Mine, All Mine

Film: North Country
Format: DVD from personal collection on laptop.

One of the problems with watching Oscar films is that I don’t get a lot of horror, science fiction, or comedy. I’m watching the horror lists (and am thinking of adding a few more) specifically because otherwise my diet is pretty much drama drama drama. That’s what I signed up for with North Country, a film in which Sean Bean survives, Jeremy Renner plays a sleeze, and Charlize Theron once again plays less glamorous in search of Oscar gold.

North Country is about the first ever class action sexual harassment lawsuit, which means you should have a good idea of what we’re in for. Lots of public shaming, Charlize Theron getting grabbed, and, what the hell, a rape tossed in for good measure. Oh, and family drama. And ALS. Sorry, that’s probably rude of me. If I come across as bitter, it’s only because North Country isn’t an easy film to sit through. Since it is a social justice film we’ve definitely got a destination that we’re heading to, but getting there is going to be ugly.

Dolphins are for Wusses

Film: Whale Rider
Format: DVD from DeKalb Public Library on laptop.

Chip Lary at Tips from Chip has been proselytizing to me about the film Whale Rider. The only reason it didn’t show up on his list of films for me for this year was that it appeared on my Oscars list (and he gave me another New Zealand/Maori film to compensate). This is one of those films that I figured I’d better watch soon so that his head didn’t explode, so when I spotted it on the library shelves the other day, I figured it was time to watch Whale Rider, if only to prevent the possibility of Chip overselling it to me.

We are immediately thrust into a patrilineal culture and witness the birth of the grandson of a tribal chief of a Maori group. As it happens the wife of the chief’s son dies in childbirth as does the grandson. But the wife had twins, and the surviving child is a daughter named Paikea, the name of the original ancestor who is alleged to have come to New Zealand riding on a whale. The grandfather, Koro (Rawiri Paratene), is upset about the death of his grandson and seems not to care much about the death of his daughter-in-law. He’s also upset about the name of his new granddaughter. Paikea’s father Porourangi (Cliff Curtis), unable to deal with the death of his wife and son, leaves, entrusting his daughter to his parents.