Lost in translation

Posted by Anantha | Posted in , , , , | Posted on Tuesday, July 29, 2008

4


The other day, got to see this marvel which won Oscar for the best original screenplay, 2003. I donno how could I miss such a nice movie all these days.

"For everyone, there are those moments when you have great days with someone you wouldn't expect to. Then you have to go back to your real lives, but it makes an impression on you. It's what makes it (life) so great and enjoyable".

- Sofia Coppola, in one of her interviews


If the above statement struck a chord in your heart, there is no reason why you would not like the movie Lost in translation.


Most parts of the movie is shot in Tokyo's Park Hyatt hotel. Bob Harris [played by Bill Murray] is famous actor who has been staying in Tokyo to endorse a Japanese' whiskey brand. He has a wife, to whom he whispers the three magical words mechanically before he hangs up the phone every time she calls him, but doesn’t actually mean it. He has kids, who miss their dad, but 'they are OK with it' [as he says]. He is a man who is undergoing mid life crisis. And the female lead, Charlotte [Scarlett Johansson] is a young female married to a fashion photographer, who actually wants to be a writer or a photographer but she knows she is not good at either. Basically she is bored by the monotony in her married life.


The movie beautifully depicts how once strangers, share a great camaraderie after spending few memorable moments with each other. And if you expect them to start liking each other and sleep together, no you are wrong! They share an intimate relationship which is more beautiful than just what you expect. The movie ends with an amazingly beautiful climax, making you feel you have just been released from an incredible experience that you will cherish for a long time.


The director justifies the lead actors’ relationship in the movie as, "I liked this relationship. I've had friends like that where you have a flirtation but you're just friends. I wanted it to be more innocent. If they slept together, that would bring in reality".


That says it all, Im not going to elaborate more.


Watch it for the sake of brilliant acting by Bill Murray and Scarlett Johanson
Watch it to experience how nice a movie can be made..
Watch it for the ethereal bond two strangers share during their ephemeral encounter...
Watch it for the portrayal of a nice camaraderie between the opposite genders..

Thinking out of the body!

Posted by Anantha | Posted in | Posted on Tuesday, July 15, 2008

10

These topics spur out occasionally while conversing with colleagues / friends. Though I dont wanna tag these discussions as purely philosophical, but they have small dosage of philosophy in it... beware!

One such discussion with my colleague dealt with the subject of sufferings the human beings undergo on earth. Suffering can be because of poverty, hunger, lack of basic needs, ill health or because of any external or internal factors which we believe will affect our lives. When I mean suffering, I mean a person being unhappy for what ever reason.

Our discussion went beyond blaming any country/Govt/System/life style for one's unhappiness.

Why should there be a gap between rich and poor? Why people in Ethiopia starve and rich people from big cities of world are obese..?
Why people in Kashmir get killed for none of their mistakes? Why kids are orphaned for no fault of theirs?
Why people fight with each other?
Why do people have to suffer from incurable diseases?
Why people are born physically or mentally challenged?

And now a very important question, How is the share of unhappiness and happiness credited in each person's account?

Haan.. there we are, we are discussing the very basic question, First of all why should living beings suffer or be unhappy? Though this question seems to project me like a selfish happiness monger, but that makes perfect sense because I am not begging for the happiness of only my family, I want the whole world to be a peaceful place and tenure on earth a life long vacation for every one who is born here.

My team mate who seems to be conversant on these topics, started justifying the concept of re-incarnations, human race being the best form of life, all people suffer on the basis of paapas they have committed in previous janmas. More the sins, severe the punishment on earth. He also enunciated the mention of earth as a prison for human beings in Garuda PuraaNa [or some thing, I dont exactly remember]. He also said the souls attain moksha after clearing all punishments for all their cumulative paapas of all janmas [pretty lengthy process eh... :-/].

Though I am not a firm believer of the concept of re-incarnations, I half heartedly agree with it till I have a better concept to believe in. Actually speaking my dissatisfaction is not towards this theory but on the whole system of it. Assume souls 'wear' different bodies in different incarnations; the memory is not a thing that gets transferred across different janmas. What I mean is nobody will ever have knowledge of the severity of the sentence s/he is going to serve in this prison. And when the punishment actually begins, all of us suffer without knowing the reason for suffering.

Isn't it like a child who gets beatings from his teacher without knowing the mistakes for which he is being punished..?

I am OK with the punishment as long as I am told the reason before I get spanked.

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