Blame it on Fidel

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm writing about another French movie...

Blame it on Fidel is a little more lively than some of the cinema Francais I've seen lately, mainly because the protaganist is a nine-year-old girl, Anna. Anna is dealing with the loss of her old, comfortable middle class life when her parents decide to take on new roles and jobs to support causes they believe in- Allende in Chile, and the women's lib movement in 1970 Paris.

The beauty of the movie is that nowhere along the way does the movie advertise a certain point of view. In fact, it explores the perspectives of Communism, Feminism, Catholicism, Greek mythology, Asian mythology, and various other philosophies. This might frustrate and confuse the average American movie viewer, but I always prefer a question mark to a period (or an exclamation mark) in these cases.

The movie, then, becomes about how we piece together our own philosophies, how we manage to meld things that sometimes clash, and how we deal with finding out the diasppointing truth about idealism. In this movie, as in life, there are no absolutes, and the right answers are only right if they're right for you.

It is, quite simply, beautifully and impressively done, and I love that all of this difficult material is dealt with through the eyes of a little girl. Because in the end, I think we all deal with these issues with the same naive, grudging, curious, and opinionated gusto as our heroine, Anna.

A nice thought-provoking look inside ourselves and our own worldviews. And it's on Netflix instant watch right now. Yay French movies!

Summer Hours

One of the very best places I like to go when I need to find a comforting, uplifting sense of inspiration is tucked away inside a good warm movie.

That's right, a movie. More on It's Complicated's lavender honey ice cream, Amelie's lovely slip, and The Kids Are All Right's locally grown salads later.

Right now I want to talk about Summer Hours, a lovely, quiet French movie that focuses on family, on how art is treated in today's world, and questions the care the future generations will (or will not) take of the rich culture of the past.




For me, the movie asked other important questions, every day questions like: where does art belong? Where do flowers belong? The answer: surrounding us, as part of us, as an intrinsic part of our lives, homes, and even legacies.




And the definition of what art is precious? The art that speaks to us, no matter how lauded and invaluable it isn't. In the movie, important pieces of art are given to a museum, while a family salvages its true treasures: a beat-up teapot, or a vase you always reach for to put your flowers in.



And what flowers do you put in the vase? Wildflowers you collect from the woods, of course. Wild, gnarly, woody flowers. In every room.




Beautiful, muted colors and beautiful, muted stories amidst the backdrop of the French countryside- who could ask for more?

It's on instant watch right now!