The other night while I was doing some homework, I was flipping through the channels on TV and came across one of my favorite movies, “Au Revoir Les Enfants,” or in English, “Goodbye Children.” It is a semi-autobiographical film, written and directed by Louis Malle. It takes place during World War II at a Catholic boarding school in France; the priests at the school are hiding a Jewish boy named Jean Bonnet from the Nazis. A great portion of the film focuses on the friendship between Jean Bonnet and another student at the school, Julien Quentin. For anyone who is interested in French culture, or even historical films, I would totally recommend this movie. I originally had seen it for one of my classes, but I have been a huge fan ever since. Louis Malle does a great job of portraying the struggles that accompanied World War II during the 1940s… Definitely check it out!
Posted by Jen, Brussels, Belgium, Spring 2007
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Movie Review - Maria Full of Grace
María Llena de Gracias (María Full of Grace) is a great movie full of suspense with scenes in both Colombia and the United States. It tells the tale of María Alvarez, an outspoken Colombian teen fed up with her life of working in a factory to support her family. She does not want to follow in the footsteps of her mother and sister: pregnant, abandoned by the men in their lives, and barely surviving. Embracing her rebellious side, she becomes involved in drug smuggling, which promises opportunities to travel and earn much money, but with major legal, personal, and social consequences. Her character is very brave as she makes her way to the U.S., knowing no English and traveling with lethal drugs inside her body as a “drug mule”.
The movie is really riveting and held my attention intensely throughout the film. As the action takes place in Colombia I was really draw in by the beautiful scenery but also how frustrated María feels in her small, impoverished village. As the scene shifts to New York City the contrast between lifestyles and countries is drastic. I love immigrant stories so it was really interesting to see all of María’s struggles (language, culture shock, lack of material things) and all of the opportunities that were available to her also. This is a great international film and definitely worth renting!
Posted by Clare, Seville, Spain, Spring 2007
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