sonjapasa

I saw this movie when it came to our town some years ago, then when our local Borders Bookstore had a Buy 3 and get the 4th free, I bought 4 different Asian films - when selecting them and being a huge fan of Asian cinema, this was the one movie I wanted to add to my collection. I remember a friend (from Viet Nam) telling me she had just seen the most incredible movie with her American husband, who absolutely loved it though he never seen an Asian movie, she described it to me as "calming". When I saw it I felt I wanted to just drop out my modern day life and find a lake just like the one in the movie. I tried to convince my friends to see it but as often happens, the movie only played for 1 week and most of them missed it. When I bought it (not cheap $25.00) I sat with my boyfriend and watched it, we never spoke a word during the movie, it was a sign of how the simplicity of the story yet strong messages made us think as we went along with the story, it brought us closer together as human beings, closer to our inner source, closer to realizing the symbiotic relation of nature and our souls, in short it was a complete respite from the insane busy lives we personally lead. We talked for days about it, not the message so much but how we felt having seen it and since have decided it was a movie one can see again and again as the message we'll get from it, will and can be different each time. How lovely that the director was able to convey this to us half way around the other side of his world. Gentle and lovely is the best way to describe how it made me feel. Though I love many Asian films such as Hero, House of Daggers, Crouching Tiger, etc. which all have messages as well, this film was the absolute best for me.

A friend of mine saw this at a film festival and told me I HAD to see it when it comes out. I was counting the days especially after seeing the interview on PBS Charlie Rose. I have always like j. phoenix and absolutely love Reese W. (specifically after Legally Blonde) as in that movie she took the part of June Carter to an absolute level of believability, it is her strength as an actor. I thought it was interesting that Joaquin and Reese never upstaged each other, not in the story line or in their acting, it was true chemistry as there must have been between Carter and Cash in life. I walked out of the theater thinking it would be great if every movie you walk out of you feel as good as I did, it's been a long time since I felt that about a movie. As dismal as the "movie" landscape was this year, I know that if there WERE many other fabulous ones, they will still win Oscars for their great performances, hands down they must win. In the interviews before the movie came out, Joaquin and Reese even then conveyed a certain chemistry between them as actors, not to mention that they have tremendous respect for each other as actors, it was just bound to be good. I enjoyed Joaquin in Gladiator so much, and he was so believable, as in this movie. I think Johnny Cash would be proud of this movie, Joaquin's performance was so good he could have been his son in looks and even his singing. It is hard to believe these two never sang before, not to mention having to do IT on screen. THIS REALLY IS THE BEST MOVIE OF 2005 AND MANY OTHER YEARS!

I saw this movie on the recommendation of a therapist and friend of mine. I left the movie realizing one thing: we never really can imagine that our preconceived ideas of others, can be so wrong. We are all human beings, driven by the same needs, facing the same fears, wanting good in our lives, and all too often we don't realize how universal this is. To make this movie just about race is entirely wrong, it is about the human race. Though I think that the interaction and dissimilarities of the different characters (Korean, Persian, black, white, rich, poor) is typically of our American culture, I would imagine it applies on a universal level as far as the prejudices we hold as humans. We hear it from our parents who heard it from their parents, prejudice runs in families for generations, no matter how educated, rich or poor we are. The D.A.'s wife (Jean) sounds the same as the young black characters, she simply held back more. In the end, I felt good and enlightened by this movie and realized how every word I say and thought I have, is often in some way and indication of the prejudices I hold about others, some I seriously need to address, others more innocent, but prejudice nonetheless. I salute Paul Haggis for this most eye opening movie.