MSFF: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

My friend at work (who speaks fluent French) lent me some French movies last week. I’ve been trying to get a good mix of movies from different languages and countries, but I’ve really enjoyed every French movie I’ve watched. I don’t know if French film is generally a cut above the rest or if the only ones I have access to are the best ones, but either way, I’m enjoying myself (and eating a lot of crepes and baguettes).

Based on a true story, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is about Jean-Dominique Bauby, a successful magazine editor who suffers a stroke and must learn to live with locked-in syndrome, which leaves him unable to do anything but blink and, eventually, move his head a little bit. With the help of a physical therapist and a speech therapist, he utilizes a new way to communicate. Someone recites the alphabet in order of frequency, and when they reach the appropriate letters, he blinks once. And so on until he communicates first a word and then a sentence. In this way, he undertakes to write a book about his life.

It’s a beautiful, quiet film that touches on how and what we value in life. Communication is oftentimes taken for granted. With email, texting, phone calls, Skype, and other things, we don’t even have to be in the same room or the same city to have a conversation. As a writer, I think it’s important to recognize the weight that words can and do have and to be mindful of how we communicate.

MSFF: Mere Brother Ki Dulhan

I’ve been watching these movies in short 20- or 30-minute chunks before I go to sleep or on my lunch breaks. But I started Mere Brother Ki Dulhan last night and had to force myself to stop watching so I could get some sleep. And then instead of being productive when I woke up, I finished watching it.

When Luv, living in London, gets into a fight with his girlfriend of five years, Piall, they break up and he calls his brother, Kush, working as a famous film director in Mumbai, for help in finding him a traditional Indian girl to be his bride. However, when Kush meets Dimple, whom he’d known briefly years before, sparks fly. She’s lively and different and unapologetic for it, and she proves to be a perfect complement to Kush’s quiet yet caring nature.

It’s a situation that could easily become silly and but it’s never played for stupid laughs like American rom-coms are so fond of (okay, there’s maybe one instance). The ample length of the film (145 minutes) lends itself to a fully fleshed love story, with the first half allowing the relationship between Kush and Dimple to grow naturally. It’s not unpredictable by any means, but for me, part of the charm of rom-coms is the certainty that, despite all the issues plaguing them, the hero and heroine will end up together in about two hours.

I am somewhat familiar with Bollywood films, though I don’t watch them often. I haven’t watched one in a while, so I forgot how much fun they can be. It wasn’t until the first full song and dance number that I remembered that was a Bollywood staple. Sometimes I wish it would be a Hollywood staple, too! The musical numbers are basically music videos, complete with wind machines and fire, in the middle of a movie. It’s an experience which could be jarring for viewers unfamiliar with Bollywood but which ultimately ends up contributing to the lighthearted, romantic flavor of the film.

MSFF: Thérèse

Thérèse is the story of a woman stuck in a provincial life. She agrees to a marriage of convenience with her neighbor’s son, Bernard, a marriage which will unite the pine forests of both families. But it doesn’t satisfy her, doesn’t keep her from wanting more excitement and fulfillment out of life. Her sister-in-law and best friend, Anne, soon falls in love with a man her parents consider to be an inappropriate match. Anne’s passionate relationship only highlights the lack of passion in Thérèse’s. As the months and years go by, Thérèse’s depression deepens, eventually driving her to unforgiveable acts.

I read an article on NPR last week about the French film Violette and the likeability of protagonists, which is a subject of much interest to me. It’s worth looking at characters who are unapologetic for their imperfections. While Thérèse’s story is an intriguing one, I found myself more drawn to Bernard and Anne. Bernard seems slightly cartoonish through Thérèse’s eyes, always hunting and counting aloud when he puts his medicine in his water. But hard circumstances bring out his true character, which is compassionate and forgiving.

The problem with Thérèse, though, is it takes great care in depicting Thérèse’s actions without dwelling much on her motivations. She makes decisions that don’t entirely make sense and can’t always be chalked up to unhappiness. For instance, her friendship with Anne is an important one, but when Anne begs for help regarding Jean, Thérèse instead influences Jean to end the relationship via letter. She doesn’t do it to help Anne or to preserve the family honor, but neither is it clear that she does it out of jealousy. I thought the relationship between Thérèse and Anne would be much more important, but it falls by the wayside to allow the movie to focus on Thérèse’s depression. All in all, it was a surprising, beautiful film.

MSFF: Myn Bala

“Love can never be measured by sacrifice.”

Myn Bala: Warriors of the Steppe is the story of Sartai, a Kazakh boy who witnesses his village’s destruction and his family’s death at the hands of Dzungars. Seven years later, he’s become the de facto leader of their band of Kazakh refugees living in the mountains. With his best friends, Taimas and Korlan, Sartai leads a small group of young warriors in attacks against the Dzungars while their grandfather figure attempts to convince the khans of the area to unite and fight off the invaders. Some still resist and choose to cooperate with the Dzungars. Zere, the object of Sartai’s affection, is the daughter of one such khan.

I know more about Kazakhstan than most Americans, but I still don’t know a lot. The first half was a little hard for me to get into because of the unfamiliar history, but the second half picked up steam and barreled toward the conclusion. The heart of the film is Sartai’s need for revenge and freedom, but the interactions between the three main teenagers added compelling complexity. They’re like siblings, but Sartai is the leader, the standout, the hero. Taimas’s descent into jealousy is much more than that because he’s the one to shed light on how Sartai’s actions, however noble, are leading their clansmen to their deaths.

And Korlan! I want to talk about Korlan because she is amazing. She’s wicked good with a bow and can keep up with the boys in battles. The movie is peppered with hints that she might be in love with Sartai, but that falls by the wayside when Sartai is injured. Zere runs away to join him, but when her father and his men come to retrieve her, they’re attacked by the Dzugars. Korlan’s two companions fall in the fight, but it’s Korlan who gets Zere out of the chaos. When Zere’s horse exhausts itself, Korlan offers her own even as the Dzugars come galloping up the hill. Korlan tells Zere the horse knows the way to their camp and sends her off, turning to face half a dozen Dzugars with just a bow and some knives.

Myn Bala is good, heart-pounding fun with a sweeping story and intricate costumes. The scenery is gorgeous and shows off the lovely juxtaposition of the stunning mountains with the flat steppes. It made me want to go back to Kaz to see all the places I missed.