[Reellife] Eat, Sleep, Die!

[dave olsen]

The 16th annual European Union Film Fest is currently playing at the 
Cinematheque and you get one chance to see one film from most of the countries 
that call themselves the EU.
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Friday night, Sweden's Eat, Sleep, Die 
<http://www.thecinematheque.ca/eufilmfestival/sweden-eat-sleep-die> will expose 
the face of capitalism/civilization with a humorous dramatization of trying to 
survive a lay-off, especially as an immigrant woman.

What captured my imagination is that the lead character has reduced her life to 
work and a dysfunctional relationship with her father. Both lead unhappy lives 
aside from the fun they find with each other, but are so consumed with work or 
finding work that when it is taken away, there's not much left.

The film is so well done that it's easy to believe that she has put herself in a 
crazy conundrum: she's desperate to keep her depressing job that doesn't cover 
all they need even in the socialist world of Sweden.

The subtle racism and the irony of needing certification to do something she is 
already excelling at are extremely well portrayed. The bleak countryside 
reminded me of Alberta!

See Eat, Sleep, Die 
<http://www.thecinematheque.ca/eufilmfestival/sweden-eat-sleep-die> Friday @ 6:30pm.
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Then Monday, take a nostalgic romp through both present day and Communist 
Romania with I'm an Old Communist Hag 
<http://www.thecinematheque.ca/eufilmfestival/romania-im-an-old-communist-hag>.

This film starts slow but really captured my attention when it brought two North 
Americans to the Old World.

The Hag in question is a crafty older woman who literally gives everything she 
has for her daughter.  When her daughter and boyfriend come for a visit, lots of 
layers emerge, exposing stereotypes and turning my assumptions upside down.

Despite the surface tensions, you can really feel the love flow in this film.  
With a grandchild on the way, the stakes are even higher and you'll likely love 
how this Romanian ending beats Hollywood hands down, leaving you happy without 
feeling compromised.
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I'm an Old Communist Hag 
<http://www.thecinematheque.ca/eufilmfestival/romania-im-an-old-communist-hag> 
plays Monday, December 2nd @ 8:35pm

Closing out this year's Film Fest is Les Giants (The Giants) 
<http://www.thecinematheque.ca/eufilmfestival/belgium-the-giants>, a Belgium 
beauty in many ways.

The cinematography is simply stunning: picturesque countrysides are written into 
this story and I've changed my impression of what Belgium looks like completely.

But the story is even more enjoyable.  Two teen-aged boys are abandonned by 
their mother at their late grandfather's house in a rural area.  They quickly 
meet another like-minded neighbour of a similar age and the downward spiral begins.

Laced with humour and suspense throughout, what struck me by the end was that 
only one civilized adult they encountered did not try to exploit them in a 
significant way!  But the journey is worth the watch and believable only because 
I was once a teen-aged boy, too.

Just wait until Mom gets back!

Les Giants (The Giants) 
<http://www.thecinematheque.ca/eufilmfestival/belgium-the-giants> closes out the 
EU Film Fest on Thursday, December 5th at 8:20pm

Enjoy the films while expanding your foreign language vocabularies!
-- 

Warmly,
dave/
//
Parenting with an Open Heart: a seminar series for all Parents, Caregivers, and 
Parents-to-be: for info and session dates, please visit/ 
/http://humanpowered.wordpress.com <http://humanpowered.wordpress.com/>

Movie and Theatre lovers who know a saner world is possible may enjoying reading 
and sharing their thoughts on Reel Life, Real Ideas: Movies and more... 
<http://reellife.wordpress.com/>

Hit by a car at 60 km/h (40mph), a pedestrian has an 85 per cent chance of being 
killed; at 50 km/h (30mph) s/he has a 45 per cent chance of being killed, while 
at 30 km/h (20mph) the risk falls to 5 per cent. Source: British Parliamentary 
Advisory Council on Transport Safety (1996) //_Taking Action on Speeding_//

If you are expecting a baby soon...
...read Ina May Gaskin's insightful book, Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, packed 
full of birth stories and her experience of helping deliver over 2,000 babies!
...consider Natural Infant Hygiene (aka Elimination Communication) and reduce 
the expense of diapers (and much more)...check out http://www.diaperless.org and 
http://www.natural-wisdom.com

Did you know that in Scandinavia...
--> there are laws protecting children from all forms of spanking and bullying, 
even from parents
--> these laws do not imprison or punish parents but instead raise awareness 
(http://www.empathicparenting.org)
--> the elderly are able to remain at home thanks to programs that provide free 
meals, free transportation, and free care/

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