"The Education of Fairies" makes point
Friday, February 22, 2008
A day back I was watching a Spanish movie La Educación de las hadas (The Education of Fairies). Based on a french novel by Didier Van Cauwelaert it is a slow and absorbing story of the transformational power of a child-like imagination.Toy inventor Nicolas (Darin) meets widowed ornithologist Ingrid (Irene Jacob) and her son Raul (Victor Valdivia) on a plane. Nicolas turns on the charm, and, soon, Nicolas and Ingrid are married and living an idyllic existence in a beautiful old house in the Catalan countryside.
Nicolas and Raul develop a sensitive relationship through conversations about the boy's father, a soldier who died in Iraq. The imaginative Nicolas tells the boy stories about fairies who make the world a better place and takes him to an old hut in the woods where he hung out as a child. Once they are sitting for a picnic on the soldier's grave, that Nicolas gives soldier a medal (a cola cap) for his being a great human; and the kid reacts by giving Nicolas a medal for being a great dad.
After a decade of beautiful relation, however, Ingrid surprises Nicolas suddenly one day by asking for a separation. She first says that he snores a lot and asks him to sleep in other room. The reactions of a steady relation are aptly showcased. Nicolas infact leaves a voice recorder on to argue with Ingrid so that he can be with her.
Meanwhile, Algerian checkout girl Sezar (singer Bebe, here making an effective debut) is being sexually harassed by her boss Matarredona (Jordi Bosch). One night, when Sezar is in a car with her boss, the car is attacked and Sezar is beaten up.
Nicolas picks her up and takes her back to his hut in the woods, where Raul mistakes her for a fairy. Here is a big irony, Nicolas had told his son that one can be granted three wishes by fairies but added that problem is that most ladies don't know if they are fairies. On being asked that how to identify them, he says that they have marks on cheeks as they scratch them while thinking, which they do a lot. And over here, Sezar has marks on her cheeks coz back at home a guy had beaten her and raped her. I found this ironic contrast of mark made by scar quite moving.
Visuals are often sumptuous with the lighting bringing out the rich color of the beautiful rural scenery. Attention is also paid to details, such as the raindrops on an umbrella under which Nicolas and Ingrid kiss.
The script is sufficiently grounded in emotional truth. All the characters are concealing past issues, and it takes the innocence of a child to confront these issues and bring them into the open. The appeal is lost in the end as the reasoning of leaving of Ingrid being having a cancer is insufficiently woven in. She tells Nicolas that she is seeing someone and how Nicolas reacts is emotional turmoil at the best. But as she comes again later, Nicolas rightly questions that if she talks the same talks of separation and questioning the integrity, then there is no point coming back.
What I have realized by now in life is that the relationships need faith, love, time and passion to succeed. Compromise being an integral part of it, one adapts to other with time. But there is a limit of compromise and if the arguments are too often, maybe there is a time to check the chemistry. I get reminded time and again by a quote of my cousin, "What you think is the best for you may not actually be the best for you"; which brings in the need of arguments and listening to other people's justification. But then once you form a bond then one should realise that with the power of joy, we also give each other a power to hurt or demolish each other emotionally. So in fact, Ingrid's decay of life in arms of Nicolas would have been a better option than deserting Nicolas and kid. But then an opinion is an opinion and I know, when it comes to such matter we all have varying opinion and all are true!
Labels: Movie Critics
posted by Jas @ 11:26 AM,
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India Shimmering
Friday, February 15, 2008
India is today cruising at such a strategic juncture that whatever policies we choose, will impact the high speed development we are building upon. If there is an anomaly in the building blocks then what the hell are we constructing on it? Right now we need robust economic policies and a strategic vision keeping in mind the future turnings. With sound financial constructs like Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and finance minister P Chidambram in driving seat I was sure that India Shining would keep glowing, but the arm twisting by Left and time to time opportunism by BJP has made it rather India Shimmering. Democracy gives one big advantage to scholars - the right to argue each and every thought; but the moment you give it to corrupt or fools, all you get is a chaotic indecision.
There has been a huge hue and cry on 1-2-3 agreement, but then how many knew about it at all? Center has been saying that they are open for discussion, but all the left and BJP has to say is that its a wrong decision. Million dollar question is WHY? If we are not ready to get US deal for our future power needs then there should be a second plan, where is the discussion for this? I really hate it when people say that don't ask me what is right but what you are doing is wrong! Left is still lost in the old ideas of socialism and firmly believes in shunning anything with capitalism label. We don't need to discuss what happens when you just close your eyes to the things you don't like and keep crying out your own song.
India is not free of evils, there are lot of problems and we have a huge repository of knowledge that has been accumulated over ages and is being lost or re-invented. The basic philosophies taught by Vedas and Hinduism need to be learned by young generations in constructive manner and the illiteracy needs to be eradicated. If the VHP and Shiv Sainiks launch a war for these motives we can put many small villages also on the track of development. But no we remain lost in our own small battles of dividing the state for satiating more ministers (Andhra), giving free Power to farmers even as state coffers are bled to bankruptcy (Punjab), selfishly spending tons and tons on own and threating to pull support if judiciary questions wealth (UP), making government a family legacy baton (Center, J&K, Punjab, Haryana, Bihar, TN, Karnatka.... the list is a long one!
posted by Jas @ 7:23 PM,
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