Category Archives: Basically Sad

2013, Arab Culture, Arabic, Basically Sad, Hebrew, Israeli Palestinian Conflict, Prison, Revenge, Suspense, Torture, Violent, Wonderful acting

Omar (2013)

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From Netflix:

With his girlfriend, Nadia, living on the other side of an Israeli-built boundary wall, young Palestinian Omar regularly scales it to visit her. But he faces even greater obstacles after a lethal confrontation with an Israeli soldier.

From a filmmaking viewpoint, “Omar” is well done. Emotionally, as is true for most films about the Israeli Palestinian conflict, it offers a sad, hopeless view of the lives of those unfortunately born into the situation.

If you are a history fan, you will realize that such an atmosphere of paranoia in which you can trust no-one: friends, lovers, or otherwise is nothing new. In the court of Henry VIII of England there were spies everywhere.

For a good review see what Roger Ebert has to say.

As yet I do not understand why there is a wall between Palestinians and Palestinians. Omar regularly jumps this wall to see Nadia. But Nadia is Palestinian.

Stay alert for the final few seconds of the story.

If you can stand the heartache, “Omar” is worth watching.

2014, Based on true facts, Basically Sad, Book Review, Crude Talk, Disturbing Image, Explicit sexual discussion, Military, PTSD, Torture, Violent, War, War Veterans

Redeployment (2014)

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From GoodReads:

Phil Klay’s Redeployment takes readers to the frontlines of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, asking us to understand what happened there, and what happened to the soldiers who returned. Interwoven with themes of brutality and faith, guilt and fear, helplessness and survival, the characters in these stories struggle to make meaning out of chaos.

From Phil Klay’s blog:


Phil Klay is a graduate of Dartmouth College and a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. He served in Iraq’s Anbar Province from January 2007 to February 2008 as a Public Affairs Officer. After being discharged he went to Hunter College and received an MFA. His story “Redeployment” was originally published in Granta and is included in Fire and Forget: Short Stories from the Long War. His writing has also appeared in the New York Times, Newsweek, The Daily Beast, the New York Daily News, Tin House, and The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2012.

When I started reading “Redeployment” I was horrified at the language and writing style which reminded me of a C-student in a slow track in high school. But the story itself is tragically interesting. After reading more chapters I realized that each chapter is written in the voice of some particular character. Here are some examples of some chapters:

  • REDEPLOYMENT: Told by an uneducated young man who volunteered.
  • FRAGO: Description of a house raid.
  • AFTER ACTION REPORT: Timhead’s first kill is a young boy and he suffers a lot of anguish.
  • BODIES: Lonely Marine at home visits his former girlfriend.
  • OIF: An unreadable satire featuring the military alphabet soup of acronyms.
  • MONEY AS A WEAPONS SYSTEM: American bureaucrat in Iraq eventually learns the impossibility of getting anything done.
  • IN VIETNAME THEY HAD WHORES: Frank discussion of the sexual practices of military personnel.
  • PRAYER IN THE FURNACE: Military chaplain gives his side of the picture.

So far the above chapters cover about half the book and the list goes on.

“Redeployment” may be worth your time for the content rather than the several styles.

But the summary remains the usual: War is hell and destroys soldiers, especially the ones who physically survive.

2013, Alcoholism, Basically Sad, Corruption, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Marital Infidelity, Mental Illness, Scam Artists, Self-Deception, Wonderful acting

Blue Jasmine (2013)

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From Netflix:

The high life leads to high anxiety for a fashionable New York City homemaker in crisis who finds herself forced to live a more modest lifestyle in San Francisco. Woody Allen directs an ensemble cast that includes Cate Blanchett and Alec Baldwin.

Woody Allen may have married his daughter but the man sure knows how to capture ugly slices of contemporary life.

Using a jumbled set of flashbacks as well as scenes from the present, we watch a human circus of some really deceitful people (Alex Baldwin [Hal], Cate Blanchett [Jasmine], Louis C.K. [who seduces Jasmine’s sister Ginger]), some error-prone people (Sally Hawkins [the sister Ginger]), and some really decent and honest people (Andrew Dice Clay [Ginger’s former husband Augie], Bobby Cannavale [Ginger’s long-suffering boy friend Chili], Alden Ehrenreich [Jasmine’s son Danny], Peter Sarsgaard [Dwight]).

Short summary: Watch Cate Blanchett’s Jasmine’s incredibly well acted descent into an abyss of self-deception.

Is Woody Allen poking fun at the wealthy? It would seem that the lying high-fliers are scoundrels while (except for Peter Sarsgaard) the basically good characters all come from the middle class.

If nothing else, this film is a vehicle for Cate Blanchett to show off her remarkable talent even if she has to appear at times as physically and mentally destroyed.

In the category of sad urban human affairs this film is a DO NOT MISS!

2012, Arab Culture, Arabic, Basically Sad, Conspiracy, Disturbing Image, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Hebrew, Israeli Palestinian Conflict, Jewish Culture, Medical Theme, Military, Nudity, Sex Scenes, Terrorist Attack, Violent, Well developed plot, Wonderful acting

The Attack (2012)

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From Netflix:

An Arab Israeli physician offers assistance at the scene of a gruesome suicide bombing in Tel Aviv and then learns that the bomber was his own wife. Stunned and furious, he sets out to confront the people who encouraged her deadly decision.

To paraphrase an old saying, “One good film is worth a thousand history books”. My guess is that as you watch this marvelous film in Hebrew and Arabic with English subtitles your attitude towards the events and the protagonists will change at least somewhat. Here is yet another film about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that succeeds in not choosing sides, something that is very difficult to do in a film. If nothing else you will probably sympathize with the surgeon husband of the suicide bomber, a man caught in the middle of two cultures.

Superb acting, subtly developed plot, and a thought-provoking situation make for a must-see film.

2002, Based on true facts, Basically Sad, Book Review, Conspiracy, Disturbing Image, Ethical struggles, Grim, Historical Fiction, Love Story, Murder Investigation, Revenge, Sadism, Spanish, Torture, Violent

El Peso del Silencio (2002) [Book Review]

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Written in Spanish with no English translation available, you can purchase this book for your kindle. Jordi Sierra I Fabra, the author who lives in Spain, wrote the book in 2002.

Brief summary: Agustín Serradell, a dying Spanish millionaire, proposes to pay a Spanish journalist, Daniel Ros, to travel to Chile in order to find the grave of Serradell’s son Santiago who was tortured and killed by Pinochet’s henchmen. Ros agrees. Many adventures await Daniel Ros in Chile as he tries to find the son, his only starting clues coming from a recently released CIA document. That document points to three men involved directly in the torture and murder. Ros will begin his effort by trying to locate those three men. Here I stop the summary so that I don’t present you with any “spoilers”. Rest assured there are many surprise twists and turns as the story progresses.

In order to appreciate the background of the Pinochet era in Chile a bit of history is in order. Here my source is chiefly the book “Overthrow” by Stephen Kinzer (Henry Holt and Company, 2006).

Beginning in 1964 the CIA spent $3 million in Chile to help Eduardo Frei win an election against the nationalist Salvador Allende. Because the U.S. also gave $163 million in American military aid, the U.S. felt it had earned legitimate control of Chile. Kennedy had promoted his Alliance for Progress in order to encourage Latin America’s “democratic left”. Nixon hated Kennedy and decided to counteract this Alliance for Progress by supporting instead the business elite and military. Allende wanted to nationalize industry and return to Chile control over its own resources such as copper and the telephone company. American ambassador Korry and the CIA, urged on by Kissinger and David Rockefeller, asked Nixon for permission to wage a “spoiling” campaign against Allende. “Spoiling” meant planting propaganda in newspapers, stirring up fear of Communism, and supporting rightist candidates. Despite such efforts Chileans elected Allende. Nixon then ordered CIA director Helms to prevent Allende from coming to power. Effort One was to encourage President Frei to deny the election. Frei refused. Effort Two was to foment a military coup. Kissinger directed this effort. Despite objections from members of the CIA and the State Department, Kissinger and Nixon were determined to use bloody chaos to achieve their ends. Part of the CIA’s standard methodology for overthrowing a government is to destroy the country’s economy and blame the failure on the targeted victim, even if this means bringing severe deprivation to the population. Another tactic is to defeat military supporters of the targeted victim. In fact the U.S. delivered weapons to Chilean conspirators who assassinated Allende’s loyal supporter General Schneider. Chilean citizens were outraged by the murder staged by America and determined to remain loyal to Chilean democratic principles despite such American interference. After Allende’s inauguration many leading American companies active in Chile (ITT, Anaconda, Firestone, Pfizer, Bank of America, etc) joined in the effort to unseat Allende. Washington columnist Jack Anderson exposed 24 ITT internal memos which brought the “ITT Papers” scandal against Nixon. Helms was convicted of perjury when he lied about CIA involvement. Schneider’s successor, General Prats was a strict constitutionalist and defeated a CIA tank coup against Allende. In retaliation the CIA stated public and violent demonstration against Prats who was forced to resign and hand over power to the CIA puppet General Augusto Pinochet. Ironically Pinochet chose 9/11 (September 11, 1973) to bring a military attack against Allende. Infantry units, British Hawker Hunter fighter planes, eighteen rockets moved against the presidential palace. Allende died. Our Pinochet (after all, we the U.S. created this monster) was then free to unleash his reign of imprisonment, exile, torture, and murder.

“El Peso del Silencio” makes this sad history all the more personal by centering on its effect on a few characters in the novel. Strong reading, reader beware!

2011, Based on a Book, Basically Sad, Dancing, Drama, FilmReview, Love Story, Plot Twist, Quiet, Revenge, Sex Scenes, Slow, Unusual

Trishna (2011)

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From Netflix:

Raised in rapidly changing rural India, well-educated Trishna is torn between cultural tradition and her own desires when she falls in love with a British businessman who has returned to India to work in his family’s hotel business.

According to Wikipedia, this film is an adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s novel “Tess of the d’Urbervilles.” Hopefully that will not spoil the plot for you (although the adaptation is only very approximate).

Not for everyone, this film features:

  • Many different views of life in India, rural and urban.
  • Dancing.
  • Some Bollywood film-making.
  • Details in Indian life that you may or may not find interesting.
  • Slow development of the story.
  • Quite a few (discreet) sex scenes.

Nonetheless, I could not stop watching. Perhaps I see too many violent films, but I kept expecting something awful to happen. Instead, for awhile the plot seems too easy, almost as if the writers were sparing us any stress. But eventually there is an unexpected change in direction and (for me, at least) a surprise ending. In fact, I cheated and did not list all the possible categories because I did not want to introduce any spoilers.

If nothing else, you can spend two hours appreciating the very beautiful female star.

2010, Based on a Book, Basically Sad, Dark, Detective, DO NOT MISS, Drama, German, Murder Investigation, Nudity, Psychological Drama, Rape, Sensitive treatement of emotions, Suicide, Suspense, Wonderful acting, Wonderful photography

The Silence (2010)

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From Netflix:

When 13-year-old Sinikka goes missing from the same spot where another girl was murdered 23 years earlier, a retired investigator teams up with a younger colleague to unravel the parallel mysteries.

According to Wikipedia, this film is based on the German crime fiction novel The Silence (German: Das Schweigen) by Jan Costin Wagner. In fact the film is in German with subtitles.

Everything about this film is incredibly well done. Not only the story, but the photography, the pace, and above all else the acting.

Lifelong sadness over the loss of a loved-one is the pervasive theme of the film. From the very beginning we witness the initial rape and murder. (Later on we witness the second murder.) Rather than being a mystery story, the film centers on how the crimes effect each of the many characters: a retired detective whose marriage failed under the stress of his desperate efforts to solve the initial crime; a young brilliant detective trying to get over the recent death of his wife; the mother of the first victim; the parents of the second victim; the smug, officious, inept present-day chief detective; and each of the two guilty parties.

Only a bit of a mystery exists: can you recognize how one of the original killers has morphed into a present-day respectable citizen?

WARNING: be prepared for sadness and irony. However, DO NOT MISS THIS SUPERB FILM!

2012, Basically Sad, Chase film, Clever Plot, Crime, Crude Talk, Drugs, Dysfunctional Lives, Motorcycles, Police Corruption, Police Story, Talking Heads, Violent

The Place Beyond the Pines (2012)

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From Netflix:

Luke is a professional motorcycle rider who turns to bank robberies to support his newborn son, but when he crosses paths with a rookie police officer, their violent confrontation spirals into a tense generational feud.

By this time (2012) in their lives 32 year old Ryan Gosling and 37 year old Bradley Cooper may well be in their young adult film prime. Each already has a long list of credits. Of the two, Gosling can better play more eccentric roles as he does here in this film, although he belongs to that school of acting which promotes the idea “The less you say the better, let the audience think the thoughts that you should be having in this particular scene”. Call it the silent meditation school of acting. Cooper is a more direct actor. In a certain sense the acting style is often a natural and very real “talking heads”, but the story line is so good that it all works together.

Good writing and plotting has produced a story with two parts: Part One portrays the events that affect the lives of the characters in Part Two, fifteen years later. Without giving much away (plot is paramount in this film), Gosling and Cooper are crook and cop, each with a son Jason and AJ respectively. Interaction between the fathers early in their lives has strong repercussions later in the lives of the sons. Dane DeHaan (as Jason) and Emory Cohen (as AJ) did fine jobs as lost teenagers.

All that I feel that I must tell you is: Do not expect a happy ending. Century 21 is the century of unresolved conflicts.

Based on a Book, Basically Sad, DO NOT MISS, Dysfunctional Lives, Emotional child abuse, Not Feel Good, Wonderful acting

What Maisie Knew (2013)

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From Netflix:

In this updated rendering of the timeless Henry James novel, a perceptive 6-year-old girl becomes a bargaining tool when she gets caught in the midst of a toxic custody fight between her self-seeking, childish parents.

How on earth did the directors (Scott McGehee, David Siegel) get Maisie (played by incredibly young Onata Aprile) to act so perfectly? Granted much of her mannerisms are what you would expect from such a little girl. But at certain points, especially in one final painful scene with her egocentric failure of a mother (Julianne Moore) just one subtle facial expression says it all.

Congrats to Steve Coogan for playing such a similarly egocentric repellent failure of a father.

But eventually you just smile seeing Alexander Skarsgård and Joanna Vanderham together as two misused victims of the ugly couple. Here are the only two people in the world that really love Maisie.

Just beware that the 21st century is the century of unresolved conflicts. If you can stand the heartache, DO NOT MISS!

2003, Basically Sad, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Dysfunctional Lives, Love Story, Marital Infidelity, Prison, Quiet, Redemption, Talking Heads, Unusual

The United States of Leland (2003)

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From NetFlix:

Teenager Leland Fitzgerald appears to have everything going for him, including a famous writer father. So, what drove him to kill? It’s up to a teacher who works with inmates to unearth the anger and fear lurking beneath Leland’s unruffled surface.

Sadness and a questioning sense of despair pervades this quiet gem of a film. Every character has done something regrettable or been hurt, betrayed, or murdered by someone close to them. “Are we all evil or is there real goodness in at least some people ?” is the repeated theme in the film. Most of the film is “talking heads” as opposed to any action. You never actually see violence.

Perhaps I am prejudiced but I think of Ryan Gosling as an actor’s actor. Look him up in IMDB to see his amazing resumé. During the filming Ryan, who plays Leland Fitzgerald, was 23 years old, but seemed somehow much younger. Despite his young age, that spark of originality that sets him apart was still apparent.

Don Cheadle plays Pearl Madison who evolves during the plot from a exploitive wannabe writer to a repentant, caring, wiser person.

Kevin Spacey plays the writer Albert T. Fitzgerald who is Leland’s emotionally absent father. He is perfect as a smug, sarcastic, egocentric bastard who completely ignores his son.

Despite the pervasive sadness and sense of loneliness, you can always appreciate a quiet gem.

DO NOT MISS!