War. A husband and wife face two uniquely high pressure situations – the husband in organising his squadron in Afghanistan, and his wife in bringing up 3 kids on her own. Unfortunately the husband is the first to crack and the consequences are bad.

From: Denmark, Europe
Watch: Trailer, Netflix, Rent on Amazon, Buy on Amazon
Next: Hurt Locker, Manchester by the Sea, The Insult
Continue reading “A War – Experience the Pressures of Army Life”