The Squid and the Whale

The Squid and the Whale is an extremely realistic look into marriage. It presents a stark reality that is not often captured in films by following the lives of one family as they suffer through separation and divorce. It shows the effects that separation has on children.

The movie starts with a competition: a supposedly innocent game of tennis. It continues to show fighting and unrest. The parents come to the conclusion that the marriage is not working. The wife has cheated on more than one occasion. The husband is distant and unresponsive, too caught up in his work and opinions to take any notice to his family. The sons respond in their own unique ways to the inevitable separation. The older son can not maintain a stable, healthy relationship and lies without any guilt. The younger son starts drinking and performs other distubing acts.

At one point in the movie, the older son thinks back about his childhood when talking to the school psychologist. He remembers a time when he is happy at the natural history museum with his mother. He was scared of the squid and the whale exhibit when young, so he hid his eyes while his mother described the scene. In remembering this moment, he realizes that it's finally time to face reality. He didn't want to see it before, but no one can sugar-coat the situation now. He goes to the museum and sees his parents' life for what it is.

This is an excellent film. The viewer is almost convinced he or she is watching a home movie rather than a production. I was appalled by some of the subject material covered by the film (specifically the younger son), and I think it could have been cut without affecting the reality of the movie. Overall, I give the movie 3 1/2 potatoes.
1/2

Pi: Faith in Chaos

If you hated math in school, skip Pi: Faith in Chaos. However, if you ever were intrigued by the theory of numbers and if there is a basic algorithm to explain chaos, then this movie is definitely for you.

According to this movie, all life is driven by one single number, 216 digits long. The main character, Max, searches endlessly for this number and its meaning, meeting intriguing characters along the way. As he comes closer to the answer, more and more trouble ensues. He finally comes to some sort of understanding while staring at a brain in his sink. Whether he finds his answer or not is in question, but I think he suddenly realizes that ignorance can actually be bliss. Knowledge is power, but it is better to have no knowledge than to know too much.

Pi explores many strange topics. In fact, I don't think I understood half the movie. Really, it's my opinion that a bunch of mathematicians created this movie, thinking that their "science" is the end-all be-all of all knowledge. Anyone majoring in science can recognize this. Chemists believe all life can explained by reactions, Geneticists believe all life can be explained by DNA, and apparently these Mathemeticians believe that all life can be explained by numbers. It's fun to think about, but maybe there really isn't ONE explanation out there.

Overall, I give this movie 3.14 potatoes because it explores a topic not often explored in Hollywood films. Plus it makes you think about life and its meaning.

Rabbit-Proof Fence

Based on a true story, Rabbit-Proof Fence is an interesting look into aboriginal culture in the early 1900's. During this time, the government ordered all "half-castes" (half white, half aboriginal) children to be taken away from their aboriginal parent and raised at a boarding school to eventually work as house-keepers for white people. The intent was to erase any "blackness" from the population and save the black people from themselves.

The movie follows the lives of 3 half-caste girls as they are stolen from their mother. They walk for 3 months across the harshest of climates (the Australian desert) to return home. Along the way, they receive aid from several people. One of the more interesting aids is an older half-caste woman, a product of the system the girls have found themselves in. During the night, half-caste woman's boss comes into the cabin to rape her. The girls realize that this could be their future if they stay at the boarding school. This motivates them even more to return to their home.

The movie is powerful and heartfelt. It shows the strength and desire that leads these girls to return to the people they love. I give this movie 3 potatoes.