White sands, Black veils

The Middle East is region that I am not familiar with. It is disappointing to say that I still need a map to locate countries within the region. Since the film is based in Iranian culture, I would like to give a brief description about the country. 

(https://www.cia.gov/library/publications)

 Geography 

According to Travel.State.Gov website, Iran is a “constitutional Islamic republic with a theocratic system of government.” In case you didn’t know, Shia Islam is their official religion. Hence, “Islamic republic” part means that the Islamic law does influence the authority and government, which makes the government theocracy. I looked up the definition for theocratic government and it is a form of government “in which God or a deity is recognized as the supreme civil ruler and their laws are interpreted by the authorities” of the country (dictionary.reference).  Now that we know religion plays a big role in the government, it also plays in gender role and traditions. 

Traditions

Gender roles are very prominent in the Middle Eastern region especially where religion is a big part of their culture. I can only understand it as an outsider because I do not practice their traditions and religion, so the information I have is solely base on websites, films and books like a A Thousand Splendid Suns. Men usually work in the public sphere, where women work in the private sphere like homemaker. Women usually use chador, which is a black transparent veil to go in public or around men, they are not related to. Religion is used to reinforce gender roles to the community. I am not an expert on the subject but through other sources, I learned new culture. 

My Pick

I had three Iranian films to select from and I picked Marzieh Makhmalbaf’s The Day I Became a Woman (2000). The title of the film grasped my attention because I am “woman,” so my curiosity got the best of me and I watched it. I will just give you a skeleton synopsis of the film to get your curiosity going. The film focused on three individuals on one day, each individual having her own story of becoming a woman.

My Review

Since I am just starting to learn film techniques and so on, I will just discuss what stood out to me. The film was released in 2000, so I understand the quality of the film is not the best. However, it seems like the grainy look was on purpose. Something that I do know is that nothing is an accident when it comes to film. So maybe the grainy look was to connect the audience to the culture because in reality life is simple and rough sometimes. Another thing I noticed the editing style. I am still learning technical terms, so do not mind me if I used Basic English to describe style. To me, the editing was very noticeable. It would also switch from a long scene to shorter and faster paced scene. I can definitely tell when I should feel worry or innocence because of the camera position on the characters. Overall, film is basic but the message it portrays is strong. I enjoyed it a lot to see other women in different culture but still having the same drive like a woman like me.

Here are other reviews:

Rotten Tomatoes

EW

A Separation

Synopsis

A married couple struggled to keep their marriage intact because of difficult decisions – to either move to another country to improve their daughter life or to stay in Iran and take care of the husband’s father who suffers of Alzheimer’s disease. 

 Types of Separation

As human, we sometimes forget that we all have some things in common with each other. Struggles, Illness or diseases and death have no boundaries or walls to stop them for happening. In this film, it deals with all three and culture does influence some decisions but not all of them.  I would like to touch on one issue the film portrayed, which is the Alzheimer’s disease.  

From blogs.smithsonianmag.com

I worked in a nursing home for six years and interacted with many seniors with different reasons for their residency. The Alzheimer unit is the saddest one to work in. In case you do not know what Alzheimer is, I will share what PubMed Health website state. “Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one form of dementia that gradually gets worse over time. It affects memory, thinking, and behavior.”  You see, I work in the kitchen and it is like the lunch-lady set up but then I go out in the dining room to clean up and have a chance to interact with the residents. Some are mentally separate by time, memories or motor skills. It is something easy to deal for the nurses and families.

My Review

Director Asghar Farhadi did an incredible job of depicting a family going through some hard times. I do not want to ruin the ending, so I will not but I will discuss some points Farhadi hit right on. I believe people can relate to the family’s situation no matter culture they are. There will always be hard decisions to make and follow through and this film makes it clear that some are just too complicated to make by themselves. 

To see other reviews about the film check out these other websites. 

Rotten Tomatoes

IMDb

Underconstruction

Hello fellow friends,

This post is simply to inform you that once again I am switching up the format. To be brutally honest, I am still learning how to make this blog work best for you and me. I want to learn new things but for that to happen I need your help as well. I want this blog to be place to share different ideas, opinions and techniques. I do not want to talk at you but to talk with you. Please give me feedback so I can get better as well. So anyways back to the format, I will share little bit of my life and experience to have a connection to the film. There are some films that I select that either I experienced or know a little bit of it. This blog mean so much to me and I promise I will try to keep at it even after graduation. In that note I will share a little bit of personal information to show you I want to put myself out there.

A little bio of Diana Gonzalez. I am Salvadorean and American. I have two languages that I am trying to be fluent in and on top of that learn French little by little. I lived in New York, California and now Missouri. I still visit New York and California when time and money permits. My three loves are music, film and traveling. I want to break free from stereotypes and assumptions through my knowledge in different concentrations. I have various dreams and goals, but one goal I would like to achieve would be to create a film. However, I first need to understand the industry and practice recording. So I hope this little tidbit of my life can create a closer connection with you guys.

P.S.
I will give you a hint about the next film. "When people move apart from each other, what is that called?"

In This World

When you think about immigration, is it only dealing with United States?  Do you think Hispanics are the only ones to migrate? Immigration is an issue that every country deals with it. However, I am not here to discuss about my view on immigration but knowing what people go through the journey can be a revelation. It is a dangerous journey to take that people share, no matter what ethnicity they are or their destination. There are many sources discussing the issue of immigration but not about the sacrifices, risks or the reasons for it. There are endless stories of people who are abuse physically and mentally. Understanding the journey can give you another perspective on the issue. 

 

In This World is about a teenager’s journey from Shamshatoo Refugee Camp to London. Along with his cousin, Jamal (protagonist) and Enayat (cousin) go through an extensive process of smuggling through countries to arrive at their destination. During the journey, they meet new people and discover new cultures. At the end, the journey was not for the weak and some were lost in chase of a fresh start. 

My critique on the film is very simple. I was recommended to watch this film because of the editing technique and narrative. At first, it seems like a third-person narrative documentary about the community and then focus on the teenager. The narrative changes when the focus is on Jamal and Enayat. I got the feel that I was with them on their journey, not understanding another language, witnessing how they slept from one place to another, and experiencing anxiety for them. I believe that both director Michael Winterbottom and writer Tony Grison did a phenomenal job on creating a film to experience what their characters went through. It is not Hollywood material, but it is an ordinary story of ordinary people wanting a better life. That is what film is about, relating to the audience on a personal level.