MOVIES/ART

God Grew Tired of Us

This is, say, the sequel to “The Lost Boys of Sudan.” It’s the same story, but softer, less complex. It deals more with their presence in the US and now just recalling Sudan as well as experiencing culture shock and adjustment in the United States (they came as refugees). So they deal with American racism as they meet white people, African communities, etc. So it’s more of an immigrant experience that is told in this film. But it is as touching as the first.

Son of Man

Very interesting. It’s a modern day African recasting of the Jesus story. This one has no spiritual significance at all, and the Jesus-character is only a political savior with no spiritual – well religious significance (though you could argue that for Jesus as well). It’s not an emotional gut-wrenching story like many Jesus films or Easter films; this is rather a gritty, street version that’s scaled down but still interesting. It has the Mary and the visitation where she is told she will conceive the son of God; a King Herod character killing masses of babies (well genocide in this film; remember it’s modern Africa in a mythical country Judea); there is Judas, Satan, disciples. So check it out if you’re interested. Remember when I wrote about Carmen? YES. It’s the same team of people who created “U-Carmen eKhayelitsha” (Khayelitsha is a Cape Town township).

Apna Asmaan

Bollywood film (I talked about this in the South African section). Irfan Khan is in this one. I think you may have seen him in that Angelina Jolie movie where she plays a Persian-American journalist in Afghanistan whose husband is killed. It’s definitely more of the traditional Hollywood film dealing with tough subjects such as family expectations and parent-child relationships dealing with learning disabilities. A husband and wife must deal with learning disabilities of their only son who is a talented painter. And they are fixated more on what he could have been and what they wanted than what he is. You follow them as they seek remedies and experience guilt and perhaps shame. It’s an interesting story. They’re a middle class family.

Hopefully, next week, I’ll have reports on Othello and some township plays and maybe an Iranian film if I make it to the festival on Monday or Tuesday (it’s far away at the waterfront).