On a movie spree....

Felt long since i went to the cinema.

Had a no show tour, so decided to catch "Wet Season", a local production.

The director of the movie directed Ilo-Ilo the last time, where it explores rare topics about Domestic Helpers. This time round, the movie theme is rain, intergenerational ties, and teacher-student relationship.

After all it was still a arts film genre so do not expect to have exciting pace or heart thumping climax. The movie spotlights on the protagonist, a Malaysian Teacher, who faces humiliation of many levels - child bearing, desperate wife, unsupportive family, foreigner, trivial subject, and a less-dignified job. While the intergenerational ties between her and the grandpa is strong, I like how it kindda contrast a dependent elderly to an infant, both of which have similar caretaking needs. As they always say, circle of life.

What was not very accurate was how close the teacher-student relation goes. While this would be impossible at today standard, lets give the scriptwriter a break to assume that this takes place in the olden times when the age gap is not too drastic and there are less strict laws on civil servant behaviors. I thought that their relationship should be developed further as I felt there is a fluctuation of being childish and mature in the personality of the student. But overall, I guess in the end what the teacher taught was not chinese but rather his first heartbreak in the forbidden love affair.

Other than that I thought the cinemagraphy was rather well done. Mundane shots were reiterated to portray the relationships between the characters such as teacher getting closer, roads getting longer, eating sessions, and also the degree of rain. So much so that I loved the ending where the grandma washes her "blanket of hundred blessings" (personal identity) as if cleansing and then the sun ray shines on her face as if liberation from all the torment. Subtly, I guess there is also a shed of light on the "burden" of societies such as caretaking and strained relationship that people tend to refuse to let go. 

Then, the next movie is "Frozen 2".

This is where my opinion is gonna be unpopular. While retaining the good o disney feels of musical numbers and heartwarming family friendly moments, the movie did push through typical cliches into some thought provoking topics. This movie relooked at "history" and ask what is the "right thing" to do. The sisters are forced to search deeper into the past, to find out truths of governance, and to venture into the unknown, face your fears. Their personalities are reflected again and again, the roles and responsibilities, sense of inferiority, purpose, and ultimately is still friends and kinship.

On a light note, the movie uses Olaf alot, to look at "deep inspirational quotes" or just being plain annoying. But as I always believed, we need people like that sometimes, someone that is full of nonsense, that you just cant get angry no matter how annoying he/she is, but because the intention is just so pure and innocent and selfless.

But then, this movie, unlike the previous one, felt like there's no punch line, there's no easy-to-singalong-and-catchy melodies, there's no emotional roller coaster. Perhaps the lyrics to "Next Right Thing" was probably the coolest song there but I would not forsee kids running about saying next right thing take first small step and step by step kindda thing.

The movie was not satisfying that I decided to jump straight to the next movie, "Last Christmas".

This movie attracted me as I thought it would be a light hearted holiday season home along kindda of comedy movie. Yet it wasnt. I guess this is a less popualr movie but Henry Golding and Michelle Yeoh is in so woohooo support local! Call me biased but I think Michelle Yeoh is the best actor there, with her infatuated face, her motherly love, her typical asian behaviors, and her stares.

Last Christmas is basically a romance drama of some girl that seems constantly on her bad luck, failure to see all the good friends around her, and indulge in a false sense of hope that she will one day find someone that discover her talents and make her big but blame on her illness; who say a too perfect to be true guy who is very obvious the plot twist as it was given away too fast at so many scenes.

But then again I thought a few quotes are rather nice in the movie. "Look Up" is what the guy keeps asking Kate to do, is to notice the beauty of the moment, the subtle details of the environment, constantly. SO comforting though, when the guy spoke : "There's no such thing as normal. It's just being human is hard."

As a holiday movie, they also focus on the theme of forgiveness, handling mothers, friends, relationships and work. To the sense Michelle Yeoh commented "you were great, but you stopped caring", see most people lost the joy they had at work and that's where the spirit will die.

However, this move got a feel good ending. Last christmas, I gave you my heert, but the very next day, he gave it away....... this line is soooo literal!

The Sorrows of Work:

Work disappoints us, not by coincidence but by necessity, for at least eight central reasons:

1. The demand for specialisation limits our potential.

2. The needs for standardisation kills the need for autonomy by personal initiative.

3. The extent of consumer choice forces us to commercialise our work beyond what feels tolerable.

4. The scale of industry robs us of a sense of meaning when we are distant to the end user.

5. Competition generates a state of perpetual anxiety.

6. The requirement for collaboration maddens us.

7. Our high aspirations embitter us.

8. The notion that the world is meritocratic imposes a crushing burden of responsibility on us for our defeats.

https://www.theschooloflife.com/thebookoflife/sorrows-of-work/

So a friend of mine officially joined my company.

Well, I was exhilarated about the news. This is probably the first step towards a mindset change of Tourist Guides. As I always mentioned, if you step into a secondary school and asked "Who would like to be a Tourist Guide" and no one raise up their hand, there is something extremely wrong about the mindset about the industry being a retirement job. Even the definition of it is often mis represented as a Tour Leader (Tour Leader leads locals to overseas and incharge of logistics).

Then again on another hand, Im opening up my vulnerability and persona in front of him. From young I have always portrayed a strong front around my friends, many people see me as a fighter, as a successful man. But behind that, lies so much burden, so much expectations, so much emotional roller coaster. I warned him not to be alarmed if you see a very different me in work, against outside. I'm someone who takes work more objectively regardless of friendship and whatever. But ultimately, I also told him to watch for my psychological wellbeing. He just entered the Adulting World, I really hope I can groom him more like me, or better, surpassing me. I think people around me had so much potential that can be harnessed and molded into a greater being. All they need is a little confidence, a little resources, and a little opportunity. I hope to be the one providing that.

Then I remembered "3 Idiots", when a quote goes like "Your friend fails, you feel bad. Your friend tops, you feel worst.". But it doesnt really seem to affect me that much. I actually love to see people around me succeed in life. It's that touching moment, that heartwarming moment, where you see their talents utilized. But to be honest, it's always that one aspect of life that I cant help but to envy, where most people around me seem to always have that charm, that magnet, that attractiveness, that I probably gotta change my face, my shape, my voice to attain. But bright side is, if fate throws me a girl, thats probably "The One".

Well, gonna be a busy year ahead, cant be too distracted. Another friend of mine seem to step into my world a little more. Have been meeting up since last Saturday. I feel young around him, though being sleep deprived of 2-3h a night, but the kind of madness, the youth, the energy, havent really felt that for a long time. Got to know him more ofcoz, and thought that he had such an interesting life. Then along the way, another friend was being very very very kind to make the effort to come over and tried bonding. Really grateful for people like that. I always considered myself very lucky, to get a group of friends like these. Many criticism ofcoz, people claiming that I'm often used, or buying friends, but the kind of effort they showed me is definitely more than just a motive-filled friendship. I am rather sure, this is the bunch that will stay by my side 50 years from now.

They probably seen my worst, and probably seen my best, someone that has flexibility to be impromtu, someone that I can be comfortable with even in silence. Though some of them expressed their lost of friendships before, I really really really hope I would not be that kind of person to them.