Hello everybody! We are living in difficult times and perhaps you are bored, confused, scared… But don’t worry! All this will happen so I was thinking that while we are waiting in our homes we can do some activities. We can continue to learn and change our point of view. How?? Watching movies! For that, I would like to show you some films that are really important and necessary to watch. These movies talking about diferentes problems , history, social critics… it depends of the movie but I think it is important to know how the world works or how it worked in some countries or situations.
MOVIES ABOUT RACISM:
Crash
“Crash tells interlocking stories of whites, blacks, Latinos, Koreans,
Iranians, cops and criminals, the rich and the poor, the powerful and
powerless, all defined in one way or another by racism.”
This movie reflects how we are. In
my opinion, it is a sweet movie
where you can see the sad reality.
American History X
“Edward Norton plays, Derek Vineyard, an ex neo-nazi ex-con that was
a real product of his subtle upbringing and environment. When he gets
out of jail he tries to convince his little brother (who he actually
introduced to the same hateful life) that he can make better choice”
This movie was a discovery for me. I think it
was the first film that I watched about this
topic. It is a little strong sometimes but I think
It will like you. You could see how hate leads
you to do really bad things.
Green Book
“It also takes place while the two men are driving across the American
South during 1962, so it contains multiple formulas at once. It’s the
mismatched-buddy road trip movie with a message about race relations,
arriving in theaters at the height of awards season and the holidays, just in
time to make us all feel better about the world—or at least give us a brief
glimmer of hope during this period of political and ideological division.”
It is a fun movie, really. I like so much. They
are a good actors, and you could see the
racism in USA in 1962. You will fall in love
with their relationship. It is very cute.
The Butler
“Cecil Gaines was a sharecropper’s son who grew up in the 1920s as a
domestic servant for the white family who casually destroyed his.
Eventually striking out on his own, Cecil becomes a hotel valet of such
efficiency and discreteness in the 1950s that he becomes a butler in the
White House itself. There, Cecil would serve numerous US Presidents over
the decades as a passive witness of history with the American Civil Rights
Movement gaining momentum even as his family has troubles of its own.”
This movie is also really cute. It explains the
evolution of a man who was born as a slave
and ends with the confidence of his
president. This movie has political themes
but it is interesting.
MOVIES ABOUT NAZISM:
Schindler’s List
“Schindler’s List is the based-on-truth story of Nazi Czech business man Oskar
Schindler, who uses Jewish labor to start a factory in occupied Poland. As
World War II progresses, and the fate of the Jews becomes more and more
clear, Schindler’s motivations switch from profit to human sympathy and he
is able to save over 1100 Jews from death in the gas chambers.”
This is a long movie… but you have time
now!! You will see the goodness of a man
trying to save jewish lives.
The Pianist
“The pianist tells the story of a Polish Jew, a classical musician,
who survived the Holocaust through stoicism and good luck.”
This film, made me feel anguish
sometimes. Because you see how that
man had to survive hiding from the
nazis, losing his life, his family
and…Shh!!! No more spoilers!!
Life is Beautiful
“A gentle Jewish-Italian waiter, Guido Orefice, meets Dora, a pretty
schoolteacher, and wins her over with his charm and humor.
Eventually they marry and have a son, Giosue. Their happiness is
abruptly halted, however, when Guido and Giosue are separated from
Dora and taken to a concentration camp.”
This movie is really really cute!!!! As you read
before, the father and the son are in a camp
but the child does not understand anything,
that is why the father tries to turn the situation
into a game. It is so sad but It would be nice if
you watch it.
MOVIES ABOUT SLAVERY AMONG OTHER THINGS
12 Years a Slave
“Solomon Northup is a free black man living in upstate New York
with his family in the 1840s. He is a carpenter and a talented
violin player. One day, two men approach him and ask if he will
accompany them and play his fiddle as they travel to
Washington DC to the circus they work for. Solomon agrees.
Unfortunately, he is drugged and wakes up in what he discovers
is a slave pen within view of the Capito.”
With this movie we can fell how it must be
that your life changes from one day to the
next. You will see the fight of a man who was
free and then he has to suffer the pain of the
chains.
Blood Diamond
“Blood Diamond is the story of Danny Archer – an ex mercenary
from Zimbabwe – and Solomon Vandy – a Mende fisherman.
Both men are African, but their histories as different as any can
be, until their fates become joined in a common quest to
recover a rare pink diamond that can transform their lives.”
This is a great movie. It show you how
people can change, you can learn more
about slavery in africa and enjoy the story
of the movie.
Hotel Rwanda
“In 1994 in Rwanda, a million members of the Tutsi tribe were killed
by members of the Hutu tribe in a massacre that took place while the
world looked away. “Hotel Rwanda” is not the story of that massacre.
It is the story of a hotel manager who saved the lives of 1,200 people
by being, essentially, a very good hotel manage.”
I first watched Hotel Rwanda in high school
and I really liked it. As “blood diamond” you
can see what happens in many countries of
Africa, how they live, what are the problems,
that they have and you could see the fight of
a man who wanted to save lives.
OTHER THEMES
The Shawshank Redemption
“The narrator, recounts how he planned and carried out his
wife’s murder by disabling her brakes, which accidentally killed
a neighbor and child as well and earned him a life sentence at
Shawshank Prison. Red also remembers the arrival of an inmate
named Andy Dufresne, whose tenure at Shawshank affected
the lives of everyone at the prison. Andy was sent to
Shawshank for life in 1947 for the cold-blooded murder of his
wife.”
It is a interesting movie for me. It
explains how prison worked ( or how it
works, who knows). You can think about
haw many innocent people go to the
prison and what the consequences are.
12 Angry Man
“This courtroom drama tells the story of a jury of 12 men as they
deliberate the conviction or acquittal of an 18-year old defendant
on the basis of reasonable doubt, forcing the jurors to question
their morals and values.”
This is a old movie, but could think
about how our interests and
decisions can interfere in other
lives.
The Constant Gardener
“In a remote area of Northern Kenya, activist Tessa Quayle is found
brutally murdered. Tessa’s companion, a doctor, appears to have fled
the scene, and the evidence points to a crime of passion. Members of
the British High Commission in Nairobi assume that Tessa’s widower,
their mild-mannered and unambitious colleague Justin Quayle, will
leave the matter to them. They could not be more wrong. Haunted
by remorse and jarred by rumors of his late wife’s infidelities, Quayle
surprises everyone by embarking on a personal odyssey that will take
him across three continents. Using his privileged access to diplomatic
secrets, he will risk his own life, stopping at nothing to uncover and
expose the truth – a conspiracy more far-reaching and deadly than
Quayle could ever have imagined.”
This movie is a criticism of pharmaceuticals.
Many interests that destroy families. So, be
careful what you know.
Les Miserables
The film takes place in France during the early 19th century and
tells the story of Jean Valjean who, while being hunted for
decades by the ruthless policeman Javert after breaking parole,
agrees to care for a factory worker’s daughter. The story reaches
resolution against the background of the June Rebellion.
What can I say? In my opinion,
this is a wonderful movie, really.
When I watched this film for the
first time, I had not words. The
music is amazing, good actors…
what I can say…Watch it!!!
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
“Three billboards outside is a darkly comic drama from Academy Award winner Martin McDonagh . After months have passed without a culprit in her daughter’s murder case, Mildred Hayes makes a bold move, painting three signs leading into her town with a controversial message directed at William Willoughby, the town’s revered chief of police. When his second-in-command Officer Dixon, an immature mother’s boy with a penchant for violence, gets involved, the battle between Mildred and Ebbing’s law enforcement is only exacerbated.”
This is a simple movie but I don’t know why it is brilliant for me. I have no words to describe this movie, you better watch it and tell me!
Human
Finally, I would like to recommend you an amazing documentary. The name is : “HUMAN” it has three parts and you can find it on Youtube (Human extended part 1,2,3).
I hope you enjoy these movies, perhaps some tears will scape but don’t forget that expressing emotions is healthy!
Miriam Sanchez Hernandez, ESC Volunteer
******
Projekti prostovoljstva v okviru Evropske solidarnostne enote mladim nudijo priložnosti za prostovoljsko delo. Odgovarjati morajo na pomembne potrebe družbe, prispevati h krepitvi skupnosti in ob tem prostovoljcem omogočati, da pridobivajo uporabne izkušnje, veščine in kompetence za svoj osebni, izobraževalni, socialni, državljanski in profesionalni razvoj, s čimer se izboljšuje njihova zaposljivost.
Več o programu Evropske solidarnostne enote (slo. ESE, ang. ESC, bivši EVS) si lahko preberete na povezavi: http://www.movit.si/ese/projekti-prostovoljstva/
