The Boy in the striped Pajaymas is a simple tale

The Boy in the striped Pajaymas is a movie set in World War 2 and is a simple tale of unimaginable circumstances that existed. Its not much of war movie as much as the story of people during those times.

The movie is about the war period seen from the eyes of 8 year old Bruno, who's father is the Nazi Commandant. They were enjoying a charmed life in Berlin before the commander is transfered to the countryside. Bruno struggles to be at peace with his new surroundings where he cannot wander around and play. The kid loves to explore things around him but the people (even teachers) keep trying to give him taste of harsh reality.

The Jewish community during that time were treated as outcasts and this story revolves around the friendship that Bruno develops with the Jewish boy(Shmuel) from the concentration camp. What is interesting about the movie is that each of the characters is affected by Nazi policy in their own small way and the conflict is evident. Asa Butterfield shines in the role of Bruno but the unsung star of the film is Vera Farmiga who plays a classy role of the mother constantly fighting between saving her kids from Nazi school of thought and living with her husband who's executing the same policies. Bruno is conflicted with the new image of his father, the perpetrator of Nazi hate against innocents, who was once a hero figure to his son. 

The developing friendship between Bruno and Shmuel provides the best moments in the film. The fantastic scene where they tell each other that they haven't heard a name like theirs OR where they are seen playing checkers divided by the barbed wire is a joy to watch. But this same friendship is what forms the devastating end to the movie.

It is a remarkable film which handles a difficult subject with great sensitivity and grace. Be prepared to be stunned into silence by the time the movie ends. Highly recommended watch.

Rating:7.5/10

My Sister's Keeper is touching

I first watched this movie with great reluctance at the behest of my friend Geetika and was told that it was a very touching movie. It turned out to be much more than that.

Cameron Diaz and Jason Patric play the characters Brian and Sara Fitzgerald, whose daughter Kate (Sofia Vassilieva) is diagnosed at a young age with leukemia.  Cameron plays this paranoid mother who does everything to protect her child and even gives up one her personal life. On doctor's "offline" advice, they conceive another child with genetic modifications so she can serve as a donor to her sister. The rest of the story unfolds from there.

My Sister's keeper is kinda 2 stories - one of a unique 11 year old girl, Anna (Abigail Breslin), who is suing her parents so that her body will no longer be used for spare parts for Kate, Anna's long-dying sister. But the actual story completely belongs to Kate. The scenes with Kate growing through a scrapbook/collage of her life with each of the special people around her is so touching, that even a person with neutral emotions like me was moved. Going through the collage also forms a part of the narrative in a beautiful way.

Its essentially a story about human relationship and their reactions to the difficult stages in the lives. The difference in views of the parents and Anna on the subject of trying to save the ailing Kate gives different shades to the film. This film asks the questions of how far you should really go to keep someone alive.

Its also a sensitive yet non-victim-like take on the subject of cancer. The scenes where Taylor another cancer patient jokes with Kate about the treatment sessions that they would have and where the kiss between these teens is pointed by Kate as tasting of chemotherapy, makea one feel strongly for the characters.

Because of moments like these and the stellar acting performance by the starcast make it a movie worth watching. This one has the heart in the right place.

Rating: 7/10

Tearjerker alert: If you are the emotional or sensitive type, keep the handkerchief handy

This Butterfly is Effective

The butterfly effect is a movie based on the chaos therory for time travel. Ashton Kutcher plays the protagonist, a young man who blocks out harmful memories of significant events of his life. As a child, he has had traumatic formative experiences with As he grows up, he finds a way to remember these lost memories and a supernatural way to alter his life

The movie isn't so much about time travel as its about how seemingly insignificant alterations beget major consequences. Its a rivetting 2 hrs of back and forth into the events and lives of the protagonist and others around him.Ashton Kutcher shines in the movie with his mix of expressions and characters of anger, criminal and mostly confused with events that he has altered.

The movie keeps you engaged through the series of time travel and one keeps wondering what memory will he alter next. Director did  a brilliant job of defying viewer expectations and keep suspense building by continually creating new crises for Evan (Ashton) to resolve. Concepts like chaos theory, alternate reality have been dealt in other movies too and successfully so. But this one is made with such engaging storyline and almost everything a movie can show - Troubled love, college, prison, madness, lots and lots of nosebleeds :)


Rating: 8/10

You just have to watch Sita Singing the Blues

Sita Sings the Blues, is a film that carries deep emotions carefully wrapped in humour and imagination. It’s visually delightful and highly original. This 2D animation film of about 70 minutes, combines four different styles of narration and ties them together with a common thread.

Sita Sings the Blues has Valmiki’s Ramayana running parallel to the modern biographical story of the film maker, Nina Paley. The epic is narrated from Sita’s perspective with a fair share of feminism. It’s a simple story made stunning by unusual storytelling, delightful visuals and a captivating script, that is both funny and irreverent. It combines the ancient and the modern without any obvious effort. There is Nina’s story set in San Fransico running parallel with Sita’s story set in Ayodhya, there are shadow puppets that have an ancient frame but use modern script, there is Sita singing blues in the forest of Lanka and yet to the story teller’s credit, these disparities appear natural.

Nina uses paintings to show episodes from the Ramayana, narration with the help of Indian shadow puppets that helps put scenes into context and adds immense humour to the script, seamless musical interjections where Sita uses music to convey her emotions and loneliness and a contemporary modern story.

It might not be easy to find a DVD of this movie, but you can visit sitasingstheblues.com, download a copy legally as it's a creative common film, buy movie merchandise or even make a donation if you want to.

It’s art. It’s brilliant story telling. It’s a burst of new thoughts. You must not miss this one.

Rating: 8/10