emotionally moving film
598804
I found this movie to be emotionally moving and realistic in the issues it deals with, a. Little bit fairy tale ending but still something that could happen
701675
This powerful and gentle film tells the story of love and marriage of Emmi, a 60+ widowed German cleaning lady and Ali, a Moroccan immigrant mechanic who is more than 20 (I think close to 30) years her younger. Their affair and the decision to marry shocked everyone who knew Emmi: her grown children, her neighbors, coworkers (mostly, middle-aged widows as herself) and even the owner of a neighborhood grocery shop where she has been a loyal customer for years. The way clever and observant Fassbinder looks at their struggle to keep the relationship is deeply pessimistic - the couple could survive the obstacles that society would create for them. They can survive disapproval, misunderstanding and prejudice but at the very moment they think all problems are in the past, they find the emptiness inside and two lonely hearts together are even worse than one. The more I think of it the more I realize that "Ali: Fear Eats the Soul" is among the best, the most poignant, gentlest and heartbreaking descriptions of unavailability for happiness ever filmed. What makes the movie even more poignant is the fact that both Fassbinder and El Hedi ben Salem, the man whom Fassbinder loved and who played Ali committed suicide in the same year, Fassbinder - a few weeks after El Hedi. The film is also a love letter to El Hedi. In one of the film's most moving scene, Emmi looks at the man with whom she so suddenly and desperately fell in love with admiration, longing, and wise sadness while he dries himself after the shower. It is not only Emmi looks at Ali, it is Rainer looks with love and affection at the man he loved through the lenses of his camera.

4.5/5
4687096
The complete antithesis of the typical Hollywood blockbuster, this lovely, poignant little fable in luminous black-&-white is simply one of the most memorable, moving films I've seen in a long time. A camel left behind by the circus wanders into the yard of a middle-aged Polish couple, who adopt the gentle beast as their own. At first this is a delightful surprise for everyone in town ... until too many people start to think of the money to be made from the camel, especially when kind-hearted Zygmunt refuses to exploit his beloved friend. And then the petty cruelties begin, as we see how so many people not only resent & fear anything & anyone who's the least bit different, but somehow resent anyone being happy, even though his happiness isn't harming them at all. While this is obviously a tale of human intolerance, it goes even more deeply than that, by revealing the insecurities & jealousies that consume those whose own lives are empty of empathy, compassion, imagination. This message in universally applicable, sad to say.

But there are also some tender, sweet touches: building a stable for the camel with an arched door & vaguely Arabian design, "so he'll feel at home" -- playing the clarinet for him -- walking the country roads with him & talking as you would to a close friend. There's a subtle but real emphasis on the kinship of other animals, who are often far better companions than many human beings.

The story reaches a bittersweet point, of course. But it doesn't end on a painful note, as the final scene set in the Krakow Zoo in winter is a transcendent, glowing moment that'll stay with you. While made for adults, this could also be a superb film for children, if they'll accept a B&W film with subtitles ... but of course a lot of adults won't accept that, either. It's their loss. A warm, thoughtful work of art like this is the reason films were invented. I'll definitely be watching it many times in the years ahead. And making the DVD even better is an interview with director-actor Jerzy Stuhr, which goes far beyond the typical Hollywood soundbite in allowing the artist to really talk about his work & his philosophy.

Most highly recommended -- but have a tissue or two handy!
890345
Wow, here's an emotional story that gets you involved and wears you out by the end. I wears you out not from action, but from watching two good ladies suffer heartbreaks one after the other. This is not my normal viewing fare but I am big fan of two things this movie has to offer: (1) Emma Thompson and (2) incredible visuals.

Few people were better in the 1990s at playing the sensible-sweet-wholesome and pretty and-always unfairly ignored woman than Thompson (see The Remains Of The Day and Howards End). Your heart aches for this woman whose characters always deserve better than what they receive.. Her facial expressions alone convey pain better than anyone I've ever seen on film. This is perhaps her best work and it was justice she was honored for it.

It was refreshing to see Alan Rickman actually place a nice guy and Kate Winslet was appealing, too - a far cry from spoiled brat role in the film that gave her stardom, Titantic.

One tip that I found useful in watching this movie. If you are not British, you might switch on the English subtitles to better understand the dialog and the phraseology of early 19th century England, in which this story takes place. The only problem with using the subtitles is that it detracts from marveling at these visuals. This is one of the prettiest films I have ever seen, on both the inside and outside scenes. It's just gorgeous cinematography frame after frame with beautiful colors. Nice music score, too.

This kind of story is a bit too soap opera-like for my normal tastes but to watch Thompson and to ogle the colors, sets and scenery makes it all a rewarding experience. For women who like these kind of Jane Austen stories, this must really be a special film. For the rest of us, it's still very much worth seeing, and adding to one's DVD collection. It''s great film-making.
3438080
This is an excellent film, moving, sad, even tragic. It is NOT a "warm hearted comedy," as it says on the back of the DVD. And it certainly is not "hilarious". The blurb on the cover is quite possibly the most misleading I have ever come across. Despite that, it is a lovely film. It is a solid, serious British drama, with an excellent all round cast. The humour where present is decidedly low key. Its predominant mood is one of sadness and loss, there is warmth to be sure, but certainly not what is projected on the cover or in the trailer. One wonders why the publicists chose to so misrepresent such a fine film. Was it because they were worried its serious and even dark nature would put off the popcorn munchers? Perhaps it would have been better if they had. Then we wouldn't have been saddled with so many negative reviews from viewers who naturally felt short-changed. Then again, this is not a movie that American audiences would readily take to.

Set in 1947, it tells the story of a 16 year old girl, Stella (Georgina Cates), abandoned at birth by a wayward mother and brought up by her aunt and uncle, who aspires to join the Theatre. Into this milieu she willingly plunges herself. She encounters sordid seedy characters. She takes on menial tasks without pay. She embraces all with a gushing eager naivete. She falls for the stage director (Hugh Grant) who in her young innocence she doesn't realise actually has a preference for boys. She then latches on to an aging Lothario (Alan Rickman) who does appreciate young girls. In this darkness in which she finds herself, past and present intersect. The absent mother she faithfully places a call to everyday, the same mother who gave her away years ago, becomes the silent confidant of her hopes and fears. The aging Rickman character constantly pines for his own past even as he happily deflowers the young girl. The stage director's sordid history of seducing and then spurning young men finally comes to a head. All combine to create an air of loss and decay. A nice touch was the use of a lone flute playing "The Last Rose Of Summer" whenever the Rickman character thinks back to his lost love. If you know the song, it perfectly encapsulates the mood of this movie. And yes there is a twist at the end, but if you have been paying attention, it won't come as too much of a shock. Although the prudes and the self-righteous will as usual recoil in moral outrage.

New Line Entertainment has given us a fine if bare-bones DVD. The film is transferred in it's original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 (enhanced for widescreen TV). Picure quality is good, clean and clear with natural warm colors. Black levels are just right. Audio includes the original stereo plus both DTS and Dolby 5.1 remixes. Excellent presentation. There are even optional English subtitles for people who can't get round the British accents. Thank goodness not everybody makes sanitized, Hollywood dross.
1414097
This is a film that gives the audience a small glimpse of an all-too-real, true family life.  The entangelment of their lives makes all the characters very dramatic and quite emotional at times.  To try to describe the story line would be a total disservice to the film's theme.  You have to see this film in order to understand its vastly complex and complicated message.  LIFE CAN NOT ONLY BE COMPLEX AND COMPLICATED BUT VERY EMOTIONAL AND LONELY WITHOUT GUIDANCE AND COMPANIONSHIP!  NJMJr.
4768771
I was at first irritated by the tightly framed and jumpy camera, but gradually the film takes hold of you at an emotional level, and you begin to think that the tight framing was done to eliminate any sense of place in order to express the universal human theme of love and longing.
The characters are all likable and all have their quirks. There are no secrets here, just "unknowns" that naturally exist between strangers/acquaintances. We learn about the characters as they reveal themselves to each other. It is difficult to say which character I liked the most, for all are handled sympathetically, leaving you feeling that most people deserve tenderness once you are privileged to learn their story. Human beings are fragile creatures, and only the severely wounded will turn their back on companionship and the opportunity to love.  There are no nude scenes, no violence, no foul language. A quiet gem of a film.
4858082
One of the most "moving", emotional movies I've seen since Schindler's List. The cinematography is breath taking, great directing and Christine Lahti has never been better. Some scenes are difficult to watch due to the cruel events of that time, but a viewing experience you won't soon forget.
365756
Secret Sunshine follows Shin-Ae (Jeon Do-yeon) as she moves into the small town of Milyang, South Korea, with her child to start a new life; her new journey starts off well, but is eventually devastated by the abduction of her child. Can she find the secret sunshine to brighten her dark life?

I enjoyed the story in this film. I believe it accurately catches the emotions one goes through when her life is hit with devastation after devastation; Jeon Do-yeon and Song Kang-ho had amazing performances.  Some moments are heartwarming, while others are heartbreaking. A major aspect of the film is religion and how it can comfort someone during hard times. Does it preach? I don't think so; in fact, I believe it throws a twists into the "religion saves the day" type of movies without being distasteful. I also enjoyed the ending, and loved the sense of ambiguity within it; definitely thought-provoking. The acting was great from the entire cast, and the music was amazing. However, the film had a slow pace, and also had some unexplained or poorly explained aspects; on a personal note, I would've loved to see or hear more about the tragedy as it was important to the story and believe would've engaged the audience a bit more. It's a dark and realistic film, so it can affect you on an emotional level.

Overall, Secret Sunshine is an amazing drama complimented by its superb performances, and holds a significant message. I recommend a purchase or rental, and highly recommend a purchase for fans of South Korean cinema.

Secret Sunshine has some violence and blood, no sex or nudity.
3025190
Every so often a film comes along that grabs hold of one's emotions and won't let go. "Sundays and C y b e l e" is this kind of film, initially released in 1962, garnering an Academy Award for Best Freign Film the following year. And for good reason: it is an absorbing, engrossing story about the innocence of childhood pitted against the suspicions and relative cynicism of the adult world that witnesses it and ultimately passes judgment on it, leading to its haunting, tragic finale. What I've always liked about this exceptional film is how this very emotional story unfolds, along with the cutting edge camerawork of the day. The plot unfolds beautifully and with sensitivity. Two damaged souls meet and forge a primal connection to each other, one a lost soul of an amnesiac and the other a young child abandoned by her father at a convent school in France. Unforgettable this film certainly is. Very highly recommended!
647910
While looking for temporary summer work, Martin runs into a childhood friend, Eugenio, who hires him to do some odd jobs around his familys house.  Eugenio seems attracted to Martin from the start, but is very insecure that the feeling is mutual.  They relive many of their childhood adventures, which becomes a bit of a courtship ritual.  They are both rather uneasy about the direction their relationship seems to be going, with Martin the more reluctant to admit his feelings as they surface.

This is a very emotional and highly sexy film, focusing solely on these two characters and their growing feelings for each other.  It is certain to resonate with those who recall misgivings about their early attempts at cultivating a loving relationship, reconciling their sexuality, and fearing rejection from someone who has become an important part of their lives. There are no real secondary characters, and relatively little dialogue, with most of the communication of their feelings acted beautifully through their actions we see on screen.

The film was made in Argentina, and actually has nothing to do with Hawaii (except a reference that both of them considered it a bit of a nirvana when they were kids).  Recommended as a refreshingly simple film about the complex matter of love and sexuality, from a filmmaker, Marco Berger, who seems to have nailed down that concept several times.  In Spanish with English subtitles, and would be a light R rating for sexual situations and brief nudity.  I give it a full five stars out of five.
2170345
Spoilers!!

This movie is a wonderful example of being able to take something that is very experience-near to people, which may seem even commonplace to some extent, and transform it into the premise of a film.  The action is slow-paced and intense in a more psychologically subtle way.  I think that one of the "advantages" of modern movies is that they eliminate the need to think in the audience, it becomes an exercise in detachment to see a number of explosions and violent acts that are really (for the most part) removed from our everyday experience; we can become fascinated by the bright colors and loud noises in the comfort of the theater, akin to a child discovering a bright and big world that they are in effect naive of and protected from (by the mother, as we are by the two-dimensionality of it).  In films like this, which slow the pace down and familiarize the content, we are much more viscerally affected, because it becomes an exercise in human experience, something that very well could affect us, and the slowness of it forces us to pay attention to details, mundane details perhaps, that we would just assume gloss over and move on to the next explosion.  But directors like this make us listen and watch that which is much closer to the heart of the human condition, something that we all-too-often lose sight of in a frenetic and results-driven world.  I think a beautiful analogy to this situation occurs in the dinner scene, in which the chatter fills the room, a chatter devoid of any content that actually reaches the girl, who sits in a dazed and detached manner, while her boyfriend vacillates between the two realities, one foot in each, but in truth you cannot split your fidelity between the pain of thought and life in their most primordial forms, or the detachment and illusion of a life lived on the surface... his choice is ultimately understandable, as it would have been if it had gone the other way.  The scene towards the end is a microcosm of the search of how to undo steps, the paranoia of stepping outside of the box, running down the dark and threatening alleyways of existence, seeking how to rid ourselves of that which we would rather not be a part of us, yet realizing ultimately how fruitless this venture is, and once we're in contact with that part of ourselves, things can never go back to being what they were before (as the final scene between the two women demonstrates powerfully).  Bravo.
4169383
Beautiful and different. Emotional and heart wrenching. Movie goes fast and then slow, however it really keeps moving at a decent pace. I believe you will enjoy.
911875
"Strawberry and Chocolate" is the first Cuban film I have seen in years.... It is certainly the only one that openly discusses things like communism,  homosexuality, and political immigration.
Although on the  surface, this film talks about politics and social ideology, most  importantly, it is about people: their happiness, their problems, and often  their loneliness.  Characters' problems are not blaimed solely on the  communist regime. Rather, authors locate roots of these problems and  solutions to them within the characters themselves.
The two main  characters [David and Diego], who initially don't seem to have anything in  common, end up loving each other.  All they needed to do, in order to  discover things they can share, is to look deep within themselves. One of  the greatest things they share, is their un-dying love for their  mother-land, Cuba: each man loves in his own way, but they are in it  together...
It is important that David and Diego do not end up being  lovers [as it would probably happen in a Hollywood-ish film], because the  bond they share is much more powerful than any physical  atttraction could  ever be. This bond has blossomed in the place, where before there was  nothing besides fear and hatred.
All characters [the two men, as well as  "Nancy", Diego's lonely and unlucky-in-love neighbor] have their  own dignity, spirituality, and inner beauty, despite their human faults and  peculiarities.  These people are not saints, but they are DECENT people.  Being together, however, makes them even stronger in their decency.  They  cling to each other, as only people on the sinking ship would, because they  know that they must be together in order to survive.
This film makes its  viewers feel deep emotions as well as entertains them with sophisticated,  smart humor and actors' highly-charged performances. It also leaves very  powerful images with the viewers for a long time.
It still breaks my  heart to remember Diego talking to his refrigerator and Nancy being  hospitalized...
"Strawberry and Chocolate" is a lesson in  universal humanity.
1180323
I like this film. It is a delightful story of an android boy who when exposed to humanity becomes one of us. It explores the naivety of sheltered youth coming of age and trying to learn the things of the world, from a different point of view. Touching and emotional. A very good "feel good" movie that is sure to hold your interest as you watch with anticipation as to how the plot will unfold. Very good casting and acting, film quality and sound. A good family film. You will be taken back a bit to your own youth as you watch D.A.R.Y.L. learn about love, affection, the basics of human emotion and acceptance in a world that is very much alien to him. I recommend this film whole heartedly.
4818646
I seen this movie a few weekends ago and it is heart wrenching and beautifully filmed.
Everything about the movie is fine[... ] The young child that plays the abandoned Ponette has an innocence about her that is fresh to see on screen. It's almost like you are peering inside private behind close doors grieving episodes because it looks so
true to life!
 This has subtitles but the movie is paced well and there are just so many emotional scenes that you rally should take
some kleenex.
Lots of mothers will be touched by this movie or parents that wonder about the emotional life & growth of a very young child traveling through turbulent waters. Time doesn't heal all sorrow but it comes with personal growth which you can see in this film.
201500
Possibly the most moving film I've seen. I'm grateful that I stumbled upon it.