War, an opportunity!

All Quiet on the Western Front (German, 2022)

Director: Edward Berger

Ancient Chinese philosophers, Lao Tze in particular, used to say, 'In War, everybody loses'. But on the other hand, Sun Tzu, the author of Art of War, the military treatise of the 5th century BCE, noted that amid chaos, there is also 'opportunity'.

In 1913, Henri La Fontaine obtained the Nobel Peace Prize for his outstanding work in peaceful internationalism. He asserted that the world, in the 20th century, had done away with wars and destruction. Believe it or not, the following year, Europe went into an essentially civil war which snowballed into a World War when the European colonisers sent their subjects to die in the greatest battle to end all wars.

Clive's plunder from 
Battle of Plassey (Palashi)
Auctioned at £3m

World War 1 never put an end to anything. Its effects are still felt today. In essence, Ukrainian War can be said to be an effort to end loose ends that were never resolved. As we can see, Russia and the USA, through NATO, are using the war as leverage to push forward their personal agendas and cement their hegemonic control of the world. The people on the ground suffer and lose their life and life-earnings, while others view it as an opportunity to enrich themselves and improve their own citizens' living standards. The war casualties are just mere collateral damage. Statistics.

All these talks about killing being a sin are easily justified. As in the Crusade Wars, killing for a just cause is just the caveat for leaders to gear their hot-blooded to sign up to serve the same flag they will be wrapped to be buried when they return home in a body bag.

This film is the adaptation of a 1929 novel by Erich Maria Remarque based on his experience with the Imperial German Army in WW1. Graphically, this anti-war drama shows how the low-ranking officers sacrifice their life and soul to serve their superiors. A simple comparison offered here is in the way these different officers dine. The soldiers on the battleground have to thrive on their rations and steal for the next meal when it runs out, while the generals are served top-class chef-prepared cuisines.

In war, not everyone loses. Some gain fame and glory, while many die. During Imperialism rule, many amassed fortunes that would last many lifetimes. One point to note is how a low-ranking soldier Robert Clive became Europe's richest man after the Battle of Plassey.

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Justice delayed is justice denied!

Indian Predator: Murder in a Courtroom (2022)

Documentary; Netflix

Humans thought living in big numbers protected them from the elements, predators and even enemies. Security concerns were taken care of by the individual community itself. It was jungle justice with no higher justice to recourse. Might decided what was right!

As communities coalesced into country-states, the job of security and protection was outsourced to the State. Suddenly there was no reason for the average citizen to hold powerful weapons. The duty to apprehend and punish wrongdoers was outsourced to State-owned agencies. These agencies were supposed to protect all levels of society, the powerful and powerless alike. It looks all nice on paper, but in reality, the mission statements of these agents are mere rhetorics to pacify the vote bank. The minorities and the weak can only cry foul, fill up the newspapers and breaking news segments and spit on the system.

People will bear with the imperfections of the system. Despite its follies, they believe that God and leaders will soon realise their shortcomings to rectify their errors. At a particular point of no return, the bow will break, and there will be no turning back. Justice must be seen to be done. Justice delayed is justice denied.

This must be what happened to Kasturba Nagar's dwellers in Nagpur, Maharashtra. Since 1999, a group of rowdies had been terrorising the inhabitants. They were brazenly beating up people and molesting girls there. Reports to local police did not achieve much. They became bolder. Akku Yadav is the de-facto leader of the pack. After a brawl, he killed one of his friends. Akku was imprisoned but was released after 10 months, bolder and blunter in his attacks on his victims. He terrorised the women, molesting, harassing and even raping them in the open. The people of Nagar were just too frightened to retaliate.

One brave lady, Asha Bhagat, went against Akku only to be stabbed to death. Another young student was almost killed by Akku but was saved by her quick thinking and when all her neighbours came to her rescue. This act empowered them. When Akku was produced in court, all the ladies of the colony planned an ambush on him. On August 13th 2004, over 200 people from Kasturba Nagar made their way to the Nagpur courts. They locked him up in the courthouse, sprinkled chilli powder into his eyes and mutilated every part of his body, including his ears and genitalia.

This took a big dent in the integrity and competence of the policing and justice systems of the country. When people take the law into their own hands, and the State has no control over protecting its own officers, how can it protect the country? The authorities arrested five random ladies for the murder of Akku. This prompted 200 over ladies from the colony to turn up at the local police station, all confessing to murdering Akku. 50 ladies were later arrested, but the justice system's slow wheel took ten long years to acquit them of all crimes.

The action of the members to ambush the court show and kill an accused in broad daylight exposed the impotence of the police and the courts. They could help but charge the authorities of caring less for them because of their depressed class status and perhaps their generally lower castes too. The purists insist that their actions could not be condoned and the State machinery must be respected. Detractors question the relevance of government servants who are only there to serve the upper echelon of society. Somewhere along the way, the Naxalites are accused of instigating the public to create anar
chy.

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A tit-for-tat does not toe the line!

Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (2005)

Director: Park Chan-wook

Koreans seem to have a tradition of feeding on white tofu, which is symbolic of starting all over again. It is symbolic of wanting to turn over a new leaf, leaving the lousy past behind and starting anew. This is much the same as when one confesses in a Roman Catholic booth. All his sins are purged, and he begins life on a new slate.

Is it really that simple? To put your past behind you and move on as if nothing happened. I suppose that is why cultural practices and religion offer an olive branch to wrongdoers, assuring them they deserve a second chance in life. Devoid of these, if Man were to carry all the burden of guilt all his life without atonement. If Man were held responsible for all his actions without reprieve, he would probably end up dragging his past mistakes as a grinding mill around his neck to end up being a raving lunatic. Suicide would be their only outlet to relieve them from this misery.

As mentioned in the movie, the protagonist, a prison inmate after a murder charge that she regrets, feels a certain glow on her face after a prayer. She feels rejuvenated, like she has shed a layer of dirty skin off her body. It is atonement for her sins.

Conversely, instead of pursuing a passive route to make amends, one can follow the path of vengeance. One eye for an eye, as they say. At the end of the day, does avenging really give satisfaction to the soul? The ghost of their previous mistakes will still haunt them till the end of life. Do two wrongs make a right?

This film is the last of Park Wong-nook's Revenge trilogy.

A naive 19-year-old girl, Geum-ja, is a national sensation for kidnapping and killing a 6-year-old boy. In a typical Park's storytelling, the narration is non-linear. The composite of the whole story comes at the end. The primary school teacher, Mr Baek, kidnaps his students for ransom to splurge on himself.

Geum-ja, a single mother of a young child, was blackmailed by the teacher to kidnap a child. In the end, Mr Baek collects the ransom and kills the children, but Geum-ja goes to prison when she naively takes the blame for the crime she did not commit.

Notice the figurines in the background.

Judith with the Head of Holofernes. Created by Donatello

The epitome of sex and violence. Holofernes, an Assyrian general,
wrongs a beautiful young widow. She retaliates by decapitating
her aggressor when he is inebriated. Note: Display of nude
figures in public is acceptable in Europe but is frowned upon by
the same people when it comes to ancient Hindu temple carvings.

Her inner realisation opens in prison. She garners support by helping out bullied inmates to build a network of grateful inmates. After her incarceration, Geum-ja returns to find her daughter already adopted in Australia. She goes on a crusade to get back her estranged daughter and avenge Mr Baek. With the help of the investigating officer who put her behind bars, she tracks down the parents of the kids that Mr Baek killed and arranges to face-to-face meet with a gagged Mr Baek. Geum-ja puts forward all the pieces of evidence that incriminates Mr Baek as their kid's killer. As expected, the outburst of emotions of aggrieved parents was anything but civil.

The funny thing is that even after getting even with Mr Baek and getting back her daughter, Geum-Ja is not happy. The ghost of all her actions, inactions and the consequences of her doing still haunts her day and night.

An eye for an eye not only leaves the whole world blind, but it also leaves a hollow so deep in the soul that it manifests in recurrent nightmares and loss of peace of mind. Perhaps Nature has a better way of getting wrongdoers.

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What is more important: satisfying one thousand desires or conquering just one?

Samsara (in Tibetian and Ladhaki languages; 2002)

Directed, Written by: Pan Nalin

I remember an episode when my house cat was engaged in a staring contest with a stray cat. My cat was inside the comfort of my home behind a glass door, staring intently at the other through the clear glass. In my mind, I imagined what thoughts could have crossed their nimble feline brains. The stray would probably be envious of my cat. It would imagine a cosy life, free of the cruelty of the elements, time to pampers oneself licking its fir in place and feeding time on the clock. It would have wished to swap places.

My cat would probably be jealous of the stray. The stray would be the master of its own destiny. Everywhere it decides to lay its butt, it is its home - freedom. My cat may not realise that it may be minced meat one day in the world of catfights. The stray would not live one day in the sterile environment of a home feeding on pellets called cat food. It may want to hunt its prey and tear into its prey's sinew. 

I guess it is no different for us humans. We have so many compelling desires and want to experience them all in this lifetime. We want to have the cake and eat it too. One can live an ordinary life like an average homo sapien or leave a mark in the annals of history. An average being can be caught in the trappings of commitments and relationships. As a token, he is rewarded with pleasures that a great person may need to forgo in his pursuit to leave a mark. What is the meaning of one's pursuit of happiness?

This must be a rare movie in Tibetan and Ladhaki languages. It starts with the scene of Tashi completing three years of meditation in a cave. Tashi had grown up in a Tibetan Buddhist monastery since five. Upon return from the penance, his mates realise that Tashi still has worldly urges. His nocturnal erections and nocturnal wet dream emissions did not go unnoticed. A farmer's daughter, Pema, caught his fancy during a visit. Tashi leaves the missionary life to become a farmer instead. He marries Pema to immerse himself in the trials and tribulations of a civilian and householder.

There are issues with middlemen selling the produce, fire threats to his farm and produce and the lure of a particular vixen, a migrant worker, who was sending him piercing glances. Being a mere mortal, despite the love of a doting wife, Pema, and his son, who thinks of him as a hero, he succumbs to temptations. Reeling from guilt after his infidelity, Tashi returns to his monastery ways.

In the climax, at the tail end, Pema intercepts Tashi on his journey to exchange the most compelling message behind the movie. When one decides to entangle in family life, all his actions have consequential effects on the rest of the family. It is not all about the want of an individual. His action may have detrimental effects on the other members of the family. When Gautama Siddharta decided to leave in the cloak of darkness to seek the Truth, he left his Yashodhara to fend for his young prince Rahul. Yashodhara too, must have been in pursuit of finding the real meaning of her existence. She could have just left everything and gone her way. No, she realised that her Truth was to guide Rahul to adulthood. Thus, the absolute Truth in life must be doing the best in whatever job, responsibilities and positions you are bestowed upon. That must be your Dharma. One does not have to wander aimlessly into crannies to explore the Truth. Enlightenment can also be found via worldly experiences, tragedy, comedy, and bliss. Celebrate, no need to be celibate.

P.S. What is essential - satisfying a thousand desires or conquering just one...?

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Beware of glitz of the limelight!

Blonde (2022)
Director: Andrew Dominic

Films are just that - Maya, all illusions. All of us are lured to the charm of Maya. Some lose time and focus on it. Others even lose their health, future and life in the celluloid make-believe world. The Mafia that controls Hollywood (or Bollywood, for that matter) has had its hands almost since its inception. The Mafia-controlled group of moviemakers and studio owners, Walt Disney included) dictated which stories the world should consume. They started controlling the narrative on what is deemed justice, what is evil and even what is morality.

The paymasters also micro-manage the lives of actors and actresses. They exert a monopoly over film production and distribution of movies by buying movie theatres. 

The private lives of movie players, as they were referred to in the early years of movies, were not confidential. In the early years, viewers were not keen to know about actors. It was the stories that mattered. They were the domain of these very same people. They decided who should remain in the minds of the gullible public and who is sellable. They send paparazzi to eateries they arranged to create a buzz when there were none. 

Many actors were married off to boost their careers, not because of love. Ironically, the whole dream of films is based on love, but they mock the entire thing. Some were even caught in sham marriages when the actors were gay.

So it is unsurprising that Hollywood absorbed a mentally unstable person like Marilyn Monroe to build a dreamgirl persona around her. At least, this is what this new film about Monroe seems to propagate.

With the liberty of licence of creativity, the filmmakers have made Marilyn not only a dumb blonde but a highly mentally unstable prima donna with a drug problem at that. In most scenes, a dazed Marilyn sails through life under the influence of booze or barbiturates. 

Brought up by a single schizophrenic mother, Norma Jean Mortenson is seen to be exposed to many life-threatening situations. Her mother tried to drown her once. During a raging forest fire, her mother is seen driving towards the fire in search of a non-existent Marilyn's father.

The 7-Year Itch

Marilyn was cared for by her mother's friend but later went into foster care when child sexual molestation was discovered. At 16, she got into a marriage which ended disastrously fast. Throughout her childhood, Marilyn was fed with the idea that her father was a wealthy movie star whose identity could not be revealed for some reason. Her fixation with wanting to connect with her father continues to adulthood. She marries much older men and calls them daddy in search of a father figure she never had.

As an adult, Marilyn knows she is the product of an unwanted pregnancy from an affair. The thought that she may have been aborted even before birth haunts her. During her own multiple induced abortion and an inevitable miscarriage, she hallucinates being in communication with her fetuses. We are made aware that her agents arranged her many terminations of pregnancy. 

To drive home the idea that this whole movie is mainly a figment of the author's imagination is the account of a pervasive sexual threesome between Marilyn and the sons of Charlie Chaplin and Edward G Robinson. In real life, they may just have been passing acquaintances. For the record, there were no such exposê in the tabloids. Neither sons of these dozens were reported to be homosexuals. 

We all know about Marilyn's rendition of the 'Happy Birthday, Mr President' song to JFK. They were rumoured to be engaged in a raunchy prolonged love affair, which resulted in an unwanted pregnancy. Here, it is depicted like a doe-eyed call girl - tyrannical master dynamics. Critics of this movie were quick to point this out amongst the bent truths in this movie.

In all accounts, this NC-17 certificate offering is nothing more than eye candy bordering on pornography. There are way too many scenes involving full nudity than the storyline demands. An emotional outpour will drive home the sadness irrespective of whether the player is fully attired or is the full monty. 

Being a Netflix film, I wonder how consumers will enforce the NC-17 rule. Perhaps, the wokes who determine what is suitable for human entertainment consumption assume That watching porn is wholesome family entertainment. Thumbs down 👎

The movie probably painted Marilyn Monroe in a terrible light. She is portrayed as an immature girl with severe developmental issues going through life on a leash, looking for love and compassion in all the wrong places, muttering 'daddy, daddy...!' Her achievements are unfortunately lost in translation.

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A historical fiction

Ponniyin Selvan Part 1(பொன்னியின் செல்வன், Tamil; 2022)
Director: Mani Ratnam

Kalki first published these fictionalised historical stories back in the 1950s in a weekly magazine. The stories were penned by Kalki Subramaniam and printed in Kalki magazine in Chennai. These stories were hugely popular and had developed a cult following. People were fascinated with the vivid narration and witty dialogue. The publication's readership at one time was 71,366 - a formidable number in newly independent India. Kalki Subramaniam had been a freedom fighter.

As early as the late 50s, attempts have been made to make a movie of Kalki's 'Ponniyin Selvan'. MG Ramachandran bought the rights to the story but failed due to financial constraints. Mani Ratnam attempted it in the 1980s and 2010s but failed again. After the delays posed by the pandemic, it finally hit the silver screens in 2022. 

Now, this film is said to be the fourth highest-grossing Tamil movie of all time, and people are singing praises of the movie. A blog reader watched it and said she did not quite understand the story. As I expected, the characters were too many, and the names were too mind-bending for an average occasional Tamil speaker and non-speaker to register. The dialogue can be considered too courteous for general consumption, as most Tamil movie dialogues are crude and rude. There were clearly no comedic actors to crack mindless slapstick and jokes. Again, this is another essential ingredient for a wholesome Indian picture where the audience will find money's worth. In PS-1, the dialogue is witty, and the comedic component is packaged in wordplay. I wonder if any Malaysian audiences who watched the movie with me in the cinema read the innuendos between the lines.

I have to confess that when a 13-year-old me watched 'Star Wars' when everyone else was singing praises of it, I too agreed with them. In reality, I could not understand the whole storyline, but not to appear dumb, I followed the herd. 

Maybe, because this movie is promoting nationalism at a time when the whole world becoming less tolerant of each other, it plucks the heartstrings of many. That was precisely the intention of Kalki Subramaniam, an Indian freedom fighter when he penned the series of stories. Kalki would have been very proud of his work as it is portrayed on the silver screen.

The cinematography and the special effects are of high quality, way above what is generally seen in most Indian movies. The artwork involving adventures (or rather misadventures) on the high seas was almost reminiscent of the 'Pirates of the Caribbean series. 

Ponniyin Selvan 1 is a historical fiction of the life of times of young Arunmozhi Varman in the 10th century CE before he became the great Chola Emperor Raja Raja Cholan. He was referred to as 'Ponniyin Selvan' - the son of Ponni. Ponni is the other name for the River Kaveri. Legend has it that the spirit of the River had saved Arunmozhi from drowning, hence the nickname. 

As in politics then and now, frequent backstabbing and doublecrossing were going on to usurp power. In that climate, brothers Aditha Karkalan and Arunmozhi Varman have to stand tall, fight the schemers and protect the throne in a series of swashbuckling adventures and death-defying moments.

Sure, the history of Man was never peaceful. At no time were Man cordial with his neighbours. They found ingenious ways to differentiate one from another. I could not help but notice that the scriptwriters purposely tried to suggest animosity between Shaivites (Shiva worshippers) and Vaishvanites (Vishnu worshippers). But I always thought that in ancient India (and now), heterogenicity was embraced. It remains the only land that was not hostile towards Jews and accepted Zoroastrian refugees when Islamic invaders chased them away from Persia. There are even Chinatowns in India.

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The things you do...

Powerman Malaysia 2022

SK does not know whether to laugh or cry. If he laughs, it hurts. It is painful when he moves, and he is even afraid to sneeze. Ever since he cracked up a rib in a freak accident, he senses that his naysayers, who have been telling him to slow down with all those extreme sports at this age, are having a field day. They are secretly happy that he is grounded. Short of saying, 'I told you so', he can see the sheer delight in their eyes. Some are even emblazoned to ask, "why this Kolaveri?**"

Yeah, sometimes SK too asks himself, "WHY?" In the same breath, he also replies to himself, "why not?"

Homosapiens, by design, have been made to be agile and mobile. Through many prototypes which failed and multiple disastrous trials runs, Nature has remodelled and re-fashioned Man to be ambulant with such ingenuity. Only over the past 30 years, through the same thinking caps that make Man leap to greater heights, have we become couch potatoes. These prodigal products of Nature, with the boon of cognition, have rewritten the laws of Nature. The glutes, which played an essential role in moving around, somehow lost their purpose. Man now finds more pleasure in accumulating adipose tissue there. It even develops into a fetish by filling it with prostheses that enhance its gargantuan silhouette.  

Yeah, why do people do the things they do? Why do people want to climb a mountain? Why swim across a shark-infested channel to the other side? Why were the Wright brothers fixated on lifting a contraption up in the skies? Why do people write songs or even compose a blog? It is a challenge to push the human body to its limits. This endeavour gives a sense of achievement and immerses the victor in an avalanche of happy hormones. The trade-offs that come from this, the compliments, the honour and the desire to reach even greater heights, are pretty addictive.

There is also a desire to explore the roads rarely walked upon. As humankind learns about himself and the environment around him, he soon realises that so much more that remains unknown. In our short time of sojourn on Earth, a small fraction of eccentric individuals embark upon a journey of self-discovery. Not all will appreciate this.

**the slang lyrics of a popular Tamil song meaning 'why this murderous rage?'' from the movie '3'. It is meant to depict the anguish of a person whose love has been rejected by the girl he is trying to woo. It went on to include an onerous desire to achieve something.

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