Turtles Can Fly

When I hear war movie I think of movies like Rambo and Saving Private Ryan, but after watching the film Turtles can Fly I’m going to have to rethink my preconceived notions of the war movie genre. Turtles can Fly takes places during the present day Iraqi-American war, but instead of being from a soldier’s perspective, it takes the viewpoints children. The film’s protagonist, Satellite, takes care of the village’s children by finding work for them which includes clearing mine fields, renting guns, setting up satellite dishes, and various other odd jobs. The movie also is centered on the story of two refugees, Agrin, and Henkov. After first laying eyes on Agrin, the only female lead, Satellite immediately sets out to woo her despite his ignorance of her troubled past. The film goes on to reveal more about these two refuge brother and sister and their “little brother” through a series of flashbacks slowly revealing the plot behind the movie. In the end, Turtles can Fly is a story about the harshness of everyday life for children in a war torn country.

                One of the items in this movie that struck me as important was the rope Satellite gives to Agrin in the beginning of the movie. At first it symbolized his interest in Agrin because he had given it to her for no charge. Later on in the film it, after more of Agrin’s story was revealed, it came to symbolize something else. The rope that was used to keep Agrin’s “brother” tied down so he wouldn’t escape also tied Agrin to the child and to her violent past. And the rope was used again in the end of the film to tie down her problems permanently so she could finally leave.  It was powerful use of symbols like the rope and others, such as the red fish, which give this movie its deeper meaning.

                Turtles can Fly was a unique perspective on the Iraqi people. Something we as Americans don’t get to see very often.

-David Brown-

Joint Security Area

Joint Security Area is a Korean film about the conflict that ensues between North Korea and South Korea after two North Korean soldiers are found dead. Major Sophie from the Neutral Nations Supervisory Committee is sent to investigate the incident. What she finds out as the truth begins to unravel is that there is more to this incident then just a kidnapping or a simple shooting.
Joint Security Area definitely conveyed some nationalist themes, such as the contrast between tradition and modernity. After The Korean War in the 1950’s, North Korea and South Korea were two countries populated by members who despised each other. During this movie, made in 2000, soldiers are seen trying to overstep this bond of hatred and enjoy each other as brothers. They are trying to overcome the decades old idea that they must hate each other. The movie also seems a critique on the social situation of the day; it seems to make fun of how important each side hating the other had become. For example, the scene when the two soldiers, one from each side, were guarding the boarder and one soldier told the other that his “shadow was over the line.” That is just a ridiculous notion, and yet representative of how the two countries acted towards each other.
Although this film contains many nationalist themes, I believe it could also be seen as a global film. First off I found it fascinating that much of the movie was conducted in English, especially in the interaction of Major Sophie and the other Swiss and Swedish members of the NNSC. It shows how English has really become an international language. Secondly, I think this film can relate to many countries that have found themselves in the aftermath of a civil war. One of the big elements of this that other countries I believe could relate to is competition in the production of goods. This is seen with the moon pies; the Northern soldiers loved the moon pies and hoped someday to be known for making the best sweets on the peninsula. This emotion is felt not just between two sides of one country around the world today, but between two separate countries competing for customers of the same good.
One of the big elements of mise-en-scene used by the director Park Chan-wook was lighting. There was a lot of dark lighting and shadows used to convey the secrecy and the lies that occurred all throughout the movie. One example of this is the shadows cast upon Major Sophie and Sgt. Lee Soo-hyeok when she is trying to ask him about his deposition. The lighting plays a large part in the viewer’s understanding of the film.

-Marshall Anne Caswell

Nine Queens

The Nine Queens is a great movie about two trying to sell fake stamps to a rich stamp collector. It is both funny and intellectual. The movie takes place in Argentina. From the start, the movie shows the corruption and crime that is widespread throughout Argentina. The main character Juan is a brilliant person that likes to trick people into giving him money. He meets a guy named Marcos who is a "professional con man." The movie seems pick on the dumb people as Juan and Marcos con people as if it is casual practice. Throughout the movie they meet many people who are also con artists.
The movie relies on a lot of suspense. The two people seem to go through the most difficult and complicated scenes throughout the whole movie. The unthinkable happens constantly. The movie takes one scene and completely changes the situation to a favorable one to a what the hell just happened situation. All this suspense keeps the watcher watching. People wants to know what happens later and that is what this movie is good about. The suspense and the excitement of the movie is what grips the audience and keeps them awake.
The con act that happens in the movie is as brilliant as Ocean's Eleven except not as high budgeted and less money. However, the movie does one part wrong. All the scenes and description of the movie make Argentina sound like it is full of screw ups and bad luck which is realistic. The lighting, colors, and background gave the movie a more realistic look to it. At the end, the movie loses its realism and gains a type of intellectual fantasy. Overall, I enjoyed the movie, but the amount of unexpectedness that happens is ridiculous.
-Raymond Chian