Caught this oscar-winning foreign (German) film at The PictureHouse today and it had greater emotional impact for me than the equally acclaimed (and fellow academy award nominee) Pan's Labyrinth. I'll leave you to read the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes (95% positive!) but it really is a thought-provoking and moving movie which is not that arthouse at all.Despite being set in Cold War era East Germany, its themes are pretty contemporary and relevant to our world today. The synopsis introduces it as a "political thriller and human drama", and it is very much so. It explores the complexities of human nature in a subtle but poignant manner that leaves you pondering, and ruminating even after the credits roll.
Life is so often about the lives of others. Of people we love, hate, desire, aspire to, or even those we (claim we) can't be bothered about. We derive vicarious pleasure from reading books and blogs, watching TV and movies, and learning about the experiences of others. We see through their eyes, learn to understand their perspectives, and enrich ourselves with their little anecdotes and life stories. We get affected, and we empathise. We give, and we take.
But we live for ourselves (and some might say our loved ones), make our own decisions (when we are old enough), and come to bear the consequences of these decisions. Follow your whims, not. Follow the whims of others, never. We should all learn to think for ourselves and not be puppets of others, or the system. But Singaporeans are too pampered, sheltered and well taken care of by our Big Brother. For better or worse.
To quote a common army phrase: "Wake Up Your Idea!!!"
