MOVIE MONDAY - HORROR MOVIES

“All of us have our individual curses, something that we are uncomfortable with and something that we have to deal with, like me making horror films, perhaps.” - Wes Craven

Remember going to camp and after dinner, when night had fallen and everyone was sitting around the campfire someone would start telling a story? And more often than not that story was a horror story, full of ghosts and vampires, monsters and creepy crawlies, zombies and giant malevolent creatures set on doom death and destruction. Everyone loves a good horror story!

A horror story is one that deliberately scares or frightens the audience, through suspense, violence or shock. H. P. Lovecraft distinguishes two primary varieties in the “Supernatural Horror in Literature”: 1) Physical Fear or the “mundanely gruesome” and 2) the true Supernatural Horror story or the “Weird Tale”. The latter is sometimes called a “dark fantasy”, since the laws of nature must be violated in some way, to make the story “fantastic” or “imaginary”. The following sub-genres are contained within the Horror genre:

Ghost story: A story about spirits of the dead into the realm of the living. There are subgenres: The Traditional Haunting, Poltergeists, The Haunted Place or Object (i.e. the hotel in Stephen King’s “The Shining”), or the etching in M. R. James’ “The Mezzotint”, etc. Some would include stories of Revenants such as W. W. Jacobs’ “The Monkey’s Paw.” A typical film in this sub-genre is Tobe Hooper’s 1982 film “Poltergeist” or  Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 movie “TheShining”.

Monster: A story about a monster, creature or mutant that terrorises people. Usually, it fits into the horror genre, for instance, Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein. Although Shelley’s Frankenstein is often also considered the first science fiction story (biological science reanimating the dead), it does present a monstrous “creature”. Other clear monster stories are of the creatures of folklore and fable: The Vampire, the Ghoul, the Werewolf, the Zombie, etc. Beings such as that depicted in Karl Freund’s 1932 film “The Mummy” with Boris Karloff would also qualify. A very large number of films have been made in this sub-genre, exemplifying people’s delight with being made to feel scared by mythical, monstrous creatures.

Giant monsters: A story about a giant monsters, big enough to destroy buildings is a sub-genre of a sub-genre! Jack Arnold’s 1955 film “Tarantula” is a classic. Some such stories are about two giant monsters fighting each other, a genre known as kaiju in Japan, which is famous for such works after the success of such films and franchises such as Godzilla. Ishirô Honda’s “Mothra vs. Godzilla” of 1964 is a famous example.

Werewolves: Stories about werewolves, humans with the ability to shapeshift into wolves. This is based on many folk-legends around the world and the human fascination with the wolf, a formidable wild animal, made all the scarier perhaps by its resemblance to the familiar and friendly pet, the dog. George Waggner’s 1941 movie “The Wolf Man” is one that has been much imitated and in which Lon Chaney Jr gives a great performance as the monster.

Jiangshi: Stories about jiangshi, the hopping corpses under the control of Taoist priests derived from Chinese literature and folklore. Ma Wu’s 1993 film “Qu mo dao zhang” (Exorcist Master) is a good example.

Vampires: A story about vampires, reanimated bodies that feed on the blood of the living, based on European folklore. Bram Stoker’s novel “Dracula” (1897) created many of the genre’s conventions. There are huge numbers of films that have translated the Dracula story to the screen, with Christopher Lee being one of the more memorable actors in the title role. Terence Fisher’s 1958 “Horror of Dracula” was one of the first such examples.

Occult stories: Stories that touch upon the adversaries of Good, especially the “Enemies” of the forces of righteousness as expressed in any given religious philosophy. Hence, stories of devils, demons, demonic possession, dark witchcraft, evil sorcerers or warlocks, and figures like the Antichrist would qualify. The nature of such stories presupposes the existence of the side of Good and the existence of a deity to be opposed to the forces of Evil. William Friedkin’s 1973 movie “The Exorcist” was a highly controversial but very popular such film.

Slasher: A horror genre featuring a serial killer or other psychopath as an antagonist, methodically killing a number of protagonists in succession. Dramatic suspense is heightened by the victims' obliviousness of the killer. The victims are typically in isolated settings and often engaged in sexual activity previous to the attacks. The “slasher” kills their victims by stealthily sneaking up on them and then bloodily stabbing and slicing them to death with a sharp object, such as a Chef’s knife. John Carpenter’s 1978 film “Halloween” is a classic in this sub-genre.

Gender roles in slasher films are of particular interest in feminist film theory. which has extensively examined the trope of the “Final Girl”.

Survival Horror: A horror story about a protagonist who is put in a risky and life-threatening situation that he or she must endure, often as a result of things such as zombies or other monsters, and the rest of the plot is how the hero or heroes overcome this. Danny Boyle’s 2002 film “28 DaysLater” is such an example.

PERSONALITY

“Personality has power to uplift, power to depress, power to curse, and power to bless.” - Paul Harris

Every now and then I like to take an online test on personality, psychometrics, IQ, general knowledge, mathematical ability, etc. I find these kinds of tests fun and occasionally they can be useful as a means of getting to know myself a little better. Overall, they tend to be for my amusement only and occasionally they are a great source of amusement as they so far out of what I consider to be “myself”.

Here is one, called “16 Personalities” that offers a fairly simple, quick test that can give you your Myers-Briggs Type indicator. The Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is an introspective self-report questionnaire designed to indicate psychological preferences in how people perceive the world and make decisions. The MBTI was constructed by Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers.

The test is based on the typological theory proposed by Carl Jung who had speculated that there are four principal psychological functions by which humans experience the world – sensation, intuition, feeling, and thinking – and that one of these four functions is dominant for a person most of the time. The MBTI was constructed for normal populations and emphasises the value of naturally occurring differences. “The underlying assumption of the MBTI is that we all have specific preferences in the way we construe our experiences, and these preferences underlie our interests, needs, values, and motivation.” Although popular in the business sector, the MBTI exhibits significant psychometric deficiencies, notably including poor validity and reliability.

Taking this test today, I found that I ended up as an “Assertive, Diplomatic Campaigner, ENFP”. Several years ago, when I had taken a similar test I was a “Nurturing, Idealistic Teacher ENFJ”. I guess I can find parts of myself  that are congruent with characteristics of both of these types (which are not too dissimilar), but there are also aspects of both types that are a little foreign to me. A bit like reading one’s horoscope [smirk]…

MOVIE MONDAY - ANGEL-A

“We are all born for love. It is the principle of existence, and its only end.” - BenjaminDisraeli

We watched a quirky, fun film the other day, which we enjoyed quite a lot. It was Luc Besson’s 2005 comedy/fantasy “Angel-A” starring Rie Rasmussen, Jamel Debbouze and Gilbert Melki. Luc Besson also wrote the screenplay, and it seems to have been a labour of love. Although not entirely original, the plot works and hinges on redemption and personal growth of the protagonist to make it appealing for the viewer.

The plot has as follows: André (Jamel Debbouze) is a small-time ex-convict who seems to owe money to everyone in Paris, including a crime boss who threatens to kill him if he doesn’t repay him by midnight. After failing to find protection from the American embassy and the French police, a despairing André scrambles onto a bridge over the Seine, intending to leap to his death. He is surprised to see a tall, beautiful girl (Rie Rasmussen) clinging to a rail on the same bridge, apparently preparing to end her life as well. She jumps, and he jumps too, suddenly resolving to save her life. After scrambling ashore, she tells him her name is Angel-A. Together, they take a cruise on the Seine, repay André’s creditors, visit a Parisian nightspot, and more, as Angel-A helps André. He learns that for this purpose she has fallen out of the sky and into his life. André finds himself falling in love with this mysterious beauty…

We enjoyed in particular the atmospheric black and white-photography by cinematographer Thierry Arbogast, who also worked on Besson’s previous films. Autumnal Paris, is beautifully shot with external shots showing well-balanced lighting. Many famous Paris sights make an appearance and one can take it all in, enjoying the sights as well. The lead actors are perfectly cast for their roles and play with verve and gusto. There is a great deal of chemistry between the gangly Angel-A and the ratso André and one can tell that these actors had a great deal of fun while making the movie.

The plot device of angels coming to earth to help humans is not a new one. However, Angel-A is a strange angel, who appears to be quite earthy and not unwilling to gets her hands dirty in order to help her charge. The way that she makes money in order to get André debt-free is quite unangel-like to say the least. There is a lot of clever, funny repartee between André and Angel-A, and no car chases and explosions as one has seen in other Besson films.

The film can be seen as an instruction manual on cognitive therapy, which has a goal to transform distorted thinking. Angel-A is André’s therapist, giving him reasons to love himself, and teaching him techniques to change the way he thinks or speaks of himself. She teaches him to love himself and thus allowing himself to love others too.

VISUAL DNA

“Personality is to a man what perfume is to a flower.” - Charles M. Schwab

I recently came across a website called “VisualDNA”. According to the blurb on the site, this is why it exists: “VisualDNA was started in 2006 in order to change communication between people for the better. By combining the approaches of data scientists, psychologists, creatives and engineers we have crafted new ways of understanding the human personality, allowing people to understand themselves and businesses to serve their customers better. We want to enable a web where people have control of their own data, and where the organisations who they choose to share it with can use it as constructively as possible.”

VisualDNA profiles people using engaging visual personality quizzes, which drill into the deep-lying attitudes, values, actions and behaviours that make us unique human beings. Apparently, over 40 million people have completed these quizzes. They’re free to take and are not incentivised – so quizzes elicit honest responses from participants. VisualDNA’s feedback is built by teams of in-house psychologists and based on internationally recognised principals; including the ‘Big 5′ traits of personality. Furthermore, the quizzes are based on visual cues mainly, with a minimum of text.

There are two quizzes that you can take online and they require relatively little time to complete, without having to register or provide personal details, or even an email address. The results are available to you on screen immediately after the quiz is completed. There is a “Who am I?” quiz and a “Personality Quiz”. They are rather fun and even if not completely accurate, the results provide some food for thought, and you can retake the quizzes at your leisure once you know how they work.

I rather liked the personality quiz especially, as in the results reporting it gave several “books you will like reading” suggestions, based on responses given to quiz questions. The interesting thing was that I had read (and enjoyed) about 70% of these books. I’ve already jotted down a couple of titles I’d like to get and read next!

The quiz webpage (scroll right down) also has some free, downloadable pdf files, which offer practical advice about stressful situations. For example, there is a booklet titled “I Just Lost my Job, What Next”, and another, “I’ve Forgotten How to Have Fun”, and so on. These were quite interesting and offered some sensible advice on how to understand issues and how to set in place strategies and change behaviours in order to overcome problems.

Quite an interesting site with some good content to explore!

LITERARY TUESDAY - BRAVE NEW WORLD

“There is a great deal of difference between an eager man who wants to read a book and a tired man who wants a book to read.” - G.K. Chesterton

Although I teach in a medical area, and most of my book-listed material for my subjects comprises books that are related to science, biology and medicine, I often recommend other books for reading to my students, books that are found in the literature section, rather than the medical and science shelves of the Library. These books I think are essential for their education as they concern themselves with social and moral issues, pose important questions about society and people, relationships and human interactions.

Some other books relate to the practice of medicine and how it fits into society. Anyone working in the medical field must have a very broad education and be familiar not only with their science, but also know something of people and the forces that motivate their actions, the emotions that colour their lives, and the thoughts and deeds that ultimately may relate to the diseases they present with.

When discussing HIV infection and AIDS for example, I recommended they read “April Fools Day” by Bryce Courtenay. When I talk about the pathology of birthmarks, I refer to “The Scarlet Pimpernel” by Baroness Orczy, with my tongue in my cheek. “The Plague” by Albert Camus gets more than one mention as not only does it talk about ills of the body but also about sickness in social systems. Anthony Burgess’ “A Clockwork Orange” is an old standard amongst my recommendations and “The Elephant Man” (the play by Bernard Pomerance) is recommended, but read by the odd one or two in my class, while most prefer to watch the movie.

For the romantic and idealistic young things in my classes that wish to change the world, the rather old fashioned novels by A.J. Cronin (physician and author) still appeal. Novels such as “The Citadel” and “Shannon’s Way”, and his short stories “Adventures of a Black Bag”. Similarly old-fashioned, but still an entertaining read is Axel Munthe’s “The Story of San Michele”, which appeals to many of them. Albert Schweitzer’s writings are often on my “unorthodox” reading list, especially his autobiography “Out Of My Life and Thought”. Kafka is recommended to a select few and read by even fewer. Philosophers’ works figure prominently and also some by famous essayists.

Something that I often recommend to them is “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley. This is excellent when one is teaching cloning, genetic engineering, in vitro fertilisation, use of fertilised ova in medical research, stem cells, etc. Huxley’s work, wonderfully prophetic (as all good science fiction is) is ever germane.

Huxley wrote “Brave New World” in 1932 and set it in a futuristic society the whole existence of which is based on pleasure without moral repercussions. Eugenics is the novel’s theme and the title is taken from Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”, where Miranda says, "O brave new world, that hath such people in’t." The novel is replete with references to “free sex” and drugs and this explains why it was consecutively banned in many countries around the world.

Huxley wrote the book after a visit to the USA and in his novel he expressed his outrage towards the culture of youth, inane cheeriness, crass commercialism and parochial nature of many Americans he observed. In many respects, the novel can be regarded as Huxley’s way of ringing the alarm bells against what he saw as the americanisation of British society, and the world at large. His brutal dystopia is extreme and designed to shock, but at the same time is one that poses important moral questions and generates ethical dilemmas in his readers.

Although “Brave New World” was condemned when it was first published, it has since become a modern literary classic. If you haven’t read it, go to your public library and borrow it – an excellent book!

BOOK REVIEW - THE SCOLD'S BRIDLE

“It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.” ― Voltaire

I am reading a murder mystery novel by Minette Walters at the moment: “The Scold’s Bridle”. Minette Walters (born 26 September 1949) is a British mystery writer. After studying at Trevelyan College, University of Durham, she began writing in 1987 with “The Ice House”, which was published in 1992. She followed this with “The Sculptress” (1993), which received the 1994 Edgar Award for Best Novel. She has been published in 35 countries and won many awards.

In “The Scold’s Bridle”, Mathilda Gillespie, an ill-tempered, snobbish, rude old woman in the village of Fontwell is found dead in her bathtub, with a peculiar medieval device over her head (the “scold’s bridle” of the title). A scold’s bridle, sometimes called a branks bridle or simply branks, was an instrument of punishment used primarily on women, as a form of torture and public humiliation. The device was an iron muzzle in an iron framework that enclosed the head. A bridle-bit (or curb-plate), about 2 inches long and 1 inch broad, projected into the mouth and pressed down on top of the tongue. The curb-plate was frequently studded with spikes, so that if the offender moved her tongue, it inflicted pain and made speaking impossible. Wives who were seen as witches, shrews and scolds, were forced to wear the branks, locked onto their head…

In terms of the plot, there is no shortage of suspects in the Dorset village where the victim lived and the characters all have to hide something about their past or indeed their present life. So far all characters are quite dark and quirky, none being lily-white in their entirety and even the most roguish having some redeeming qualities – rather like real life, I guess…

Sarah Blakeney, Mathilda’s doctor and one of the few people who actually liked the difficult, snobbish and intolerant (but also fascinating) woman, takes an interest in the case; her interest becomes very personal when she is revealed to be the main beneficiary of the deceased’s will. Suddenly Sarah is the center of local gossip, as she must face the accusations of Mathilda’s bereft daughter and granddaughter – as well as a police investigation that points increasingly in her own direction and forces her to face some troubling questions: What does her husband know that he’s not telling? And what really did happen during those tortured hours before Mathilda's death?

Reading the novel, I have once again been dumbfounded by the depths of baseness that human beings can fall into. They terrorise, they torture, they intimidate, they rape, they kill, they exact terrible prices for perceived wrongs and they can make other people’s lives a living hell. It is amazing what one human being can do another, and one needs no novels to have this point driven home. Reading the news in any newspaper daily, one can see this horrific side of human nature displayed in all of its full and lurid horror. Feelings of revulsion and outrage always overcome me when exposed to such images and reportage of atrocities. The latest terrorist attacks in Paris at the Charlie Hebdo HQ and at the Jewish market are cases in point.

However, after talking to people I wonder whether we are becoming inured to these outrageous acts, the shock that we should feel being replaced by a hardness of eye and a coldness of heart that familiarity breeds. Each of these terrible acts, each of these crimes against the basic decency of our race that should join us all into a family of man destroys our humanity, undermines our community and erodes our spirit.

Yet, with each of these acts against humanity one encounters, with each representation of evil incarnate that we meet, with each outrage, there is a redeeming feature. There are human devils ruled by malevolence, but there are also human angels whose thoughts and actions elevate humanity to the sphere of the divine. Yin and yang, I guess, a balance that totters on edge and whose fragile equilibrium keeps this world going.

THE PIG WHO SANG TO THE MOON

“Man is the only animal that can remain on friendly terms with the victims he intends to eat until he eats them.” - Samuel Butler

There is a passage in C.S. Lewis’s book “The Silver Chair” where Eustace and Jill (the children who are transported by magic to Narnia, the land of Aslan) find themselves amongst giants. They are mollycoddled and made much of, fed all manners of things delicious and made as comfortable as possible. All seems to be delightful and they enjoy their sojourn there until they discover a giants’ cookery book that has this in it:
“MAN: This elegant little biped has long been valued as a delicacy. It forms the traditional part of the Autumn Feast, and is served between the fish and the joint. Each man...”

When I first read this as a child I felt a shiver of morbid fascination and abhorrence down my spine. I imagined myself in the place of poor Eustace and Jill, being fattened by giants so that I would be part of a rare and gastronomically delightful course in the Autumn Feast banquet. Cannibalism fascinates us and at the same time strikes us as the utmost indication of barbaric behaviour. Yes most of us think nothing of biting into a delicious ham sandwich, or a juicy steak or a serving of coq-au-vin.

The art of dining has been elevated to an exquisite art form and all manner of exotic ingredients are combined with the staples from the garden, the vegetable patch, the orchard and of course the farmyard to concoct delicious dishes to tempt even the most jaded palate. Vegetarians are few and far between, although the percentage of vegetarians in Western countries is on the increase (about 1% of Western populations would be classed as strict vegetarians – see this interesting [though dated] article: http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/poll.htm).

For our literary Tuesday today, I offer you a book that is a veritable bible for vegetarians and animal activists, as it considers the plight of farm animals – animals raised for the sole purpose of providing food for humans. The book is “The Pig who Sang to the Moon” by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson (2003). He argues convincingly that farm animals have feelings and consciousness. Intelligence and curiosity, self reliance and humour, sociability and bravery, grief and dignity are hardly the words that would immediately spring to our mind to describe goats and pigs, cows and chickens; however, Masson demonstrates that these emotions and attributes are evident in these ‘lowly’ animals.

In his 300-page book, Masson devotes each chapter to an animal: Cow, pig, chicken, sheep/goat, duck, etc and examines through history, literature, anecdotes, scientific studies and his own personal experience the way that we describe these creatures as “dumb beasts without feelings” is completely wrong. We all have immense sympathy for companion animals and pets like cats and dogs. We would think it enormously inhumane and barbaric to kill cats and dogs for food, but most of us would not blink an eyelid at eating a ham sandwich. However, pigs are cleaner than dogs and easier to housetrain, of all animals their physiology and flesh is most like ours, they are incredibly friendly and will curiously follow us all day, more so than our pet cats. In fact, “mini” pigs have been successfully adopted as pets by some people.

Masson’s position in his book is that farm animals that have been specifically bred for our table fare are living in a completely artificial environment (in some cases analogous to a medieval prison in human terms). These animals find themselves struggling to cope in an environment that is all wrong for them. The specific instinctual behaviours that these animals carry in their genes do not have a chance of being expressed in these wrong environments. They have been unable to adapt as adaptation takes hundreds of thousands of years and we have domesticated them for only thousands of years. How can a cow that is separated from her calf immediately it is born and bred to be milked by a machine daily, carry out the incredibly tender and loving rearing of her young that we see in wild cattle? How can a battery hen luxuriate in an obviously enjoyable dust bath that the free range chicken can? How can a pig be curious and companionable and clever if it is confined to an indoor “factory farm” sty and never sees the light of day in its life?

This is a book that will elicit gut-wrenching emotion from most of its readers, as it really does pack a punch in the stomach (both puns are intended!). Masson describes a harsh and brutal reality (and yes, the truth is bitter), but he is also optimistic about the way that some enlightened farmers go out of their way to make an environment that is more pleasant for the animals they rear, seeing that we are unable to completely do away with farm animals.

To be a devil’s advocate, Masson does fling some wild hypotheses around in his book (which are not substantiated or even argued through logically). He can become emotional over what he discusses and tugs at our heartstrings rather than the intellect in places. He can jump around from topic to topic without much connection or the rigour of a scientific paper. He often preaches from his self-righteous pulpit and can be extremely negative about some things (for example, arguing that even when raising chickens humanely in a free range farm, it is immoral to take their eggs from them).

Nevertheless, when we consider that 10 billion farm animals are killed for human consumption annually in the USA alone, Masson’s book is extremely thought-provoking. We have known for hundreds of years that we don’t need to eat animals to survive (vegetarians and vegans have lived long healthy lives throughout recorded history). Increasing evidence shows that vegans live a longer and healthier life than others. Gandhi said: “…first they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight with you, then you win.” Masson closes his book by suggesting a variety of ways that we can help the plight of farm animals (not necessarily by becoming a vegetarian or a vegan).

Jeff Masson’s other books on animals are also worth looking at:
“When Elephants Weep: The Emotional Lives of Animals”

“The Emperor’s Embrace: Reflections on Animal Families and Fatherhood”

“Dogs Never Lie About Love: The Emotional World of Dogs”

“The Nine Emotional Lives of Cats: A Journey Into the Feline Heart” 

MOVIE MONDAY - BACKDRAFT

“You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honour. - Aristotle

We have had some bushfires already here in Victoria, so the fire season has officially started. This is always an important issue every Summer in Australia, and as the season progresses we dread the news of highly destructive bushfires breaking out and causing loss of bushland, homes or even worse, lives. I think with gratitude of the dedicated people that fight fires, which in the countryside are often volunteers of the Country FireAuthority. They do much to educate the public, prevent fires through clearing and back-burning, and if there are fires, doing their utmost to save properties and lives.

So for Movie Monday a film that I have watched and has fires and firefighting as a theme. The bravery and self-sacrifice of firefighters is something that we seem to forget or push to the back of our minds until a time of crisis. However, these people can be called upon to put their lives at risk on a daily basis in order to save others’ lives, property and uphold social order during times where most of us would crack under immense physical and psychological strain.

The film is Ron Howard’s 1991 “Backdraft”. This could easily have been a film where overacting, over-the-top special effects and heavy-handed directing were the way that things could have turned out. However, despite what the detractors say, the film is satisfying, the performances are good and the directing is excellent. The plot revolves around sibling rivalry and unresolved psychological problems from the past, but overall, I feel, it is a tribute to firemen and a way of saying thank you to these men on whom we rely so much in times of catastrophe and when emergencies threaten our very lives.

The film immerses us in the lives of two firefighters, the brothers McCafferty, Stephen and Brian. The younger (and now rookie fireman) Brian, watched his firefighter father die in a fire when a child. Stephen, the older is in the force and in the same station as Brian. The two brothers have had a hard time seeing eye to eye and the conflict between them is inflamed by working together. A series of suspicious blazes begin to occur and each has been set in order to kill someone. Brian starts to investigate the suspected arson and this seems to cause more friction between himself and his brother.

Robert De Niro, Kurt Russell, William Baldwin and Donald Sutherland give good performances and as it is to be suspected, the female roles in the film are rather underplayed and of secondary importance. The special effects are effective and keep one on the edge of the seat. A subplot involving political corruption is an essential part of the movie and underpins the action at several key points. The script could have been tighter, but still the movie works. This is certainly a film that is worth seeing.

MOVIE MONDAY - JEUX D' ENFANTS

"Can there be a love, which does not make demands on its object?" - Confucius

A French movie for Movie Monday, today: “Jeux D’ Enfants” by Yann Samuell (2003), its English title being “Love me if you Dare”. This is an odd film, but nevertheless one that I watched with great interest and in the end with great satisfaction, as well. If you have seen “Amélie” or “L’ Auberge Espagnole”, then this is film is like them, but nothing like them. It was described on the DVD packaging as a “Romantic Comedy”, but I beg to differ – it’s neither comedy, nor terribly romantic, yet there are scenes in it that make you laugh right out loud and other scenes that remind one of “Romeo and Juliet”…

But what is it about? Julien and Sophie are the hero and heroine of this film, he a typical French boy, and she a “dirty Pollack” as she is called by the other school children. Their friendship begins in childhood where they play a game of dares revolving around handing each other a biscuit tin in the shape of a colourful merry-go-round, only to be claimed if the dare is successfully completed.  The dares become more outrageous and dangerous as the children grow to adolescents and then to adults. Love and sex intrude in unexpected ways and the relationship between Julien and Sophie becomes more complex, more destructive – for themselves as well as for the people around them.

The characters of the film are hardly likeable, and yet they are irresistible in their raw energy and vitality. In them we recognise parts of ourselves that we actively bury deep inside us lest they manifest themselves and destroy us. And yet it these hidden parts of ourselves that drive us and motivate us, and it is these self-destructive forces within us that move some of us to the ultimate love experience that transcends death itself. Both Julien and Sophie are struggling with difficult home situations, and it is their families that force them to seek each other out and find in each other support but also a challenge to deal with their relatives (selfishly, but that is how one preserves oneself!).

The film is tremendously creative, visually rich and full of life and passion. It is an allegory of love, a film that analyses relationships that teeter between love and hate, that balance on the razor’s edge of insecurity, it is about people in love who constantly test each other’s love, that dare each other to prove their love no matter what. The ending itself (although predictable) is not what it seems and it this ending that puts the whole film into perspective in terms of the allegory hat I mentioned earlier.

Guillaume Canet (Julien) and Marion Cotillard (Sophie) are perfectly cast and play superbly under the expert direction of Yann Samuell. The soundtrack is memorable as it includes several renditions of “La Vie en Rose”, which is perfect for the film. Watch it, it's well worth it!