Train Man

This film is a marvelous story about a young man named Densha and the many emotions he goes through to find true love. This true story takes place in a bustling city called Tokyo. Japan is a very crowded island full of lights, technology and people. It seems like you could get lost in the shuffle of all the things going on around the city. I was very surprised to see how modern everything was. However, the living quarters in Tokyo were very tiny, every room seemed very cramped. Densha's room had all the essentials including; a bed, a desk and most importantly a computer. Technology is huge in Japan. Densha relied very heavily on his cell phone and computer, without these two things he would have lost touched to the outside world. Densha is a boy that is known as an Otaku, meaning he is obsessed with comics, computer games and anything dealing with the virtual world. Unfortunately Densha's obsession has resulted in him losing touch with reality and the people around him. He used to spend most of his life face to face with either a computer screen or his cell phone. Densha did not know how to act in public situations and just seemed really uncomfortable talking to anyone unless he was communicating via email or text messaging. He spent the majority of his time being an outcast to society, he was unnoticed and according to society he was also unattractive.

One lucky day Densha was presented with an opportunity to show his bravery and prove to the world that he could make a difference. While Densha was on a train he rescued a young girl that was being harassed by a drunk man. He stood up for himself and proved that he was not going to be pushed around for the rest of his life. He was a stereotypical nerd that got pushed and laughed at when he got on the train, yet he left the train with a whole new reputation.
Both Japan and America seem to have the same outlook on the concept of "nerds." A nerd is someone that is very book smart yet has no street smarts, someone that gets nervous when they have to talk to someone face to face, also someone that has no confidence and allows the world to look down on them.

Although Densha did not have any "real" friends, he had many cyber relationships. His cyber friends were all in the same situation he was in. They lost touch with reality and were living vicariously through Densha and his love interest. They were good at giving advice, yet they did not take their own advice. They were also afraid to step out and date or form outside realtionships. They all isolated themselves and ignored even their families. I believe Densha was used to inspire his instant messenger support group. He stood up for himself and took a chance, giving this group the courage to someday do the same.

The last scene of this film was a flash back of Hermes sitting on the train and the amusement she showed when she laid eyes on Densha. I believe this scene was used to show that Hermes was interested in Densha all along and did not need him to be heroic in order for her to notice him. She was apparently attracted to him from the very moment she first saw him. This goes to show that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Although many saw Densha as a nerd, Hermes saw something different in him and had the ability to bring out his best qualities.

Good Bye Lenin

This film takes place in Berlin Germay before and after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Berlin is portrayed as a very dark and cold place. Although the film takes place in 1989, I pictured everything to look a lot older. The buildings looked rundown, the people looked sad, and I just got a sense of gloominess from the environment as a whole. The area around Berlin probably seemed so depressed because people were imprisoned by the Wall and could not truly be free and happy. The isolation of East Germany is definitely shown from the imprisonment of the Berlin Wall. Police guarded the wall, people got arrested for protesting their right to be free, and no one could escape the restrictions the wall had placed on their lives.

There is a definite contrast between capitalism and communism in this film. Eastern Germany was controlled by Communist Russia. Everyone lived in small flats and had to wait in line at grocery stores, only to find empty shelves. Once capitalism was introduced you could not only see more wealth coming into this area but also more opportunity. Totalitarianism was depicted in this film by showing how much control the Russians had over Berlin. Alex and his family had minimal opportunities, they were limited by the restrictions of the communism shown.

Alex put all of his energy into protecting his mother after she woke up from her coma. He did everything in his power to keep her from finding out that the Berlin Wall had fallen. In several ways I believe Alex was keeping this infomration from his mother also to comfort himself. Ostalgia has a huge role in this film. Alex seemed to long for the past even if it was unrealistic. He did not seem very comfortable to move on into the future and try new things. He searched for certain foods from the past, almost like he was unable to accept that things were going to change. I am unconvinced that keeping this secret from his mother made her live longer. I think if Alex and his sister would have told their mother from the beginning about the fall of the Wall that she would have been able to recuperate and heal from her heart attack.

Seducing Dr.Lewis

This film was an amazing story about a little towns struggle for survival. This little town was so isolated from the city and the rest of the country. It was located on a little island that could only be reached by a ferry or helicopter. It seemed very hard and inconvenient to even leave this area if you already lived there. One man had lived his whole life without even once leaving the island. I almost felt bad for these people because their resources were so limited, there was only one restaurant, one church , one bank and not enough jobs for everyone. It would have been so easy for this little island to become abandoned except for all of the dwellers love of the land.
The physical landscape was beautiful, green grass that was surrounded by lush waters and scenic mountains. It seemed so fresh, so full of nature and beauty.
There are so many differences between this rural area and a typical urban area. I just felt like there was such a feeling of community, this small town seemed to be just one big family. The town meetings, the nights out at the restaurant, the cricket team just brought everyone together. Everyone seemed to be involved in one anothers lives. You don't get this same sense of community in urban areas. Everyone seems to break off into groups and there are so many other options of places to go and things to get involved in.
Not only are there differences in the closeness of the community but also in the culture. Dr. Lewis, from the non French Quebec was mostly about himself and seemed to only look out for himself. He would do lines of coke eventhough he was supposed to be a highly respected doctor. His girlfriend obviously didn't have any respect for him because she was sleeping with his best friend for the past three years of their relationship. The French Quebec seemed more respectable. They all had a common goal and really worked together to create the factory.
The government didn't seem to be too helpful to St. Marie. They made it extremely difficult for this town to get a loan so they could build their factory. The government seemed uninterested possibly because they thought this little town was too small and a waste of their time.
I felt the passion these people had for their land. They couldn't even fathom leaving for a city job because they had such a strong tie to this area. This place was a home to 120 people, it was comfortable and made them happy. Many people in St. Marie probably didn't know any different and have never even left this place that they call home. It would be hard to rip away the community that this small town has established, so mush history has been made. I was blessed to see that this town will continue and many more memories will be made.

The Little Girl Who Sold The Sun

This film depicts the unfair circumstances that happen in human life. Every culture faces different life circumstances and shows how people deal with different situations. The first woman in the film, who was accused of being a thief, turned frantic. She caused a scene in front of a huge crowd of people. She was arrested kicking and screaming with no shame because she felt she was wrongly accused. It was surprising to see how everyone watched her as if the arrest was a great source of entertainment. The crowds were yelling and making rude comments and remarks as the police drug her away.
The second main character in the film was a little girl who seemed to have a completely different outlook on life. She was handicapped and could not walk without her crutches. She was the most grateful and hard working girl. She would do absolutely anything for someone else. She was picked on while selling newspapers, her crutches were stolen from her but throughout it all she could only respond by flashing the world a contagious smile. She changed the people around her, took care of her blind grandmother and gave money to the poor. She acted completely different from the previous lady when she was accused of stealing. She turned the situation into good by acting respectful and explaining to the police that there may be others who are wrongfully accused and actually helped that older lady get out of jail. She made the world a better place and realized that she can make a huge difference in the lives of others despite her illness.
The scenery of this film just seemed so dry, hot and dirty. I just remember seeing so much dirt and dust surrounding the community. There doesn't seem to be much fertile land to grow crops. It just seemed to be a very poor place not just by looking at the people but also by looking at the land. There were not very many established buildings, mostly people seemed to just sit on the streets and watch what was going on around them. All together it just seemed to be a very competitive place to live while everyone is struggling for survival. Especially when I saw the younger boys selling newspapers I just realized that every day is a struggle to make money for survival.