the Innocence of Courage

Though Tedo closes his eyes tight to the stressful situations like any child he reacts to the situation courageously as a child is braver than any man. This courage springs from innocence uncluttered by matters extraneous. That enables him to help the people who come to him, transcending any barriers of language.

The Other Bank by George Ovashvili is the story of 12 year old Tedo and his journey to his childhood home to find his father. Civil strife displaced him and his mother away from their home. He mans up to life as refugee but with all the innocence of a kid. His decision to search for his father in the forbidden areas is childlike but he faces obstacles with a fortitude rarely seen in any adult. But pride and politics of grown-ups will be a barrier in their ways but not for this precocious boy.

A child's heart can magnetize the minds of people devoid of political beliefs and perception. Except a few, those who come across his journey are amiable. He pretends to be deaf and dumb as he has no place in the land as a Georgian. Nevertheless he ends up joining in the revelries of his Abkhachian captors and in song and dance they rediscover ties that still bind them. The movie ends with his smile communicating in the language of a shared culture and tradition - the only thing dividing them being language and politics.

parque via

Film Review

PARQUE VIA

It’s almost one year since I watched the movie Parque via. It was during the 2009-IFFK fest I saw it. And it became one of my favourite indeed. I don’t know which word should I use to refer my feelings to the movie. But I am sure that I will memorize the movie till the end of my life. That much impact it has had on my psyche, though I don’t even wish to watch it again.
Beto is an old man, looks after an old bungalow owned by a lady. What he always does is the maintenance of the bungalow and is paid for that. Beto is an introvert who completely seek to inward from the society. He finds his own world in that bungalow. And happy to be alone. He belives in tranquilty and finds his living space in a peaceful atmosphere.
He satisfies his appetite by having papaya or other fruits which grow up in the bungalow compound. He doesn’t even like vendors approaching him since he wishes to be alone always. The whole story revolves around the character Beto and his actions. Spectators will never get bored by those frames and shots even though the protagonist is an old psyche. We even forget about our existence while watching the movie since our entire subconscious mind is longing for our own personal world devoid of disturbances and noises. I brushed my teeth with him, I had my food with him and I even swept the yard with him. At times his hands did what I intended to do. I will substantiate that feeling. When he was sweeping the floor I saw a leaf, a distance away from his broom. His eyes couldn’t find that leaf. I was very sad that I am seeing it but couldn’t clean it. But do you know as my mind intended, he came back and surprisingly he swept that leaf away.
I was living through that character. The character was going along with me or I was travelling with him. A telepathic sharing of acts. The character is an extreme introvert personality. He always runs away from noises. The background music of the movie sets harmonizing with the surroundings he lives on and through his vision. At times we think that he is psychic but we love to do the things he does, because through him we are experiencing the harmony rhythm and tranquility for the first time. If you are living in a city of noise then you will be easily understand and attracted to the world of Beto. Sound mixing has a prominent role in the movie. Especially in a scene, when he got out from the car after long years of lonely life he experiences how hard is the noise of the world. He wishes to live in a world of his own.
The whole movie floats in a silent mode. Rare talks and mild sounds… I was happy to be with him. When he was exposed to the noise for the first time and sees the rows of buildings in the city, the spectators also get disturbed by the noise and they wish to be back to the car as soon as possible and like him our heart beats hastily to reach the solitary island, the bungalow as soon as possible.
We move with him experiencing the bliss of the solitude. But at the end, the movie is giving us another surprise and a shock…The day he was supposed to leave the bungalow, owner of the bungalow came and she fell down in a heart attack. But unfortunately when she falls on the floor Beto walks back to the work area and came back with a spade to remove the body. Actually that’s what we were expecting but in spite of that he smashed the head of the lady with that spade. The whole mood of each spectator changes suddenly and the end scenes shows his life in a jail. A psychic creature always wishes to be in solitude and he discovers another land of tranquility. As far as he is more concern with his personal life he will be longing for a world of solitude always.