Movies

This (fill in the blank) weather has given me time to do something my busy schedule often prevents: watch movies. To you, that may seem ridiculous, unless you are an IB student, but I have been deprived of such simple pleasures as of late. Speaking of, my IB English class has me read into things so much I have begun analyzing everything I watch. Last night, I couldn't sleep, and chose to watch a movie I love, Chocolat.

The incredible movie is both lovely to look at and a great story about a tradition-clinging town that is thrown for a loop when a woman and her daughter settle there. Chocolat questions such tradition and the values imposed on us by religion. When I watch it, all I want is to eat lots and lots of chocolate, live in a French town, and dance on a boat to music played by "river rats". Oh, and for all you other male-lovers out there, Johnny Depp is in it. That's another thing to...want.

Tonight, I watched Kinky Boots with my mom.

It may appear that Kinky Boots is a campy, gay movie about trannies, but it is much more than that. While fabulous, it is surprisingly thought-provoking, dealing with personal identity issues and tolerance. I would encourage anyone to see this, especially if they are uncomfortable with people with "different" sexual orientations and such. It may just open your mind a bit.

And then later tonight I watched a magnificent movie called The Visitor.

The movie is about an unsociable college professor who finds himself in the company of two illegal immigrants, one from Senegal, another from Syria. The Visitor addresses such things as post-9/11 paranoia and immigration laws. The immigrant couple, played by Haaz Sleiman and Danai Jekesai Gurira are gorgeous, both physically and emotionally.

They break cultural barriers with their relationship, which touches my heart. For instance, when Tarek's mother finds out that Zainab is black, she is slightly baffled. Apparently loves does conquer all, though I have yet to experience that myself.

Sleiman is my new favorite man to look at. Sigh.