heading south
Thursday, 5 of October: This night, I went with some colleagues to see Vers le sud. There was a criticism of the movie on IMDB that stands opposite to how I felt about the movie, so I will post it because I think it is an important critique -
The fact that the movie does not go deeper into the issues of Haiti is something that surprised me at first, because the movie - at least here - was advertised as one in which these women traveled to Haiti for an 'e(x/r)otic paradise' and discovered the socio-political instability of the area. It is true that it is revealed to us, and I think that those watching the movie, I hope, care about the suffering of these characters - but it becomes apparent to me that these women do not. That I think is a political commentary. These women are more concerned with their own physical and emotional satisfaction that at best they can only offer to these men a way out for the individuals, but they are not concerned with the lives of others on the island, whereas these men who are serving as their escorts and prostitutes are certainly concerned about the lives of their friends, family and acquaintances.
I think that there is a strong contrast between these women who have come to the island with the mindset "What I want and need" versus the prostitutes of the island who seem to have much more a communal mindset. It is not just about "my survival." To me, that is an issue of economics influencing cultural values and values influencing economy - and I think it is an issue that is very much present throughout the movie although not discussed explicitly.
This is certainly not a film one watches hoping that the characters will be transformed. These women are not here to start a revolution, they are here to orgasm and to feel loved. That happens throughout the movie - and I think it is very realistic and a very relevant commentary on the overall apathy of those individuals who are coming from the exploiting society.
As the user said on IMDB, the dialogue is a bit contrived. There is something stiff and contrived when Brenda is talking about her first sexual experience on the island. I guess I just hate the word "cock" and descriptions of sexual encounters always seem so - romance novel? They are generally very cheesy in the way I would expect from the fanfiction of a young kid, and the lines were corny in a way I didn't expect from a film. Brenda's interview stood out for me as one of the most disjointed interviews - it just didn't flow with the rest of the film because the lines were very awkward. I thought immediately about the movie 10 Things I Hate About You and the guidance counselor who was writing a trashy romance novel, and trust me when I say that that teen movie is never something I want to think about when watching this sort of politically fueled drama.
Overall: The movie was frustrating because the women gave me something too realistic - apathy. I liked it but it was like saying I enjoyed a slap in the face. It's awakening, and that's good, but it stings. Like I said, there were a few awkward parts in the film, but overall it was upsetting and frustrating enough to be considered worthwhile for having pulled those emotions from me.
-Monique
One of the first things the user says is that none of these important issues are tackled, and I think that it is entirely true. However, when seeing the movie, I noticed immediately that the ones who are given more screen time and more of a voice are the women. I thought this in itself was a commentary - those whose opinions 'matter' or who are actually heard the most are those who were 1) White 2) were from a higher SES (comparatively).One of those films that bit off more than it could chew. The subject could hardly be more challenging and raises multiple, complex issues : female sexuality, male prostitution, North- South relations. But the treatment somehow fails to tackle any of them convincingly. The film is surprisingly claustrophobic, most of it taking place in a "huit clos" atmosphere with mostly close-up and medium shots - this is presumably the director's choice, but the effect, as far as I was concerned, was to make it feel like one of those rather unsuccessful screen versions of stage plays. Much of the dialogue sounded thin and false to my ear. One good point - Karen Young's sensitive portrayal of Brenda. Charlotte Rampling did almost too well what was expected of her and the resultant performance is perhaps a trifle predictable.
The fact that the movie does not go deeper into the issues of Haiti is something that surprised me at first, because the movie - at least here - was advertised as one in which these women traveled to Haiti for an 'e(x/r)otic paradise' and discovered the socio-political instability of the area. It is true that it is revealed to us, and I think that those watching the movie, I hope, care about the suffering of these characters - but it becomes apparent to me that these women do not. That I think is a political commentary. These women are more concerned with their own physical and emotional satisfaction that at best they can only offer to these men a way out for the individuals, but they are not concerned with the lives of others on the island, whereas these men who are serving as their escorts and prostitutes are certainly concerned about the lives of their friends, family and acquaintances.
I think that there is a strong contrast between these women who have come to the island with the mindset "What I want and need" versus the prostitutes of the island who seem to have much more a communal mindset. It is not just about "my survival." To me, that is an issue of economics influencing cultural values and values influencing economy - and I think it is an issue that is very much present throughout the movie although not discussed explicitly.
This is certainly not a film one watches hoping that the characters will be transformed. These women are not here to start a revolution, they are here to orgasm and to feel loved. That happens throughout the movie - and I think it is very realistic and a very relevant commentary on the overall apathy of those individuals who are coming from the exploiting society.
As the user said on IMDB, the dialogue is a bit contrived. There is something stiff and contrived when Brenda is talking about her first sexual experience on the island. I guess I just hate the word "cock" and descriptions of sexual encounters always seem so - romance novel? They are generally very cheesy in the way I would expect from the fanfiction of a young kid, and the lines were corny in a way I didn't expect from a film. Brenda's interview stood out for me as one of the most disjointed interviews - it just didn't flow with the rest of the film because the lines were very awkward. I thought immediately about the movie 10 Things I Hate About You and the guidance counselor who was writing a trashy romance novel, and trust me when I say that that teen movie is never something I want to think about when watching this sort of politically fueled drama.
Overall: The movie was frustrating because the women gave me something too realistic - apathy. I liked it but it was like saying I enjoyed a slap in the face. It's awakening, and that's good, but it stings. Like I said, there were a few awkward parts in the film, but overall it was upsetting and frustrating enough to be considered worthwhile for having pulled those emotions from me.
-Monique
posted by Monique Mendoza at 10/09/2006 02:20:00 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home