305 days, 305 films-20 Centimeters (20 Centímetros)

Mar 7, 2010 by Sami

Film #5 20 CM

I’m going to start by saying that I’m not a fan of musicals. I, think, most musicals are also categorized as dramas which does not make much sense in my head. How does someone’s death promote you to start singing, I often thought. That said, once in a while a musical falls on my laps and strikes the right note with me. I still remember seeing Singing In The Rain and how happy it made me feel. Many moons have passed since then and I still couldn’t find another musical that I admired as much as Singing In The Rain…then I stumbled upon 20 CM on Netflix. As I’m typing I am suddenly overcome with chuckles, remembering how dysfunctional a group of characters this film consisted of.

2o CM is about Marieta, a pre-op transsexual who longs to get rid of her 2o CM member but unable to do so due to financial restrictions. Played wonderfully by Monica Cervera, she tries to collect the cost of the surgery by moonlighting as a prostitute. One problem, Marieta has narcolepsy; at any given moment she falls into deep sleep. Once Marieta falls victim to this curse of hers we are transformed into her dreams that consist of the most beautifully colored environments, surrounded by people singing alongside her while she covers popular songs that range from Spanish to English to French. For the sake of not spoiling the film for you I will end by saying that she has a very amusing group of characters surrounding her at all times; from her neighbor who is involved with illegal business to the man that loves her for the wrong reason. More than anything I love the fact that 2o CM doesn’t take itself seriously. 20 CM should be readily available in your local video rental store if you’re a non-Netflixer.

There is one other musical that has a special place in my heart, but that’s for another post.

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Sympathy for Lady Vengeance

Jan 19, 2010 by Sami

Let me tell you about why Lady Vengeance is one of the greatest films ever made. I say this over and over again, something magnificent happens when watching East Asian cinema, especially Korean cinema. Even more specifically are the masterpieces of Chan-wook Park. After all, he is responsible for why this cinematic romance started, when I wrote about Thirst. Film makers in East Asian cinema are able to communicate with me through so many other means than the spoken dialogue. That is exactly it: the films are so much more than just a script that’s being read. It is so beautiful, so inspiring. I wish there were other words that are not so trite for maybe then you might side with me and understand what it’s like to watch a film like Sympathy for Lady Vengeance. I feel that now, certain words are used more often which in turns takes away the sincerity of those particular words. Enough about this though. Let me tell you about why Lady Vengeance is one of the greatest films ever made.

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SPY(ies)

Oct 18, 2009 by Sami

I believe that most of our lives go on unplanned. As much organizing and effort one puts into having a straight line from point A to point B, most of the time, line has lots of curves and waves. If you did have a straight line, then the points you can stop at between A and B are infinite. Or so my math teacher taught me.

For me, a very important stop happened when I needed an elective and the only class offered was a photography class. What on Earth am I going to learn at a photography class?! I learned things I wish to never forget. My professor once told me, when she was in France, she witnessed something that she did not expect. Artists there are treated like doctors and lawyers. With so much respect and admiration. I was reminded of that by director Nicolas Saada when he said something very similar. He said “by declaring yourself an artist you are removing yourself from the class system”.

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A Place of One's Own

Oct 15, 2009 by Sami

I have two entries, one for Plastic City and another for Raging Sun, Raging Sky. I wrote them, read them and rewrote them again and still was not satisfied for what I have given birth to. Just like any sensible parent would do, I hid them away from the world so no one would be see them. I was not sure why I wasn’t happy with the results…until tonight.

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