Sound of Metal – Amazon Prime, Drama
Never have I experienced such empathy towards deaf people. Carried by the amazing performance of Riz Ahmed, we follow the path of a musician, who loses his hearing. As a struggling ex-addict, this new challenge just adds to the list of his problems. I learned a lot about the society of deaf people, it’s customs, language and organization. There is a lot more to living as a deaf person than we have seen in movies and it’s refreshing to watch a movie that takes the time and attention of detail to correctly portray the experience by utilizing stellar sound design and acting.
I think quite often about how happy I am to have all my senses and how we should appreciate our good health more often. Even when there’s reason for unhappiness, it leads me to focus on those small things that some people can’t even experience. It can be healthy to get off the rollercoaster of life and focus on the details – even if it’s just being able to hear the kids playing outside or the birds singing. At the same time the movie teaches us that we should be okay with silence and sometimes it can be used for healing and achieving inner peace.
Paprika (2006) – Anime
I don’t know how I missed this anime, but I’m glad a friend recommended it to me. It lead me to the discovering the director, Satoshi Kon, whose movies I am planning to evaluate over the next few months. The plot has some similarities to Inception, but expands upon the idea of shared dreams in a very different way. A device is invented that allows people to share or even invade each other’s dreams. A hacker finds a way to misuse the device and literally overwrite the consciousness of its users, which leads to a series of dramatic events. Dreams are a great tool for unleashing wild visual ideas and the movie does a great job utilizing them, leading the viewer through a trippy spectacle full of symbolism, philosophy and social commentary.
White Tiger – Netflix, Drama
White Tiger is a great movie about the rise of the lower class in India. It follows the fate of a young servant, who is being used by his masters and struggles changing his fate, often referring to his life as a “chicken coop”, out of which there’s seemingly no escape. The movie follows his rise and quest for independence and while the tone is quite dark at times, the overall message is that anyone can get out of the “coop” and fulfil their dreams. The main character does choose a darker path and I hope all the young people, who are similarly feeling stuck and hate their masters, don’t get any funny ideas. It is worth a watch for its portrayal of a very different culture, even if it suffers from some uneven pacing and repetition of ideas. Remember, 21st century will be the century of the “yellow and brown” man 🙂
Operation Odessa – Netflix, Documentary
The events of this documentary are so obnoxious that you might have a hard time believing all of it is true. It’s the story of a group of drug traffickers, who made extremely profitable deals after the fall of the Soviet Union and almost successfully bought an old submarine in order to transport the drugs. Their story is entirely true and they were even involved in the cocaine distribution network of none other than Pablo Escobar. If you want a fun, crazy documentary about drug traffickers , buying Soviet helicopters and motorcycles at insane discounts and profiting millions, this is definitely the one to watch.
WandaVision – Disney Plus, Series
If you follow the MCU, WandaVision is an awesome experiment in style and substance. It’s a great mix of 80s sitcoms and Stephen King’s Under the Dome. The actors do a great job in faking a sitcom, while slowly realizing what’s happening and the series keeps you hooked by revealing it’s secrets step by step. It is however necessary to have at least seen Avengers Ultron and Infinity War to understand the background of the main characters and the state of the MCU.
Motherless Brooklyn – Edward Norton, Detective Drama
A classic detective story, directed by and starring Edward Norton. The twist is that the main character suffers from the Tourette syndrome, which puts him in some funny situations and breaks the stereotype of scenes, common for the genre. The movie is a bit too long, but the story is generally interesting and provides enough twists to keep you entertained. The main important message of the movie is about powerful men and their obsession with leaving a mark behind, even if that means letting other people suffer. Power corrupts and at certain levels it can be misused, especially when it’s motivated by a powerful vision of the future. Besides Norton’s awesome performance, there are some good scenes with Bruce Willis, William Dafoe and Alec Baldwin.