Saturday 5 November 2011

Taegukgi Hwinallimyeo - The Brotherhood of War

2004 by Kang je-gu - Korean movie

A real epic movie. Just not sure, whether its an epic movie on war or on a family. It is more than interesting that when we get war movies from America, they are just war movies, barr a couple of exceptions. But many war movies from Europe and Asia, there is actually a heart too. Especially the ones from Asia are quite different in this aspect and this movie is the best example. We cannot easily term it as a war movie or an epic movie of a family in the backdrop of a war.

During the Korean war, two brothers are forced to the war front. War changes the eldest into a true soldier, while the younger one is shocked by the change in his brother. Only one survives for sure.

Of course, there are few moments in this movie, which definitely looks inspired by certain Hollywood scenes. But otherwise, it is a real epic movie from Asia. The love between the two brothers and that for their family is wonderfully captured. The changes happening in the two brothers which gets into a kind of love hate relationship, is typical of certain Indian family movies. Just that, here all this happens while at war and I found it simply brilliant.

At times, the movie has a real American way of looking at things, quite biased but through the younger brother it also goes into the human side of the war. This is the most interesting aspect of this movie. The elder brother stands for nationalism and the younger for the human aspects, the negatives of the war.

Just that, in few scenes it turns a bit too dramatic, only if one wants to nit pick. But otherwise, here is a movie which has executed both the war and emotional quotients brilliantly.

There is no question about the quality of the technical aspects too. Everything is simply world class. Koreans must be really proud about this movie. Some of the frames, even if they are in between violent war scenes, are really classic and adds to the epic nature of this movie.

Brilliant performances from the two brothers. And also from the actress who played their mother. A woman who lost her voice at the death of her husband, who only have very few scenes in the movie, but every time she is on the screen, she really impress and can touch our hearts.

If this was released as a Hollywood movie, I am sure that this one would have been accepted by people all over the world, especially Indians and Asians, with all their heart. The family aspects of the movie, though universal, will strike a chord with Asians very easily. It is a real pity our people dont get to watch such epics. 

Copie Conforme

2010 by Abbas Kiarostami - A French movie by an Iranian director, also with lots of English and Italian dialogues

I dont know what to say. This movie might be a different or classic or artistic master piece or what not, but I did not understand.

A woman takes a man, who is in town for a seminar, for a drive. They talk about the woman's son and soon it looks like they are both real husband and wife, meeting after long.

Really I dont know, what this movie is meant to be. May be it is too intelligent for somebody like me. But I found it quite stupid enough for somebody like me, for a layman.

Very bohring and confusing movie.

The only good thing is the performance by Juliet Binoche.