My Octopus Teacher

 My Octopus Teacher

English, Documentary, Netflix, 8.1/10 IMBD, Directed by Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed

An intriguing log book, that turns a memoir, when God's creativity flabbergasts the viewers with the similarities of the intelligent invertebrates to the humans. Life never ceases to teach you- not only the fittest survive but also the smartest.

It does seem an extension of a National Geographic series to begin with. But the prologue of the documentary, gives a new color to the story-telling through a newer lens. A fatigued documentary film maker searching for a solution to rejuvenate himself and he finds a friend to bond with - Life mirrors one's inner emotions in its teaching, I realized. He revisits his childhood free-diving routines, to elevate his mundane mood and the screenplay is born out of the documentation of his year long visit to the habitat of his friend.

The high tides of the 'Benguela Current' of the Atlantic, churned my stomach and the gushing cold wind on the 'False Bay' caused some serious palpitation in a person like me, who has an aversion even to the world's most calmest water. When Craig dives sans his oxygen tank, in his bare body without a diving suit, I felt the biting chillness of the shallow 'kelp forest'. The antidote to my startled self was the magical dance of the algae - 'Kelp', with its broad yellowish brown leaves, swaying in contrast to the clear blue waters, the calmness seemed nothing less than meditative.

The survival techniques of an Octopus, is engrossing, especially when Craig deciphers those through the tracking eyes of the Central Kalahari men. A rare proposition for the viewers indeed. It is usually an enchanting experience when nature either consents to reveal its secrets or flaunt its creativity. But when the same is captured through those crystal clear underwater lens and is presented in a gripping narrative, it sure is a compelling watch.

The work would have been just a mundane documentary had it not been paired with a beautiful story - A human, bonding with an Octopus and for whose loss, his eyes even wells up at one point. But what happens in the mid part of the film while they are bonding, is what represents the maker's intent. The transfer of some valuable human lessons from the behaviorally diverse invertebrates is the key and when Craig's narration, visually finds parallels in the intelligence of his octopus friend to the humans, it is beyond belief.

The survival techniques are common to any species, but when it is a strategically planned one, its dramatic. It is an engaging watch.

Nomadland

 Nomadland

2020, English, Disney Hotstar, 7.5/10 IMDB, Directed by Chloé Zhao

While the pandemic ridden world around you speak, what a fine work of art this Oscar winning film 'Nomadland' is, the film is deeply disturbing as it communicates volumes of personalized emotions. The film calmly challenges the very basic driving force of millions across the planet- the desire to build a nest of their own called 'home', for some people, it even means to 'die in it' rather than to 'live in it'.

The movie looks 'life' through the eyes of a van dwelling nomad widow, named Fern, played by the adept actor Francis Mcdormand. Fern has no job, no house and no one to call her 'own'. Isn't that what each one of us are bracing ourselves, all our healthy lives long - the frightful 'stranded all alone' moment.

The film opens to a storage room where Fern had kept her belongings. She is selling most of it to procure a van for herself to travel in it and find a job. Her teary eyes say, each of those wordily possessions, had a tale to tell. It connects to the viewers instantaneously, as we all tend to hold on to things that we call it 'ours' and found it hard to let go of, however trifling it might be.

I experience a very similar emotion each time I dust the tiny figurines in my living room. A prompt flashback of where and when I had bought those souvenirs would flash upon my eye. My otherwise poor memory, would over work, to get me a tight close-up of the souvenir shop I bought it from, along with umpteen other insignificant details, including a tiff with my husband during that trip.

My 'empty nester house', in the middle of the pandemic had another trail of thought to add to the dusting routine. I wondered what my only daughter would do to these memorabilia, after my time here is over. She has no plans of settling down on this side of the planet. A decade or two is the precise life of these 'memory dolloped figurines', I thought to myself. I chose to watch 'Nomandland' on the very same day of my dusting routine, destiny I call it. The movie left me weary and the already swaying inner self of mine seemed shattered. When life is zeroed down to a void with no memories, no people, no purpose, what does one do? If I find myself in Fern's shoes, what would I do- I could hear my inner 'Me' questioning repeatedly.

When a young girl questions Fern at a store, if she was homeless, Ferns answers, 'I am house less'. Home to her, is the confined space of her van, whereas, a house to her seemed rather a physical structure with unwanted space in it. The more she learns on the survival techniques of a nomad's life from fellow nomads, the director tries to engulf the audience into the simplified livelihood of the nomadic herders. At some point, I turned to look at the huge space I call 'My home' and it seemed to make no sense for some weird reason.

The other fascinating element of the film is, when Fern is seen envisaging the possibility of getting back in to a caging life. In a dilemma whether to accept the offer of her fellow nomad Dave, who is moving in with his son's family for good, she braves to overcome the temptation, not letting herself 'anchor down' for the rest of her life in a 'House'. She breaks free the claustrophobic life and a jump cut atop a cliff that follows is sheer magical. The gushing wind ruffling her hair makes one feel what it means to be free of human ties. Suddenly the 'stranded all alone moment' is not as dreadful as it sounds, I thought. My mind was trying to find random parallels in 'Vanapratha', the third of the four ashramas of the Hindu tradition, which means 'to give up worldly life' and retire to the forest.

The film convincingly moves on and the watch becomes even intense when she visits her abandoned house at the Gypsum plant. She had lived there with her husband until he died and for sometime even after his death. The house she had described earlier in the film, had left a picture in the viewer's mind, a scenic backyard with a vast desert landscape, meeting the mountains at the horizon. The image of the now uninhabited house, stripped of its 'once upon a time' identity, stands like a mere skeleton, a thing of the past. The 'memories' are the only remains of the life it denotes and those are the ones that Fern is seen carrying with her on the road.

Couple of days of contemplation made me ask myself, whether Fern would have chosen to live the nomad's life if her husband hadn't died or if she wasn't broke. She takes this path when she is in a crisis and chooses to stick to it, as she couldn't stomach the mundane life any longer. The minimalist living, sure is intriguing and for people like me, who think 'Home' is synonymous to security, the possibility of experiencing it, might be only if it is the last available resort.

If life were to force upon me a trip to the Nomadland, it might as well be a worthy one, I thought.

Revolutionary Road

 Revolutionary Road

2008, English, Netflix, 7.3/10 IMBD, Directed by Sam Mendes

An edgy intricate drama, detailing the conflicts of an unhappy marriage of a couple that inflict heartache in them both. Apart from being emotionally draining, it urges to look within.

Adapted from a 1961 novel by Richard Yates, this period film set in the 1950's. It is about 'The Wheelers', Frank and April (Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet). Their ups and downs in the suburban Connecticut at No.115, Revolutionary Road is the story.

The milieu of suburban societal pressures of the 50's is evident in the couple's aspiration to be different among the ordinary. Frank sulks of his mundane job. An unsuccessful actress, April wants to beat the boredom in their life. She suggests they move to Paris, where she can work and Frank can find his passion. It doesn't interest him at first but April's conviction to the idea, convinces him. Their plan topples as April gets pregnant and Frank is offered a promotion. It results in flaring up their mutual disrespect and ends in a complete disaster.

The shockingly neurotic arguments seems a magnified version of a normal relationship tiff of any household. But somewhere it relate the petty ones that each one of us had faced day in and day out. The actors brings to play such skillful acting, that it gives a peek into the character's state of mind. Hurtling insults, furious words and overlapping dialogues, leaves the audience dumbstruck to witness the frustration in them, surface as sadism.

The mysterious calm after a storm of emotions, is pretty haunting and a turn of events seems inevitable. Erring expression on Leonardo's face, is spot on in exhibiting his guilt. He is puzzled to be spoilt for choices at breakfast and he leaves to work all confused. One could hardly stomach what transpires after Frank leaves home.

The mental agony of the western household women of the 50's, is no different from the plight of the women in the 20th century India. The attention deprived women's arrogant blunder and its consequences are the highlights of the film's end. Frank is left alone to watch his children play, as the credits scroll. The film's core plot is set right, by the strong message the last frame conveys.

The Social Dilemma

 The Social Dilemma

2020, Docudrama, English, Netflix, 7.8/10 IMDB, Directed by Jeff Orlowski

Social network addiction, decoded using a new lens, that incites silent shock waves and urges the need for weaning off from one's own addiction however minimal one may manifest it to be.

Evils of social media, documented with a parallel drama of a family's addiction. Even if not an eyeopener, it sure is an informative series that insists on keeping our addictions at bay, the beauty of it being, one may know what categorizes as addiction and what doesn't.

Keeping aside the unwarranted hype that preludes the crucial information by introducing some big names of the trade, it sets the stage for something that might have fatal consequences if not kept under check at the right time.

The drama that intercepts the interviews of the big wigs, is mundane but the turbulence of the character in the end, is an unexpected turn of events that we can correlate to the everyday news channels in our living rooms. When it is a result of a subtle innocent addiction, it throws awful lot of emphasis on our daily usage of these networks and never realize that we are being manipulated and lured.

When the Addiction Medicine Fellowship Director of Stanford University throws light, we realize that we are caught in the web of these networking sites and ought to de-route towards rationing our activities on these domains with immediate effect.

The highlight of the film is when, Google's responses on globally common phenomena, varies from person to person, depending the place one lives and personal interest. Just when we believe 'God-sent' Google is here to substitute all kinds of tutors who surfaced the earth ever, its a shame to realize its a mere game of puppeteering that we have fallen prey to all these years.

Its like the line from the film Jurassic Park II- ' Life finds its way', even thought it is unintentional, seems like the plugin are having a life of their own and are trying to conquer the human species.

I could hear a scream within me, 'Lets not totally dodge our commonsense and try harder to move our faces from the screens of our gadgets, to see the divine creations and tangible humans around us'.