akash_sebastian

Subverting the trope of feminine subservience and the male gaze, Park Chan-Wook's latest thriller is fiercely anti-patriarchal. Inspired from Sarah Waters' contemporary romance novel set in Victorian-era Britain, Park transports his story to 1930's Japanese-occupied Korea. Parallels can be seen between subjugation of women by men and that of Korea by Japan; clash of culture, class and identity. It exposes and condemns the bare-faced misogyny brought upon by class and culture. Being a tale about deception, Park makes sure that we are one of its casualties as well (through its efficient narrative structure); nothing is as it seems. I repeat, 'Nothing'. Each of the four main characters are pursuing a vision of freedom that can be achieved only through a lie; the story explores the tension between the authentic self and the facade that individuals create, and that society imposes from without.

The tradition of men eroticising the female body (and even lesbian sex) for their own personal fantasies has existed for ages now - whether it's books, films, paintings, manga, any kind of art - and pornography in general (shunga is referenced in the film); Park highlights this, then lets the female protagonists explore their sexuality for their own pleasure, not anyone else's. One wouldn't have expected Mr. Park, known for his exquisite revenge thrillers, would give us the best romance film of the year (not to say this isn't a revenge thriller as well). It's essentially the story of two women who are victims of their circumstances and finally find solace in each other. The female characters may appear duplicitous, but actually, they subvert the expectations of the people around who constantly underestimate their wit and sexuality.

The gorgeous visuals, the compulsive attention to detail and crisp editing get you hooked from the very first scene. Loved the efficient and subtle use of humour at apt instances; absurdist humour underlines even the most tragic and violent moments. The casting couldn't have been better; both the actresses are stunning, and captivating in their performances. Their characters are so thoroughly developed, and the sex scenes are highly erotic and sensual. Park masterfully constructs his narrative, dividing the film into three segments, each with its own narrator, sub plot and con. Even when previous moments are visited, they are done from a different angle or vantage point, thus altering our perspective literally. I love how the film's climax literally ends with a climax, with the two women reveling in the silly freedom of acting out a pornographic cliché mentioned earlier in the film. Ultimately, the movie is about embracing one's true self, and the liberation of mind and body. It's Park's most uplifting film yet.

A well-paced and ably-directed timely film that explores the legal, political and ethical dilemmas surrounding the almost impossible but necessary military decision-making process of drone use against terrorists, and the innocent civilians whose lives are affected by it. The best thing about the film, when it comes to wartime political thrillers like this, is that it isn't preachy and shows the sequence of events in way that doesn't dictate what's to be thought or felt. It raises a lot of important questions and lets our mind do the pondering. Certainly Director Gavin Hood's best work yet; combines the humanism of 'Tsotsi' and political intrigue of 'Rendition', and uses his experience and prowess on a well-written story to give us 'Eye in the Sky' (which is a brilliant name, by the way).

The hilarious but important political bureaucracy and the focus on the life of one young civilian sometimes seem to be milked too much, but those aspects certainly help us see the entire situation in a broader light. The film doesn't focus on numbers; it focuses on the responsibility and accountability of casualties each individual (in the decision-making process) is willing to take when two unpleasant outcomes are presented before them. And as Stephen Holden from 'The New York Times' points out, it's "unpredictable human behavior (that) repeatedly threatens an operation of astounding technological sophistication."

The detailed art design, the voyeuristic camera angles and shots, the thumping background score and well-timed silences, and crisp editing - all of these aspects play a big role in creating the feel of the film and pull us into its high-stakes environment. Since most of the film involves communication among people from different agencies, it wouldn't have been effective without the impeccable cast that it has, especially Helen Mirren and Alan Rickman, in his final live-action role; he certainly does get a memorable ending line, "Never tell a soldier that he doesn't know the cost of war."

Brilliant concept and superb execution. The theme may seem similar to shows like 'Heroes', but other than the fact that it's about various people from across the world and a person/organization is trying to use/kill them, the show is quite different; it explores the characters with unique and much needed depth, which most sci-fi shows fail to do.

When I first heard that The Wachowskis are making a sci-fi-TV show, I was already intrigued. And Netflix caters to binge-watchers like me who like watching their seasons in one go; I literally finished watching the series in a day. In a bird's eye view, it's about eight people from various parts of the world who are telepathically connected to each other, but the underlying theme is about the universal trait of empathy and brotherhood; I really loved the concept. How we humans, from various places and generations, can help each other by sharing our knowledge and by mutual understanding. I've always loved The Wachowskis' work because they always take sci-fi or larger than life themes to talk about general and universal subjects, and inspire and encourage people in so many ways.

And the way sex and sexuality is portrayed in this show was exquisite; it offers a buffet of characters with various sexualities. This and 'Orphan Black' are the two sci-fi shows who do this most efficiently. All the characters are fascinating and have proper depth, and the actors portraying them are excellent as well, except perhaps Tina Desai's Kala - whether it's her average acting or her weak storyline, it's the least interesting and affecting of the eight. Doona Bae was my favourite, though; every scene she is in just has a captivating touch to it, especially the fight sequences, which are spectacularly choreographed, shot and edited. The sumptuous group sex scene from episode six was sensuous and spectacular; it's one the most erotic and well-shot sex scenes I've seen on TV. It reminded me a little of the crowd sex scene from Tom Tykwer's (who directs few episodes, but not this one) 'Perfume', but this one was much more intimate and passionate. And I loved the sequence from end of episode 10 where the all sensates remember the way they were born; just wow! The various places, the various ways and how the moment had an influence on the passions in each of their lives... just amazing. It was well conceived, mesmerisingly shot and the symphony playing in the background just added to the impact.

The background score throughout the series is quite good. The opening credits sequence is one of the best among TV shows. When the series started, being a world cinema fan, I didn't like that all the characters spoke English, no matter which place they belonged to; it somehow made them seem less convincing. But I can understand why that decision might have been made. Maybe it was easier to direct that way, but to choose a universal language to transcend boundaries seemed like an intelligent choice. Since the sensates understand each other no matter which language they speak, it puts us in their shoes and removes the language barrier. And that way, it can even reach a wider audience, who might find subtitles for half the show quite annoying. So ultimately I was okay with it.

Looking forward to the later seasons.