Category Archives: Could Be Sad

2012, Acceptable for children, Arab Culture, Arabic, Bicycles, Could Be Sad, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Feel Good For All, Human spirit, Optimistic, Religious Theme, Unusual

Wadjda (2012)

Leave a comment

From Netflix:

Persistent 10-year-old Wadjda would like nothing more than a new bicycle so she can beat her friend (a boy) in a race. But it’s going to take some ingenuity to get one — especially in her culture, which sees bikes as a threat to a girl’s virtue.

Because this film is not yet on DVD, and also not available from Netflix, we went to a movie theater. As my hearing gets worse, I am dependent on subtitles. Since this film is in Arabic, there were subtitles.

While re-enforcing my opinions about the sad repression of women under Islam, this film cannot fail to charm even the most skeptical viewer. Spunky Wadjda and her wonderful young friend Abdullah are a pleasure to watch. Abdullah is so thoughtful of his rebellious sidekick that you wonder where in his male-dominated society he learned to care.

“Just tell the story” and the points will come across. Indeed, you will see religious fundamentalism revealed as also hypocrisy. You will see that although Wadjda’s father loves her and her mother, he is under societal pressure to produce a male heir. You will see Saudi natives able to bully possibly non-legal immigrants. And above all you will see a somewhat crushing regimen forced upon the women in a seemingly bleak country.

For a down-to-earth possibly sad but also spirited story, DO NOT MISS!

2011, Acceptable for children, Catholic culture, Comedy, Could Be Sad, Italian, Satire, Slapstick

We Have A Pope (2011)

Leave a comment

From Netflix:

The pope has died, and the congress of cardinals has chosen his successor. But what happens if the newly elected pontiff doesn’t want the job? This comedy follows the Vatican’s travails as it strives to make one cardinal accept his destiny.

You need not be Catholic to enjoy this funny and sad romp through Rome, but it might help. Especially that is true because the film makes a bit of fun of various aspects of the Catholic church.

Basically, the newly elected pope does not want the job and he escapes in street clothes into the busy Roman life while his Secretary of State desperately searches for him hoping to convince him to remain as pope.

You might recognize the actor Nanni Moretti who directed this film. He plays the psychoanalyst which the Secretary of State hires to help the newly elected pope in his time of indecision. Needless to say, this is all tongue in cheek. At one point the psychoanalyst divides the cardinals into volleyball teams and stages a tournament. If you want to see Nanni Moretti in a wonderful film, try “The Son’s Room”. “We Have a Pope” is, on the other hand, a mere diversion which at times can be very funny.

In Italian with subtitles.

2005, Animation, Comedy, Could be boring, Could Be Sad, Drama, FilmReview, Imperfect, Several languages, Short Films, Talking Heads

Shorts: Vol 3 (2005)

Leave a comment

From NetFlix:

Good things come in small packages, as evidenced by the 16 award winners showcased in this collection, which represents the best short films screened at Cannes, Sundance, Telluride, Tribeca and many other film festivals. This international collection includes Johan Brisinger’s “Passing Hearts Sweden,” Kathleen Na’s “L’Entretien,” Shawn Ku’s “Pretty Dead Girl” and many other superb shorts. Extras include extensive commentaries by the filmmakers.

These supposedly Award-Winning Film Festival Shorts are not very good, excepting for the poignant “Passing Hearts Sweden”. Instead try 2007 Shorts.

Shorts included are:

  • “Hyper” Oddly enough, concerns a really hyper young man. [Funny]
  • “Gowanus, Brooklyn” So slow I gave up watching.
  • “Passing Hearts Sweden” Slow, warm story about boy in 8th grade. Somewhat of a mystery until you understand the sadness behind the story. [Swedish with English subtitles]
  • “My Name is Yu Ming” Adventuresome Chinese student visits Dublin. He spent 6 months learning Irish only to discover that almost no one in Ireland understands Irish. [Mandarin with English subtitles]
  • “Seventeen” Grotesque depiction of young man who cannot find a sexual partner. Explicit sexual drawings. {Netherlands] [Drawn animation]
  • “Loose Ends” Two twenty something young men arguing about “Star Wars” [Norwegian with English subtitles]
  • “L’Entretien” Young man receives strange invitation to join the “Good Life”followed by a strange sequence of events. [French with English subtitles]
  • “Confection” Little girl has fantasies while holding onto a sweet from a bakery.
  • “Colorform” Little girl makes a mess with finger paints. Has a harp lesson with an Italian teacher. Throws spahetti at dinner. Etc.
  • “Date” Demanding girl friend changes her attitude.
  • “The Fridge” Tale of a mysterious refrigerator. [Greek with English subtitles]
  • “Clay Pride” The difficulty of being Clay in America. [Animated Play Dough]
  • “Pretty Dead Girl” Off-color hospital song and dance routing.
  • “Climactic Death of Dark Ninja” Kids in the woods.
  • “Archipelago” Acceptable short drama on a beach. [Spanish with English Subtitles]
  • “A Ninja Pays Half My Rent” Young man tries to get along with his new Ninja roommate.
2012, Could be boring, Could Be Sad, Drugs, Explicit sex, Gay theme, Love Story, Nudity, Quiet

Keep the LIghts On (2012)

Leave a comment

From NetFlix:

The physical romance between a gay filmmaker and an attorney soon evolves into a more complex relationship, laced with conflicting desires. Over several turbulent years, both men struggle to build a true acceptance of the other’s strengths and flaws.

That the two protagonists happen to be two gay males is almost beside the point. Suppose they were a straight couple. Suppose they “hook-up” casually. Suppose they develop a friendship. Suppose A falls in love with B (and suppose B also loves A, but in this film that is questionable). Suppose B has a serious drug problem. Suppose the friends of B stage an intervention and B agrees to accept treatment. Suppose for awhile A and B are happy together. Suppose B falls off the wagon and disappears for awhile. If you were A, what would you do?

Forgive my hard heart, but if I were A I would run as fast as I could from the relationship. Now you have to watch the film to see what happens.

Perhaps this warning is unnecessary, but there is a lot of explicit male with male sexual activity. It might just as well have been male with female activity. And the sex is somewhat besides the point. Tough decisions is what this film is really about.

Some parts are boring or overly long. Some parts ring incredibly true to life. There is a lot of quiet conversation. Think of the plot as an ordinary story that is enacted over and over in much of the world and we are invisible spectators. Sometimes I yawned but for much of the time I was drawn to real people going through some really rough times.

2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, Acceptable for children, Acceptable Science, Asperger's Syndrome, British, Could Be Sad, DO NOT MISS, Dog Story, Drama, Dysfunctional Lives, Feel Good For All, Love Story, Made For TV, School Teacher, Small British village, Small Town

Doc Martin (2004)

Leave a comment

From NetFlix:

Crippled by a sudden and inconvenient fear of blood, flashy surgeon Dr. Martin Ellingham abandons his bustling London practice and sets up shop as a country doctor in this medically minded British sitcom.

Are you looking for a warm, friendly, non-violent, comic, personal British sitcom? Look no further. Beginning in 2004 and extending over 5 years of wonderful episodes, you can relax and enjoy “Doc Martin”.

Doc Martin (played by Martin Clunes) is a very unusual character. For starters he is a family doctor who is sickened by the sight of blood (he looks away when he draws a blood sample). Most importantly he is completely hopeless in any social situation. My guess is that he is supposed to suffer from Asperger’s syndrome. Nowadays we would say that he “doesn’t have a clue”.

He has set up practice in a charming, small, British village on the sea. He is a brilliant diagnostician and much of each episode has him helping people in his impossibly brusque manner. In fact, part of the comedy in the series is his reaction (or non-reaction) to everyone, including his patients.

Do not misunderstand: the stories are not pablum. Some of the situations are harrowing. For example, we see his icy mother just once when she visits and explains that she never loved him because he “got in the way”. Along the way we see villagers afflicted with OCD, vertigo, psychosis, etc. Nonetheless the “cringe” factor is very low compared to today’s British TV plots.

All 5 seasons are available on DVD. NetFlix offers DVD or streaming for all the episodes.

In the area of family sitcoms I would rate this series a DO NOT MISS!

Could Be Hard To Watch, Could Be Sad, Crime, Crude Talk, Disturbing Image, DO NOT MISS, Drugs, Explicit sexual discussion, French, Gangs, Gay theme, Grim, Limburgish, Nudity, Police Story, Psychological Drama, Race Relations, Revenge, Unusual, Violent

Bullhead (2011)

Leave a comment

From NetFlix:

Tortured by his past and despairing of his stultifying present life, Belgian cattle farmer Jacky becomes entangled in a violent web of deceit involving local mobsters and determined policemen after he uses illegal growth hormones on his herd.

Belgian actor Matthias Schoenaerts is the perfect choice to play the sadly damaged character Jacky Vanmarsenille in this film spoken in Limburgish and French. His facial expressions capture Jacky’s shame, longing, loneliness, shyness, and rage. To say why he feels these emotions would be a major spoiler. Through a series of flashbacks you learn his past history. Expect some very violent scenes.

Although you may find all the crime details confusing, they really are not very original or important. Jacky is important along with those characters associated with his tragic life.

Much of the violence stems from traditional racial hatreds between the many distinct communities, each with its own language.

Bullhead was on the 2012 list of Best Foreign Language Film of the Year.

In retrospect, the ending chosen for the story is quite probably the only possible conclusion.

If you can accept the sadness, violence, and somewhat brutish characters,

DO NOT MISS THIS FILM!

2011, Acceptable for children, Could Be Sad, Feel Good For All

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011)

1 Comment

From NetFlix:

Believing that his father left him a message before dying in the September 11 attacks, young Oskar Schell embarks on an emotional odyssey through New York City to find the lock that matches a key he found among his father’s belongings.

Either you will find the child character Oskar Shell engaging (cute?, eccentric?) or just plain annoying. At any rate the actor Thomas Horn was able to memorize and deliver in a rapid, manic manner an enormous flood of words. Said otherwise, the kid never shuts up. But as I see it, that is the whole point. Oskar is rushing around and filling his and our ears with sound in order to avoid accepting his father’s 9/11 death and to avoid facing something for which he feels guilty. And he is so smart that for awhile he succeeds admirably in his non-stop denial.

At first you may wonder why Sandra Bullock bothered to join the cast. But eventually she comes through in a surprising and warm way. Any mother with a kid like that would have to be equipped with a special understanding.

Max von Sydow (yes, THE venerable Max von Sydow) plays a very original part. In addition there were some surprising bit parts: John Goodman is Stan the doorman. James Gandolfini is listed in the cast but I never saw him (even IMDB cannot tell us which part he played). Tom Hanks is a wonderful dad. Viola Davis (important part in “The Help”) is one of the many, many people named “Black”.

Expect as happy (and tear-jerking) an ending as is possible when your wonderful dad has died in 9/11.

2011, Based on true facts, Biographical, British, Could Be Sad, Drama, Political statement, Psychological Drama, True Story, Violent, War

The Iron Lady (2011)

Leave a comment

From NetFlix:

Meryl Streep provides a subtle and nuanced portrait of Margaret Thatcher, the first female prime minister of Britain, whose political career and determination changed the rules that had limited women’s opportunities for leadership.

Sometimes I criticize Meryl Streep for some annoying and often used facial smirks. However, in this film she is the best I have seen. If nothing else she portrays the sadness of aging and the accompanying changes in personality, memory, and looks. My own mother (who died at the age of 97 on March 1, 2012) went through the same changes during the last 5 years of her life. Streep gets it right. And speaking of “looks”, whoever did Streep’s makeup did a remarkable job. No matter the age portrayed, you knew it was the same person and the makeup artist had captured that stage in Thatcher’s life perfectly.

It would be helpful to hear from a Brit who had seen this film in order to know how well Streep captured Thatcher’s manner of speaking.

Do not be put off by the main theme of Thatcher’s late life decline. You get to learn the history of her career from political neophyte to her success as prime minister. There are actual film clips that show some horrible violence during the riots as well some ugly Falkland Islands war clips. If the film is accurate, it was sad to see her career end owing to an arrogant hubris (sound familiar?).

Most touching of all was her relationship with her beloved husband Denis Thatcher (played by the wonderful Jim Broadbent).

Many British actors appear in the film (Iain Glen, Nicholas Farrell, Anthony Head) , most of whom are familiar from British TV.

Ignore any naysaying critics. This film is well worth seeing.

2010, Child Molestation, Could Be Hard To Watch, Could Be Sad, Drama, Rape, Revenge, Sex Scenes, Wonderful acting

Trust (2010)

Leave a comment

From NetFlix:

After curious and vulnerable teenager Annie (Liana Liberato) falls into a trap set by an online sexual predator, her family begins to disintegrate, uncertain how to cope with such a devastating tragedy. Utterly consumed by rage, her father (Clive Owen) sets out seeking vengeance. Directed by David Schwimmer, this intensely emotional drama also stars Viola Davis, Jason Clarke and Catherine Keener.

Being a parent of a teenager in today’s world of internet chat rooms is a perilous responsibility. Perhaps this film shows what happens if the parents fail to monitor the child’s online activities, no matter how much that child will resent the interference.

Possibly this sad sequence is all too common, but that does not make it any easier to watch: young girl chats with cute boy; young girl arranges to meet with cute boy; cute boy turns out to be in his 30’s; cute boy rapes young girl. But now comes the part that surprised me: young girl, despite the entreaties of the FBI, her parents, and her psychotherapist, remains convinced that the predator truly loves her and that everyone else is just being mean in refusing to see what a wonderful person that predator is.

Meanwhile Clive Owen goes nuts. He fantasizes his revenge on the rapist. He becomes estranged from his daughter, although to be fair, she is angry and distances herself from her family. You will have to watch the film to see what happens.

Clive Owen, Catherine Keener, and Liana Liberato deliver wonderful performances.

Please pay attention to the scenes unfolding during the final credits. If you don’t understand what you are seeing, then please read the final line of the plot synopsis in the Wikipedia article.

2010, Could Be Sad, Drama, Explicit sex, Not Feel Good, Sex Scenes, Violent

Blue Valentine (2010)

Leave a comment

From NetFlix:

Once crazy about each other, Cindy (Michelle Williams) and Dean (Ryan Gosling) have now grown apart. Cindy is bored and disenchanted with her life while Dean languishes in the emotional emptyness of their sexless, routine life in rural Pennsylvania. As they muddle through their marriage, they hearken back to the golden days when life was filled with possibility and romance. Derek Cianfrance writes and directs this drama.

What can be sadder than the dissolution of a once happy marriage ? Expect wonderful acting and real unhappiness.

Ryan Gosling at the time of filming was 30 years old. In his listing in IMDB he racks up 28 appearances beginning when he was 15 years old. Another recent (and chilling) film was All Good Things (2010). In this film I can only assume he captures well the attitudes, mannerisms, speech patterns, and goals of a middle class handyman.

Michelle Williams was also 30 at the time of filming. In Brokeback Mountain (2005) she was Heath Ledger’s wife.

Your comments here are most welcome because I feel I must take sides in this film. As far as I could tell it was Cindy (Michelle Williams) who was disenchanted with the marriage. Dean (Ryan Gosling) seemed to be trying very hard to keep the marriage together while she resisted.

Finally, because there were details of which I was unsure, I offer the following quote from the WikipediaThey rush into marriage after discovering Cindy is pregnant from a previous boyfriend, Bobby (Mike Vogel). Dean agrees to raise Cindy’s daughter, Frankie, as his own. Before the wedding Bobby, unaware of Cindy’s pregnancy, finds and assaults Dean at his job.

Prepare to be unhappy.