Imaginema

We, the western people use to think we are the center of the universe and that the world revolves around, and don’t seem to understand why other regions of the world as Middle East don’t look for development the way we do.

Thank God, there are movies like The Kite Runner (produced by DreamWorks SKG in collaboration with other independent companies) that shows us a different and deeper image of Middle East.

The Kite Runner shows us another Afghanistan, away from war and bombs. It is told to us through the story of two little boys and their friendship before the Russian invasion that tried to eliminate religion replacing it with communism. This attempt lead then (as it use to happen) to the other extreme, with the appearance of Taliban in the country that established a dictatorship of Islamic extremism and fundamentalism with a humiliating treatment to women and many racial groups they consider inferior.

Amir and Hassan live in a childhood world as hard as it is to survive as it is for most of the children. A stage were the dreams and emotions are as real as they are never again in life. For them running a kite is the biggest concern there is… until they find out the sense of loyalty, honesty, sacrifice and love while they mature in the day to day problems. And everything they believe comes to its greatest test when they experience the worst situation there is for any human being: WAR.

The Kite Runner is a great story for those who want to have a closer look to Afghanistan and just don’t think that watching at the TV news you know everything about the problems they experience in some Middle East countries.

Middle East as the rest of the world is full of people just as you and me that know in the bottom of their hearts what is right and what is wrong and there is a small minority of religious fundamentalists, but also Western politicians that want to rule through terror trying to confuse us, and showing us there is a big distance from them to us. When the thing is the human spirit in basis is the same, no matter the race, religion or culture. And we should fight to make our distance shorter instead of the grown apart we experience everyday in our times.

It has been months since Imaginema was born, and during the past few months, the lack of free time and the quest for a good subject to start writing, kept the blog empty until now. I just decided to write about the movie I have seen tonight.

For those who are not familiar with the foreign film markets (I am meaning foreign for the ones are outside the United States), in some countries like Spain, movie dialogues use to be translated completely and dubbed by local artists in Spanish.

It has been a surprise to find out, Lions and Lambs (just launched in Spain 2 days ago) was not only dubbed, but also graphically adapted to the country. By this I mean, all the newspapers cutouts, all the TV news written reports, and even all the character personal notes appeared on the screen in Spanish.

This translation techniques have first been used in child movies all over the world, but this is the first time we see it in Spain in such detail. Truth is, although it makes easy for people to follow the story, it is also strange to find all this Spanish words in the props and decorations of the scenes. It seems really artificial to watch on the screen even when you are listening the diologues in your own language.

Let’s just forget about this little mater, and talk a little about the movie. Truth is, the movie is really inspiring and deep feelings moving. But also it gets you to feel confused about what your ‘life call’ is.

In one of his media interviews, Robert Redford referred to his motivation to direct this movie as need to show the pain, separatism and confrontation that President Bush Administration has brought to American society during his two electoral periods. He mentioned a great apathy and lack of motivation that seems to surround most of American youth, but also the way many other young men and women seems to feel the duty to serve their country offering even their lives.

Lions for lambs really tries to communicate this thoughts, but also points out a criticism of how snob politicians play with these youth dreams of patriotism and idealism to support their own egotistical ambitions of power. Truth is this is shown in the movie with a really partial point of view, as if it were only a Republican party way of been. Meanwhile we all know most of the Democrat party politicians use to act and develop their careers in the same way. This is the only detail that gives away some of the credibility of the movie argument.

The film is a really modest production based in conversations that really gets you to think, and this is something you really thank of a movie. If a film really makes you to decide to write a post of it when no one pays you for it, that means something happened in the theater between the movie and you. And Lions for lambs really gets your mind busy reflecting about what characters say.

Truth is the movie do not makes any critique pointing to destroy, it only tries to make question yourself if you are doing things in the right way or the easy way. And this is shown primary in the title, that shows two different ways of fighting for your beliefs: one is as a lamb, comfortable seated in your office with a great superficial point of view and the other is as a lion in the battle field confronting real world as it is.

You do not have to be American to understand the real feelings this movie tries to transmit. Any one who loves freedom and believes in ’something’ may find this movie really enjoyable. Truth is the story will make you to ask yourself about many things, but will not give you an answer about any of those questions, you will have to find them by yourself, and this is the fact that really gives the story it’s credibility. There are not quick answers for the important questions of life.