Our past controls the present?

Bhoothakaalam (The Past / Ghost Time, Malayalam; 2022)

Director: Rahul Sadasivan

There is a little wordplay with the title. With the prefix ’Bhooth’, one may wonder whether it is a horror movie. When one starts watching the film, one would wonder whether it is about the ghost of the past. That is what it is all about—how the ghost of the past comes haunting if it is not exorcised head-on. The ugly demonic head of the past has a self-defeating habit of repeating itself, making one go through the malady repeatedly.

No one will take kindly to others’ advice on how one’s life should be lived. No one will be flattered when told his head should be checked. That is what it is. Individuals should take a step back, access their mental health occasionally, and take preventive measures or make amends. Be the change. Change comes with realisation and from the inside. No one can make the horse drink water. The horse must first feel thirsty. The need to change comes from within.

Viewers wonder whether it is a horror film or if there is a more prosaic explanation for all the weird happenings around the house.

Is the recently departed grandmother’s soul returning with a vengeance to express her dissatisfaction? Is the house displaying poltergeist activities? Why do tenants after tenants die in the same house? Is the mother’s overt depression or the son’s indulgence in intoxicants the culprit?

The family had gone a lot. The son lost his father at a young age. He grew up without a father figure. The mother had to struggle with her unsatisfying teaching job at a nursery and later caring for her stroke-stricken paraplegic mother.

The son carries a heavy cloud of resentment after being forced to do medicine, which he had to quit and failing to secure a job with his pharmacy degree. He smokes heavily and drinks himself drunk frequently. His relationship with his girlfriend could be much better. When funny things start happening in the house, he flips. Soon enough, even his mother sees the abnormal activities in the house.

In a very clever manner of storytelling and filmmaking, the director takes us through a roller coaster ride to keep us guessing whether the whole point of the movie is to impress the viewers on the need to treat mental illness correctly or whether there is such a thing as ghosts?!

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3 for the party of 2?

Past Lives (Korean/English; 2023)

Director: Celine Song

One thing that created the rift between two men who dared to venture into the crypt of our mind and try to explain why we act and react the way we do remains unresolved. 

Sigmund Freud posited, in simpler terms, that our learnt experiences, together with unresolved pervasive sexual desires, are the main reasons for actions, inaction and maladies. His mentee, Karl Jung, thought some external events and forces might manifest as meaningful coincidences.

The question is whether we have only one life, just here and now and then we die, or we come here again and again. The film is selling the Korean Buddhist idea of 'In Yun'. We are all somehow connected cosmologically through reincarnation. When we meet people and feel we know them, we may do. There may be some unsettled business that needed to be settled, left from our previous encounters, god knows when. This could be our umpteenth trans-birth meet. Or it could be a ruse to get into each other's pants. 

The Mahabharata is full of these stories of paying back the evil deeds of past lives. King Shantanu's first wife, the mighty Ganga, drowned seven of her newborns. The eight escaped. Her justification was that her eight children were the eight elements that acquired a curse from a sage for coveting a cow in their previous lives. Like that, every action and reaction in this epic has its roots in the past.

As it turns out, in the film, a thirty-something Korean girl whose family had migrated to North America has a chance to meet her childhood friend. The last time they met, they were twelve-year-old classmates who shared something of a puppy love. After migrating to Canada, the girl, No Young, changed her name to Nora and started life anew in her newfound home. The boy, Hae Sung, stayed and progressed in his own way. Out of sight, but not really out of mind. The lost touch.

3 for the party of 2?

With the help of social media, they reconnected twelve years later. Life took its course; Nora got married, Hae Sung went to study in China, got into a relationship and failed. Another twelve years later, Hae Sung announced his arrival in the USA. This created an awkward situation between the three in the party of two. Nora's white husband worries she might return to her first love. Nora fears rekindling the old relationship, and Hae Sung is probably a forlorn romantic. 

The story is about how they resolve an issue that is a non-issue. After being tied down in a relationship, it is human nature to wonder how life would be if we had taken a different path. That is when we should slap ourselves awake, douse water on our faces and remind ourselves that whichever path we take, the journey and the outcome are invariably the same. The paths may vary, but both would be filled with ups, downs, joy, heartbreaks, achievements and letdowns. Just eat what we have, enjoy the flavour served and stop wondering what another flavour would have tasted. The end result, we know.

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The best time is the present!

Last Night in Soho (2021)

Director: Edgar Wright

We always like to think of the 'good old days' and how life was simpler then and people were honest. Were they really so? Artefacts from our pasts stir so much serotonin that nostalgia sells. Like Pavlov's dog, we drool at sephia photos of yesteryear. Would we really give up everything we have right now and recoil into the past and do it all again if those days were indeed so simple?

If we were to delve into our lives, we should consider ourselves lucky to have survived the negativities that could have brought us down at every single turn of our lives. We should thank our lucky stars that the turns we took at the crossroads of our decision-making moments turned out to be a-OK. Not perfect, could have been better than could have been worse off. What made us take the right turn? Is it some kind of guardian angel, guiding light, our sheer intellect or the deeds of our past karma? I guess it is a topic for the sophists to argue and convince, not the simpletons.

Nobody is saying that life is so easy that we should just accept life as it unfolds upon us without giving a good fight. We should not be fatalistic and just surrender to fate as fate is what we make of it. Akin to the conundrum of whether God had decided that war should commence would also depend on us sending the battleship. Even if God had decided that a battle should occur, it would not happen unless and until we send our armada! Future depends on us and our actions or inactions.

This film tries to us that any time can be a good or bad time. The present can be as challenging as the past and the future. There were injustices before, just as it is now and will be in time to come.  Bigotry, bullying and wanting to domineer is engrained in our DNA. 

Eloise, an aspiring fashion designer from the countryside, gets her break when accepted into the London College of Design. She grew up with her grandmother as her mother, a fashion design aspirant, killed herself when Eloise was young. Eloise sometimes sees visions of her mother. Longing to be with her mother, Eloise, showed a keen interest in things of the swinging 60s. In keeping with this motif, we are sprinkled with many of the British invasion songs of the 60s, e.g. Petula Clark (Downtown) and Cilla Black. A pleasant surprise inclusion is Dusty Springfield's 'Wishing and Hoping', James Ray's 'Got my mind set on you' (Cover by George Harrison in 1980s), Sandie Shaw's 'Always something there to remind me' (Cover by Naked Eyes in 1983) and many more.

Eloise found her batchmates quite repulsive of her background, and hence, she found her own accommodation. It appeared ideal for her as it appeared that time had stood still in that room. The settings were like the 60s. It was fine until she started having recurrent vivid nightmares in which she also became a participant and witnessed a murder. 

After a heady rollercoaster ride into the past and future, Eloise finally resolves her issues and pursue her aspirations as how a good movie should end!

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The past will present the future!

Malay Magic

Walter William Skeat (1900)

There was a time many years ago when the Malaysian National Museum in Kuala Lumpur decided to go all out to make their exhibits draw more viewers. They curated an exhibition themed along the lines of 'Magic in Malay Land'. Just a few days into its starting, it had to be discontinued. The powers that be were not too comfortable as the reception was too overwhelming. Before this exhibition, the National Museum building was like Siberia; everybody knew where it was, but nobody wanted to go there. Rows and rows of hired outstations express buses were seen parking around the vicinity of the museum on a daily basis. The religious bodies did not realise that the interest amongst our community in knowing our ancient animistic past believes ran that deep. 

So, as what a true-blue beholden of belief would do, to avoid confusions among its confessors, the religious authorities decided that the best thing to do would be to cancel the whole show. Never once after that was such a display ever held. The leaders thought that ignorance is bliss, curiosity would make believers dabble in the supernatural and occult practices and that they would probably doubt the teachings of the Book.

Maybe, as a knee-jerk reaction, the religious bodies decided to tighten the screws on what can be exhibited to the impressionable public. The broadcasting companies and moviemakers were reminded that subjects delving on the supernatural or religions were out of bounds.

It is remarkable that a Western anthropologist of the 19th century would go through such lengths as to produce a 700-page treatise on the cultural practices of the natives if the Malayan peninsula. Even though the writer admits that his records are no means exhaustive of all the traditions of the natives, the book is definitely encyclopedic in nature, detailing into most of the day-to-day concerns of an average agrarian Malay of the late 19th century. He managed to venture into their psyche, spirituality and esoteric practices. 

There are many ancient practices in the Malay world that a modern Malay person would like to forget. Many of the rituals outlined in this book may be considered as un-Islamic, polytheistic in nature.

                       Some gadgets used to determine auspicious times. After the spread of Islam

                       to the region, these practices became unnecessary. Every day is good as 

                       decided by the Almighty. Traditionally, the first Wednesday on the Islamic 

                       month of Safar was deemed as the day of mishaps. To cleanse and to protect

                       one from misfortune, people believed that they had to immerse themselves 

                       in seawater. People congregated around the beaches around Malaya for this 

                       occasion. As the fiesta-like atmosphere reached fever pitch, the religious 

                       authorities put a stop to it, deeming it un-Islamic. This practice called 

                      'Mandi Safar' only remains in the annal of Malayan history.

The population of the peninsula mostly depend on the goodwill of Nature for their survival. Living in the vicinity of ferocious beasts, they develop a system to appease the spirit of the jungle and its occupants. They believe every being has a soul that needs to be respected. Sometimes the spirit of the tiger is also invoked to combat human malady like illness.

The Malays have their interpretations of the origin of animals in the jungle. Many of them seem like a mumbo-jumbo of folklores and pseudo-sacred tales with a twist of Islamic flavour sprinkled upon it. Many jungle produce like fruits, incense, camphor and medicinal leaves are used in ceremonies before any life-changing task is commenced. Many practices also tell of the role that Hinduism played in the civilisation of the region.

Pawangs are shamans who are gifted with extraordinary powers to communicate with and ward off evil spirits. Their services are indispensable in treating the sick and initiating rituals.

One important tradition that stays on till today in the remote areas of the padi planting areas of Malaysia is the worship of the rice spirit. The rice spirit has to be feted to assure good yield, protection from pests, and to ensure favourable weather for planting and harvesting.

Superstitious customs go beyond the spectrum of forests and its dwellers - tiger, crocodiles, snakes, owl. The natives have various fascinating stories about ghosts. Ghosts play essential roles in their lives. A well-known spirit, known as pontianak, involves a mother who died in childbirth. There are great taboos related to pregnancy, birth and puerperium because of this.

Even though Mohamedan men are discouraged to don ornamental appendages, many Malay men traditionally wear rings. The rings usually carry a stone. Most of these stones are not precious ones but are bezoar stones, polished undigested droppings of monkeys, porcupines or other animals. They are said to bring aphrodisiac or medicinal properties.  Amulet and talisman are frequently deployed as love charms or to ensure conjugal fidelity. They have their own non-scientific ways to prove the authenticity of the stones.

The author goes on to discuss the various dances performed in leisure hours. The natives spend many hours in multiple games. Cockfighting is particularly favoured. He goes on to tell about its intricacies, preparations and the madness that surround the pastime. Dice games, cards, top spinning, kite flying, checker and sepak raga are played too. Children create their own games with sticks, sand and stones. Like children elsewhere, they play hide-and-seek also.

Theatrical performances with dancers or puppets (shadow play) are reserved for the noblemen. Here again, rituals take centre stage before any performance. Many of the input into this book also comes from Frank Swettenham and Hugh Clifford. The exciting thing about the writing is that the author is respectful of the natives' beliefs. He does not look at their ritual with his condescending judgmental eyes, like a real anthropologist. 

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The key to the future in the past?

They say that the key to the future is in the past. Really? Many do not agree with this statement. 

Dodo bird - from the past!

Sure, how would one know that fire scalds if he is not given the opportunity to feel the brunt of heat traversing on the tips of the finger? Once burnt twice shy, they say. The mere thought of the pain of being scorched is enough to keep one on his toes to avoid the same experience. 

The memory of the misery of a checkered past continually playing in mind is a sure way the same mistake and even be a stepping stone for higher achievement. A regular reminder of the past may spur to strive harder and remind one of the missions in hand.

On the other hand, we are accused of clinging on to the past, living in the past, drawing in a shell and residing in the self-pity or nostalgia. As if nostalgia was a bad word!

In environment concerns, records of the past are needed to predict the future. Our knowledge about extinct species may prevent further disappearances of lifeforms. Data from other planets in the solar system may help to avert the bleak future that stands in front of us if they do not care for Earth.

The same goes for our history which tends to repeat itself. Napoleon and Hitler did not have the benefit of hindsight before attacking Russia. They would have probably resisted engaging in war in winter if they have given adequate attention to history.

It is anybody's guess what lies in front of us. Nobody has a crystal ball to predict our future. We make our moves and decide as we go on. Using our mental faculty and the experience of our previous failures, we take calculated risks and plunge on into life, hoping for the best.

Life is a constant change. We accept, we grow, we reinvent, and we tread with caution.

https://asok22.wixsite.com/real-lesson 

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Relive the past?

The Big Chill (1983)

It is nice to see how some of the actors who we have seen through the years use to look in their younger days. This early romedy (romantic comedy) film is supported by a group of actors who went on to greater heights on their own accord - Kevin Kline, Glenn Close, William Hurt, Tom Berenger and Jeff Goldblum.
4 guys and 3 girls who were childhood friends gather together for the funeral of friend who had committed suicide.
All of them compare notes of the successes, their failures and their lost dreams in this poignant tale of self discovery. They soon realise that they are all different after battling the hard knocks and cruelty of life. After the short stint at the village of the deceased, they discover that they would never find out why the friend committed suicide but they found new zest to carry on with life.
The best part of the movie is the soundtrack of many marvellous songs of the yesteryears.

Bad Moon Rising - CCR

Heard it on the grapevine - Marvin Gaye

When a man loves a woman - Percy Sledge

Wouldn't it be nice - Beach Boys

In the midnight hour - The Young Rascals

Joy to the world - Three Dog Night

A Whiter Shade of Pale - Procol Harum

Excess baggage

Just the other day, I came to know of a guy who actually grew up around where my parents are currently residing. Being the sentimental fool that I am, my first instinct was to dig in to enquire about his younger days. As a typical Indian Malaysian would do, the impulse is to find a common friend or relative and then seal the bond, call him for dinner and see how things develop on. But then, something said, "WAIT!"....
Not everyone likes to live in the past. Some may have unnecessary baggage that they just like to leave behind and start life anew. This seems relevant as this guy had embraced another religion and dons a new name.
Not every guy is like Alex Haley who went through great pains to trace his ancestry and lineage all the way to his first ancestors from Liberia who lay foot in America. Of course, we all know the end product as the best seller and smashing TV series 'Roots'.
If curiosity could kill the cat, I, being a cat lover of late, took the plunge to break the ice when I happened to meet him casually. It turned out that he actually moved out from Brown Garden long before we moved in the 80s. Amma would know his family. I just left it at that.....
The same people who say put the past in the behind and put your right foot out to face the future also say one who does not remember where he came from will not reach where he is going to!

Alex Haley and 'Roots': Lance Armstrong of Literature