Mother

"I shouldn't have rented this, it's gonna be a torturing- 2 hours or so to reach the end title credit. This was honestly what I felt in a couple of minites just after I started watching.

It was a scene of a middle-aged woman standing and singing alone in the middle of nowhere.
She looked partly emotionless, absent-minded, sad and scared, but some other part, silently angry.

It's quite natural that I have no idea what it means since this is very beginning, but at least it was too weird and I didn't think at all that I could immerse myself into this film, at first...

Do-Joon (Won Bin) is somewhat mentally challenged young man.
Because of that, he's slow and quiet, like he has some difficulties in expressing himself.

His mother, who is a widow, manages to make their living by selling medical herbs and doing unlicensed acupuncture.

She dotes on her only son so much. They sleep together on a single bed from time to time.
It's impossible, frankly, it's disgusting, even considered Do-joon is a bit handicapped.

Yes, he's mentally disabled, but this is not so serious enough to do such a thing.
It seemed overprotective to me, but as the story goes, I take it as a meaningful scene shows unconditional motherhood. One of metaphorical scenes for the film.
Umm, no, it might not be the right word to describe. The truth is, I no longer feel the way as I first felt.



One day, a high school girl is found dead.
With only circumstantial evidence placing Do-joon near the crime scene, the police jump to the conclusion that he did it.

His defense attorney is unreliable and the police trick him into signing a confession including a long jail sentence, taking advantage of Do-joon being challenged.
Now Mother is convinced that she's the only one who can help him and prove his innocense.

Scouring around the town, it is revealed the girl's life is salacious.

With this fact, Mother investigates farther on.

The course of unraveling, actually, I was a little distracted. Typical me, hahaha !!

For some reason I'm not good at criminal investigation drama.

I usually half-way understand.

But I understand more than half this time around, hehehe.

I'm not going to tell any more details. Because it's going to be a spoiler.
Last several ten miniutes are so impressive !!

Especially one phrase Do-joon makes to his mother, my heart almost stopped!!

It's NOT exaggeration. This made me revisit if he was genuinely mentally disabled.

This is one of the best films I've ever watched this year, totally !!!

Won Bin plays Do-joon so well.
In the film, Mother and her neighbor woman say Do-joon's baby deer's eyes are so adoreble.
Yes, Won Bin's eye are just like those. Cute.

After watching the DVD, I desperately like to know more about this film and I bought this magazine. Also I even read a novelized book.

I'm going to watch this again, anyway.

And I'm looking forward to his next film, "The Man From Nowhere".

Please release sooner !!

Friends

When it comes to "Friends", a megahit American sitcome "Friend" will definitely comes to your mind.
But there's another "Friends" out there, although it's nothing to compare with the American one. No offense, guys.

It was broadcasted in 2002 as a co-produced TV drama of South Korea and Japan.
Considered when it was collaboratively shot, was it one of promotional things for 2002 World Cup joint-hosted by the both countries?

Anyway, I watched this back then. Just because I knew WonBin was a good-looking guy! After almost decade, the other day, it was aired again, turing on the TV...

To put it in a nutshell, it's a long-distance relationship story between a Japanese woman and a Korean guy, who met each other in Hong Kong during their respective trips.
As you could simply guess, they are confronted with language barrier, cultural difference involving family matters and so on...

One thing stroke me is one line by the Korean boy.
"What's wrong with (my) parents expecting me to succeed their pedigree?"
"And what's wrong with me trying to follow this as their oldest son, instead of pursing my own dream?"

This is what he said when his Japanese girlfriend encouraged him not to give up his dream of being a film director.

I know Korean society puts highly premium on family, based on Confucianism.
But that's all I know for now. I really want to know more about this. My curiosity has been set a fire.

I've finished reading more than 5 books on K society and culture. And I'm still a bookworm.

Shootas

This is a story of a bad reality of Jamaica that I have to admit.
As you know, Jamaica is not only a breeding ground for reggae music, but also...

"Shoota" is a Jamaican slang term for gangster, originally from "shot-caller".
Umm, make sense, make sense...

Biggs (Ky-mani Marley) and Wayne (Spragga Benz) grow up together in Ghetto in Kingston.
Hoping for a better life with limited possibilities, they managed to grab enough money by robbery.
The money enabled them to purchase visas to the States.

At first, it didn't go well in Miami. They were deported back to Jamaica.
But Biggs finds a way back to Miami by complicity with local politicians. Cliche!!
There's always a way, maybe should be called, wayout? under the table.

They made success in Miami till their rivals showed up...

I didn't have a chance to go to Ghetto in Kingston while visiting there, which is not the place you

guys tourists step in just for fun, though.

Even taxi drivers try to avoid runnng through the downtown...

Because there are "Shottas" for sure. This is truly one side of Jamaica.

Cry Freedom

This had been highly recommended by my friend and finally the time has come!
It's set in the late 70's during the apartheid era of South Africa, but it was shot mainly in Zimbabwe due to political turmoil in SA.

I was told that it would be good to know about a black activist, Steve Biko.
I assumed that it must be a kind of his bio movie, but it turned out not to be necessarily.

Yes, of course, Biko was a significant role.
But from what I understand, it should be Donald Woods' rather than Biko if you'd like to categorize as a bio movie.

Woods is a white journalist who developes a friendship with Biko.
After Biko's brutal death, it was Woods that police targeted at.



He takes a long trek through several countries, disguising as a priest and he maneged to fly away from SA to England to publish a book on this corrupt and racist authorities.
The film is motly dedicated to this part, I think.

There's one scene filmed in a town with its symbolic clock tower while Woods runs away.
This is exactly where she used to live for 3 years.

She always says "Don't you miss it !!" Well, actually I missed it, completely. I didn't even noticed slightly.

It might be just my carelessness, but simultaneously I'm feeling how deeply edged in the heart your firsthand experiences are, no matter what they are. Nothing beats them.

Taste the World

"Taste the World" was held again.
(Please refer to here for the last time)
The last time, the venue was mainly dedicated to photos taken all over the world, but talk session was the major part this time around.

My friend R.K had fieldwork in Uganda while in graduate school and he talked about it with a slide show.

Well, first of all, he seemed to get very used to speak in public, although I could pretty much guess he'd say "Not at all".
Even if he actually doesn't, he was still good at it. I'm sure of it.

He told in his sppech what brough him here and it made a total sense to me. Here's what he talked.

At first, he was not necessarily interested in what he's involved right now, which is international cooperative activities.
One day when he was serving himself as a voluntary music teacher in Zimbabwe, he started feeling a bit empty.
It doesn't mean he enjoyed his task there, actually he had a lot of enjoyable quality time with kids, singing playing together.

However, he realized this could be temporary. It's just for now that they are being happy. Nothing has created for their better future. There must be something he can do for them.
That's how he decided to step into this field.

It was quite reasonable and understandable.
To tell the truth, when it comes to global cooperation or something, I don't deny that hypocrisy comes to my mind, like this is something elevated and also pure-hearted people do.
But nothing like that was found in his talk. I assume that he just naturally into this world.

I have little to contribute, but promise me that you keep me posted your work, R.K? OK?!

Life and Debt

To understand more what kind of situation Jamaica has been facing against, I decided to watch this documentary.
But I wasn't focused enough to catch the point perfectly... It was a bit boring to just listen to former President or some other senior officials talk about the economic and social condition.

Here are several points I managed to grab from the film.

IMF or World Bank loan money under strict condition that Jamaica never ever seems to achieve, like trade liberalization, privatization and so on.

For instance, they have to accept imported crops from the States, which originally produced in Latin American countries.

As you could imagine, it prevents domestic agriculture stop to grow since they are lower-priced.

Overall, it critiques the West and the West-oriented global organization.

All I can do is just pray for better tomorrow for most of people in Jamaica who are not wealthy.

I dare to use the term "tomorrow" instead of "future".

What I've heard from a Japanese woman living in Kingston for more than 15 years, people only set their eyes on this coming tomorrow every single day.

One Love

I watched this twice in a row. And at the third time with my little sis. Just desperately wanted to feel the atmosphere of Jamaica.

Kassa (Ky-Mani Marley) a rasta man, hoping for musical success. One day he meets a gospel singer girl, Serena at the recording studio and instantly falls for her. Love at the first sight?!

But Serena is unattainable for Kassa. She's a sheltered daughter of the pastor and he strongly forbids her to see him and wants her to marry one of his church members.

Meanwhile the record boss organizing the contest, tries to get Kassa's band to sign to his label on his terms not theirs.
He really wants a contract that will lead to his dream, but he isn't in dilemma at all. What he matters is "HIS" own music.

The plot goes as your expectation.

Although Kassa is set up by Serena's fiance, let's say, ganja thing..., they get together at the end.

I can get a sense of how Rasta people are being treated and how they live in their villages, which was good.

Because this is something that I wanted to see, but missed when I visited Jamaica last year.

Next time I'll join Nyahbinghi at Sunday in Kingston, hopefully.