A most sensitive portrayal of the classis conflict between utmost ...
354768
A most sensitive portrayal of the classis conflict between utmost dedication to an ideal that can prove hollow Vs. solidly embracing life with its magic, imperfections and pain.
4769211
This was a very sensitively written story, with an interesting plot and cultural issues which created a very good read.  Centered around an Indian family now living in America, it explores the way the family has been affected by domestic violence through three generations and how they all try to break free of that cycle.
4453813
A highly readable account of the current situation in Pakistan centered on the Reza family whose head Awais is an ex soldier turned merchant espousing a middle class life style from his shop in the bazaar.  You follow with anguish the travail of his wife and sons, one of which becomes a suicide bomber.  Clearly conveyed are the human elements and attitudes of Pakistani society at both ends of the spectrum from decency and honesty to radical fundamentalism.  In the end honesty prevails, a welcome change from the more rabid portrayals of Pakistan offered by the media and others.  The author has done a sterling job of weaving his research and interviews into a  must read.
471478
This dramatic endeavor spotlights the complex cultures found in the countryside of England at the time.  History books fail to expose the tender relationships and delicate fine lines of the class structures.  Here is all comes to life as you can relate to those at each level of the society.  I throughly enjoyed the story line and the quality acting.  I wish there were more episodes to follow.
3504372
This is a low budget made for TV movie that portrays the impact of the Italian armistice with the allies in 1944 on the Acqui Division garrisoned on the island of Cefalonia. The German troops on the island do not trust the Italians who are looking forward to returning home to Italy and give them an ultimatum: fight on the German side, surrender their weapons and become prisoners of war or fight against them. After a democratic referendum of all ranks they choose to fight and the film deals with the aftermath. We follow events primarily through the eyes of Sergeant Saverio,who is not only central to the war story but has a strong romantic subplot with the central female character,Feria,an Italian, who had settled on the island but whose husband, Mikis, had disappeared ten years ago. The first half of the film is driven by an underlying tension about what might happen in this unusual war situation and the second half by the conflict felt by Saverio between what he feels for Feria and his identification with his comrades in the the awful events that occur. The subplot with Feria's daughter, Elena, and her father, Mikis, was well integrated with the central story line and did not disturb the flow of this well acted movie. Although a war film,its central theme is the importance of relationship and individuality in spite of the extreme events and this drives many of the anti war statements that emerge through both the dialogue and the action. It is also the source of the deep human emotions that the film taps into. I have probably never been moved so much by a war film! With this focus and its relatively slower pace it is not primarily an action movie, although its depiction of violence is realistic. For this reason I think it will particularly appeal to women. Despite its length(2 hours 16 minutes) and the subtitles my attention was held throughout. I much preferred it to Captain Corelli's Mandolin and it is much harder hitting. As a film, it isn't perfectly crafted by any means, but its emotional journey is so powerful, I had to award it five stars. In some ways it was an old fashioned film::- no gratuitous sex and violence, so if this is what you are looking for, avoid! However,I warmly recommend it to you.
2548847
A very dramatic, not pornographic in its details, exploration of the tensions and exploitation of a subclass both predator and prey. Lovely to watch if just for the lovely typically French turn the story takes.
2933770
Katherine Boo has written a sensitive portrayal of survival against all odds in a squatter settlement near the airport in Mumbai, India. We are taken from our middle class American lives to read about people who face long odds to survive and thrive in a world teeming with poverty, pollution and corruption. We get close looks into the lives of several families and these are people that you will not soon forget about. Boo portrays them as real flesh and blood people (which the are) who have the hopes and dreams that we all aspire to in our lives. But these people have the decked stacked against them but their humanity shines through. I can certainly see why this book got all the acclaim that it did. Get out of your comfort zone and read this book.
1298004
Two Spanish Academy awards and two other nominations earned by this movie dealing with a sensitive matter. Of course, one could say that the film is more a documentary than a romance because the mise-en-scene is very discreet and the screenplay basic, to say the least, but the main characters's performance wins our immediate support. Highly recommended.
457239
This powerful and moving eight part miniseries has lost none of its impact since it was first aired nearly twenty years ago. Highly acclaimed, it won numerous awards. Beautifully filmed on location in India, England, and Wales, it is a highly atmospheric and complex drama, redolent of the flavor of the turbulent years just before India gained its independence from British rule.

The story begins in 1942, and through its memorable characters, both British and Indian, it masterfully weaves a tapestry of events that explains the state of flux that India was in at the time and the collision between East and West that often occurred, as the old guard made way for the new. Pivotal events become symbolic of India's struggle for independence, and it is those events that impact on those living in India and struggling to survive through those turbulent years. This tumultuous and sumptuous saga ends with India's independence in 1947.

Masterfully acted, lushly filmed, and awash with period detail, it is so atmospheric as to make its viewers feel that they themselves are there during the decline and fall of the British Raj. It captures the essence of India and its ramparts of colonialism. Interspersed throughout the episodes are snippets of old newsreels that recount India's involvement in World War II and the threat of Japanese invasion through adjacent Burma. These serve to further move the story along and imbue it with an air of authenticity that stays with the viewer.

This multi-faceted series, based upon Paul Scott's literary gem, "The Raj Quartet", is a fine adaptation that should not be missed. The award calibre performances by the entire cast are stellar and will keep the viewer riveted to the screen. Those interested in period pieces, historical dramas, and epics on Indian colonialism will love this series, as will anyone interested in a superlative drama. Bravo!
386981
I still think this stacks up as the best Australian movie ever to explain the cultural tensions between an ancient Aboriginal culture and a modern European one through the story of individuals in a small,outback community.  It illustrates the complexities and difficulties of finding common understandings - sometimes impossible even when participants want nothing else - unlike many films which deal in lazy generalizations about races and push a particular political position. This film is far more intelligent than that but consequently poses some difficult challenges for a viewer's preconceived attitudes, as most of us are not confronted by the problems explored in this film.
1268794
Opression, isolation, and far beyond: intolerance and dismiss about the human condition is what you'll find in this brave motion picture.

The drama is built around the live and times of five orphans girls who lives in the times of the XXI and experience a violent clash of points of view with an oldf fashioned behavior, tied according the social rules of the town. The moral when is formal devours, sentenced Albert Camus, and this existential battlefield is the perfect evidence. Powerful performances and an agile script make of this one a well rounded film.

Nominated as Best Foreign Film. Watch it and then proceed to discuss its content with yopur relative ones or friends.

Not to be missed!!!
4913757
I read a lot of books by Indian authors, but this is one of the first I've read by a Pakistani. I cannot recommend this book too highly. It is a portrait of every level of Pakistani society from shoeshine boys to the old aristocracy. It is written with the political sensibility of Dickens and a compassion that compares with Dostoyevsky. I don't often do ecstatic recommendations of books, but this one really is that good.
3245826
Much has been written about this classic by Khushwant Singh: the social impact of partition, the moral message behind what happened, the role of religion & class in rural India, politics at the time of independence, etc. However, the most dominant theme and least spoken fact about Train to Pakistan is that it is one of the best examples of romanticism in post-partition and independent India.

Singh spends a majority of his time in the book characterizing all facets of nature that rationalization or objectivity fail to capture yet good works of romanticism transcend. Singh provides intimate descriptions of things that seem irrelevant to the story and yet constitute the story: the village, its seasons, its daily routine, social interactions, folk songs, Sikhism, and most of all detailed characterization of individuals. It is important to know that Singh does not make judgements. Those who try to infer one do so for their own closure.

Just as the French Revolution and Industrial Revolution had deep influences in the movement of romanticism in 18th century western Europe as a revolt against the social, political and economic happenings; it is natural that the events of 1947 that underline the socio-political behavior of India and Pakistan till date would result in a similar reaction in Indian literature.

Singh is a pious Sikh born in Hadali, now Pakistan. Like millions of people like him, the world rocked in the 1940's and was never the same again. The deep influences of those years have poured out with poetic charm, romantic passion, and numbing despondency. Read it ten times and you will learn as much in the tenth read as you would in the first.
1515628
By the time India nears independence from Great Britain in 1947, the profound clash between Moslems,Parsees, Sikhs and Hindus is about to reach the boiling point. This was the great event Gandhi had forseen. But Mehta tells the story from the perspective of an eight-year old girl who sufers of polio contemplates the universe of the elders and simply can not understand the reason that feeds such hate between the different factions.

The movie is quite moving but profoundly expressive. One of the most notable and extraordinary artistic releases from India since the times of Salaam Bombay.

Magnificent and worth to be part of your personal collection.
3441306
The Flowers of War is a novel set in 1937 which depicts the Nanking Massacre. In fear for their lives, a group of prostitutes flee the Japanese atrocities by climbing over the walls of convent and church where young school girls, some from elite families, are being educated. At the forefront is the priest, Father Engelmann who is entrusted with the school girls lives. What ensues is a desperate story of survival from hunger, murder, and oppression.

The Flowers of War is novel that exposes the full atrocities of that period. It is very much a story of innocence vs. sin, of good vs. bad as the contrast between the personalities of the prostitutes and the school girls clash. Although the writing is simple and easy, the story itself is incredibly poignant with an expolosive ending that will not soon be forgotten. This is a story that will definitely touch readers.
1936909
What distinguishes greatness from mere competence is dignity.

The Remains of the Day is the story of Mr. Stevens, a butler at the Darlington Hall. The mansion belonged to Lord Darlington, a representative of the British aristocracy in its most glorious days, but now has been sold to an American, Mr Farraday after Lord Darlingtons death. The story, set mostly after World War I in the time leading up to World War II, is first person narrative of Mr. Stevens life as a butler, who recounts his time at the Darlington Hall as he is takes a road trip in rural England.

While the storyline is quite ordinary, the true ornaments here are the underlying themes. The most important one is dignity. Mr. Stevens has always performed his duty as a butler with utmost competence and devotion, but he strongly feels that what distinguishes mere competence from greatness is dignity. It is also this dignity that doesnt allow him to warm up to Ms. Kenton, who may or may not have harbored feelings for him. When he has a new employer who is an American, culturally less formal than the British, and likes to indulge in playful banter, Mr. Stevens has a tough time adjusting to it and has to practice humor since it doesnt come naturally to him.

Loyalty is the second most obvious theme. Mr. Stevens is loyal to a fault. He knows the flaws in Lord Darlington, who is an amateur politician and is probably anti semitic and a Nazi sympathizer. However, Mr. Stevens thinks that it is not in his place to judge Lord Darlington and he must serve his employer to the best of his capabilities in the times of turmoil. He has a chance to later on reflect upon his unquestioned loyalty, but feels that it is pointless to dwell on bygones and instead focus on the remains of the day.

Kazuo Ishiguro is a master storyteller. He has taken a very simple story, weaved some very beautiful underlying themes in lucid language, and turned this into a timeless masterpiece. This is a "modern classic".
4477957
It is hard for most cops to visualize retirement after being on the job. Many stay on til they die, and many die of heart attacks shortly after. Not much is known of those rendered disabled after a line of duty injury. This story is a sensitive and intimate tale of an officer struggling to get his life back while taking care of his ailing father, who has had gastric surgery, macular degeneration, and early stages of dementia. Both men are lured from their depression by their tenant, a beautiful, kind woman in urgent need of a knight in shining armour. The bonds between the three, and between them and a neighbor and his dog are formed as the struggling ex detective fights to use the skills he had before to save his tenant. This is a tale of loss and triumph you won't be able to put down until it is completely told.