HAQ deals with religious and legal conflicts

Religion or at least its followers often require believers to follow their law while some nations feel religion and government are separate.  It seems that all the world's religious cultures subjugated women to the control of men.

Abbas Khan had tried to divorce his wife Shazia Bono and cut off child support using Sharia law and the courts seemed to have upheld it.  However Shazia had found a lawyer who claimed the Indian constitution required him to support her.  A lot of details were debated over several years and I confess it was very confusing.  The bottom line was a successful struggle to assert constitutional rights that not only benefited Muslim women, but also all citizens.

As in many such battles there were a lot of heated arguments and emotions ran high.  Arrogance prevailed on the male side.

One interesting scene for me was a burial that in subtitles used the term "coffin", but I believe should have been "shroud" that to me was a more natural burial.

This was an extremely well done movie and here are some of the contributors.

Suparn Varma was the director.  He started out in journalism and spent 6 years as an entertainment journalist.   He helped to set up a recording studio for chat.  Suparn has 22 credits as a writer, 14 as a director and 4 as a producer including "The Family Man" (2019).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/03/the-family-man.html

Reshu Nath was the writer.  She has 10 credits for writing, 1 for additional crew and 3 for directing.

Vineet Jain was one of the producers.  He had risen to Managing Director at Bennett and Coleman Company, the largest media group in India.  He has 12 producing credits including "Raazi" (2018), "Doctor G" (2022), "Badhaai Do" (2022) and "Ulajh" (2024).   See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/12/doctor-g.html 

Sandeep Chowta was the musical score writer.  He was born in Ghana, but raised in Nigeria.  He became the head of Columbia Records for India.  Sandeep has 66 composing credits, 18 for the music department and one for directing including "Satya"(1988), "Ashok the Great" (2001), "Om Shanti Om" (2008) and "Parmanu:  The Story of Pokhran" (2018).

Vishal Mishra wrote several songs.   He has 54 composing credits, 53 music department credits and 13 for acting including "Qarib Qarib Single" (2017), "Kabir Singh" (2019) and "Saiyaara" (2025).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2019/09/arjun-reddy-and-kabir-singh.html

 Pratham Mehta was the cinematographer.  He has 35 cinematographer credits, 14 for camera and electrical department, 2 for producing and 2 for the color department including "Scoop" (2023) and "Srikanth" (2024).  See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2024/07/two-films-about-overcoming-blindness.html

Ninad Khanolkar was the editor.  He has 24 editor credits and 7 for the editorial department including "Agent Vinod" (2012),  "Shubh Mangal Savdhan" (2017), "Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan" (2020) and "Khel Khel Mein" (2024).

Yami Gautam played Shazia.  She studied law and later did many commercials and appeared on fashion magazine covers.  She has performed in Hindi,Kannada, Punjabi, Telegu, Malayalam and Tamil films.  Her film credits include "Vicky Donor" (2012), "Badlapur" (2015), "Kaabil" (2017), "Uri:  The Surgical Strike" (2019), "Bala" (2019). "A Thursday" (2022) and "Dasvi" (2022). http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/02/the-message-is-spoiler.html

Emraan Hashmi played Abbas.  At one time Emraan was credited as being a good "kisser".  He has 61 acting credits and 3 assistant director credits including  "Murder" (2004), "Gangster" (2006), "Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai" (2010), "The Dirty Picture" (2011), "Shanghai" (2012), "Hamari Adhuri Kahani" (2015), "The Body" (2019) and "Ae Watan Mere Watan" (2023).  See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2015/09/danis-tanovic-with-bosnian-perspective.html 

Sheeba Chaddha played Bela Jain, the defense lawyer.  She acts in theatre plays.  Sheeba has 101 acting credits including "Talaash" (2012), "Badhai Ho" (2018), "Gully Boy" (2019) and "Baadhai Do" (2022).  See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/03/badhaai-do-lgbt-film-from-conservative.html

Women in most societies have been controlled by men and "HAQ" demonstrates how some women have gained more freedom.  Available subtitled on Netflix. 

As usual I have bolded the first mention of films I have seen.  They are not necessarily a recommendation, but generally these are among my favorites.  If you follow the links you should be able to determine if a particular film is worth following up.

Is it only weirdos who like foreign films?

 It might seem obvious, I am one of those weirdos.  Although the scorn of others makes me feel defensive I feel the benefits outweigh the occasional flak.  The world is a big place with more things on offer than anyone has the capacity be aware of, let alone to enjoy.  Better understanding of the other 99% of the world is not only important, but often very enjoyable.  Still many of us live in something resembling a cocoon.  

Why do you watch any movie?  Some times they amount to time fillers, but hopefully you are enjoyably entertained and you might learn something.  Viewers of foreign films will pick up differences quickly and some of them might enhance your life.  But I hope you will notice the similarities.  We all seek love, security and meaning; we all get angry, jealous and even depressed.  

Not only to understand another culture a little better, but we might also appreciate some insight to our own human nature.  Sometimes they are just from a different perspective.  On top of all that there is some creativity and FUN.  Humor is universal, but varies; some subtle, some direct and often we don't understand the context.

Subtitles distract from the action and dubbing seems incongruous.   See at bottom for efforts to ease your understanding.

A complaint of some is they can't tell some Asian actors apart from one another.  A matter of experience minimizes this natural phenomenon.  See for a personal confession:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/08/biased.html

Trump voiced a threat to impose a tariff on foreign films expressing the concern in economic terms.  Trump seems to look down on foreign countries, once referring to "shithole countries".  India and Nigeria release hundreds of films of various quality and interest and when you add in all the other non English countries the number is overwhelming.  I am one of those who have found more than a few gems among the rest of the world's offerings.

Censorship or standards vary from country to country and even media to media.  So you prefer good clean romance without the graphic sex?  Or, do you prefer suggestive dialogue and discrete interplay?  Or do you feel let down if there is not explicit sex?   How about violence?   Definitely censorship restricts all those things and also politics.

Here are some examples that are worth checking out

 "The Secret in their Eyes" (2015) won an Oscar for best foreign film.  I have enjoyed the star Ricardo Darin in several films.   He feels he can get more challenging roles in Spanish where he already has name recognition.  Many foreign actors are attracted by bigger money in the American and British markets.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2015/04/ricardo-darin-brings-charm-from.html

Spanish is actually the most common European language spoken in the world, but as it is spread around the world there is a very wide range.  See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2015/07/hispanic-cinema-spans-globe.html
 

 

 

 

 This is about a man who is overlooked by his family.

 http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/05/home-comedic-clash-of-generations.html

With modern communication I was able to learn about films in a language not heard of beforehand:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/03/how-i-discovered-malayalam-cinema-and.html

 

My first awareness of Mads Mikkelsen.  This one only received an Oscar nomination, but other Danish films actually won.  In all his films which include English and French he always makes you believe.  See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/05/mads-mikkelsen-helping-denmark.html 

 

 

 

 Taiwan is a unique country.  China considers it their rightful property, but Taiwan sees themselves as distinctly different.  This film features a standup comedian who has to deal with dementia.   Having seen Ying Hsuan Hsieh in a few films and she has become a favored actress.  Not only is she a good actress she is chosen for or chooses some interesting scripts.  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/06/forget-you-not-something-from-taiwan.html

 

More about Taiwan cinema::  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/08/taiwan.html

 

 

Concerned about male chauvinism.  The main focus is on female circumcision, called purification by the men.  They are Muslim, but as one women proclaims "Purification is not from Islam." and ""Our men want to lock up our minds."  Also saw "Making Moolaade" of that spoke of technical progression by Africans.  Won an award at Cannes and was highly rated by Roger Ebert.   Filmed in Senegal in Bambara and French languages.

 

 

 

 

 

In Africa, albinism (white skin) is a source of prejudice and also misinformation.  For instance albinos are thought to have medicinal benefits which result in their deaths.  See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/09/can-you-see-us.html

Filmed in Zambia.

 

 

 

 

 

 This won an Oscar using several African language with a little English thrown in.  A young boy stealing, find himself with an infant and doesn't know what to do.  Filmed in South Africa.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Life is Beautiful" is concerned about Jewish victims in Italy during World War II.  It won 3 Oscars for best foreign film, music score, and  best actor for Roberto Benigni who also received a nomination for best director and the film for best script and best feature film.

Italy has a long film history and has contributed to the English speaking world" http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2016/04/italian-cinema.html

 

 

 

 

 

Korea is loved for its clean romances that are very well done.  But they also put out grittier films such as recent Oscar winner, "Parasite" that competed directly against American films.  See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2020/09/parasite-breaks-oscar-tradition.html

My introduction to Korean films:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/04/a-slice-of-korean-cinema.html

 An ongoing bias  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/07/korean-mini-series-to-watch.html

 

 

Korea also illustrates similar culture (and behavior.)  What North American is not familiar with baseball?  Well they are in Korea as well and they have prima donna players, locker room conflicts, dramatic games and this movie illustrates all that.  It also follows a typical sports plot line, except victory comes a little differently and the particular drama is unique.  One unique feature is dealing with baseball among the deaf.

 

 

 

The Iranian government was embarrassed that this won the best foreign film Oscar., but it demonstrates a human dilemma that is not all that remote from the rest of the world.  The director has done a film in Spanish.  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2016/03/three-persian-directors.html
 

 

 

 

The Oscar winner, "CODA"  (2022) focused on a family of three deaf people and one hearing.  They had the problem of communicating with the rest of the world.  Sign language was the mechanism, but few outsiders  understood it.  The viewer relied on subtitles to follow the story.  Typically involved conflicts within family and with the outside world.  Originally the concept came from France, "La Famille Belier" (2018)

 

 

 

"Malbatt" from Malaysia gives the perspective of the rescuers helping those downed in "Black Hawk Down"  The American version was informative, but diminished the role of the Malaysian rescuers.  Another interesting one from same event was "Escape From Mogadishu" (2021) which related about North and South Koreans uniting to escape from the same situation

 

 

 

 

 

There are literally another hundred languages from many nationalities.   I would have included more examples, but this post is long enough. 

 Dubbing allows you to more easily follow the story line, but there is a little cognitive dissonance. The voices may not match the bodies and the mouth movements aren't quite synchronized.  For instance Koreans have distinctive ways of talking; when excited the last words seem to rise in tone and they also drag out some words making it difficult to match the lip movement  Netflix is investing in dubbing.  The quality can vary greatly.  Jackie Chan has done dubbing into Mandarin and English and recognizes preciseness makes a better impression.  I have noticed American dubbers tend to over do it.

Subtitles demand concentration that may detract from the background.  Many lines are actually shortened to give you time to comprehend, but may lose depth.  Some films have adopted a consistent background .

There is not much to lose and much to gain when you watch a foreign film.   There is a gold mine of entertainment and thought provoking stories in foreign films waiting for you attention. 

January 8/26 P.S. Less than a week from my posting I encountered a relevant situation (in my mind at least).  Donald Trump has continued to say he wants Greenland and lately has been more aggressive and pointed.  My tv viewing is necessarily selective, but I have managed to watch CNN coverage and CBC.  I have not noticed from CNN so far that selects interviews with American and sometime Danish politicians.  CBC is quick succession had interviews with the mayor  of a Greenland town and a former national politician who gave their perspective.  One thing that stood out for me was they were articulate in English.  The more underlying emotion was they are human.  The American media and politicians need to see Greenlanders as human beings and not insignificant creatures,   A few years ago we watched a Danish series, "Borgen" that in its last season was set in Greenland under rule by Denmark.  My post on that only mentioned Greenland a little bit, but I would encourage anyone to see the actual series as it helps make the Greenlanders seem more human.  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/07/borgen.html

An Impulse to blog helps keep me going

We all need something to keep us out of mischief or we might end up doing some some sort of... mischief.  At one time work and parenthood provided something.  I have been retired for close to 6 years and my children are pretty much on their own.  Now more than ever, I am looking for some purpose to keep me focused on good things.  I have found two volunteer activities:  tutoring English and campaigning for electoral reform.  Blogging is fun and purposeful.

Some 15 years ago my daughter, Heather enabled me to start blogging.  Put the idea in my head and set it up.  

Of course vanity plays a role.  Who doesn't think they know better?  As I age perhaps a bigger concern is a fading memory.  I like to think I have lots of good things worth remembering.

A scary thought is the longer one lives, the more chance for getting dementia.  The advice I have read from the likes of Daniel Pink and Sanjay Gupta  tells me you must use your brain to keep it in good shape.  I am conscious that my memory is not as sharp as it once was and blogging helps me retain some of my memories.

What gives me a sense of purpose are some self assigned missions.   I react to the news, but often miss the urgency of the moment or somebody has already expressed my thoughts.  I read a lot and some excellent books spur my thinking and allows me to sort out my ideas and recommend the book for others to read in more depth.  Politics are said to bore many, but EVERYONE is effected.  Some youngsters look at the world either to enjoy as much as possible ignoring the confused messages.  Others see what a mess the world is in with hatred, greed, ignorance and despair.  And I guess most of us are in the middle. Psychology, sociology and philosophy explain much of life and are intertwined with politics.  

Politics admittedly takes up much of my thinking. Trump has made himself the centre of attention and I don't know what I'll do after he is gone.  I think climate change needs to be a greater priority.  We are not finished with pandemics.  Our electoral system is part of the overall need to sort out our priorities.  The rest of the world fascinates me, too often with bad things, but they do offer us a wide variety of perspectives.  Even if someone in a remote part of the world doesn't enjoy the level of freedom that I do, it is a concern.

More than books I watch a lot of movies, enjoyed some of them enough to want to recommend.   However marketing forces spend a lot of money promoting English speaking films so they don't need my help although some do hit me favorably.  What I think needs promoting are foreign films with subtitles or dubbing.  Many of them offer a perspective often missing in my part of the world.  At the same time they have developed expertise  One factor that should interest Anglophone viewers is that foreigners do different things some of which you might end of adopting.  The other, more important factor is that they are not all that different and are as human as we are.

I am constantly looking for subjects and how to present them,  There are far more subjects than I have time and energy for.   Deciding which ones suit me is done by ooking for connections and picking the right time.  Almost every day I do writing, researching, proofing and of course seeking new subjects and it keeps me out of most mischief..

My overall message

2025 a year to remember

Looking Back on 2025

Every year brings new memories.  That is mainly what we are:  memories.  So we should enjoy them.

A new member joined our family, Gracie Pearl born on June 8th.  Here she is with her grandmother Nanny Lorri and auntie Sharon. 

The year started off with a wedding we were waiting for.  We watched it on Zoom  starting about 11:30 pm Friday, January 24th while it happened about 5:30 pm on Saturday, January 25th near Auckland, New Zealand.  Freezing outside for us, but beautiful summer day by the ocean in New Zealand.  So we gained a beautiful daughter in law, Gherelyne.  Past students, Dodgeball athletes and Gherlyne's friends were present for their vows. The best line came from the bride     For video check https://www.facebook.com/groups/1293912541849289
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 In the Dead of Winter at Merit Brewery is enjoyed again thanks

 to Heather and Laura.

 

 

 

 

 

This year we decided to combine our anniversary with Valentine's Day--beside I am scheduled for laser eye surgery just after our anniversary.

 

 

 

Jack turns one and can't believe he can eat the cake by hand.

We enjoyed "Blue Birds" at Burlington Little Theatre with a star Jennifer Graham, a friend of ours.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Starting in March I started procedures for cataract surgery and before the end of May I had new vision.  Colors are more vivid and my range of viewing has widened.  The photo illustrates that I can now better appreciate nature's art.  I don't need glasses for walking about, sometimes I forget to wear them and other times I grab them when I don't need them.  Sunglasses actually cause problems as my glasses take care of the sun.  I would like to thank Dr. Brian J. Chan for his skill and Dresden Vision for setting me up.  After our first snowfall I can say snow sparkles.

In May we went on a Jane's Walk around the Whitehern mansion.  

 

 

 

 

 part of a luxurious complex build for the McQuesten family

 

 Father's Day at Pintoh

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Festitalia mural

 

 

 

 

 Anthony Nino Lane Band

 

 

 

 Canada Day at a Blue Jays game

                                                                Canadian Air Force Jet flyover

 

 

 

Blue Jays beat the Yankees--first Canada Day victory in several years.

 

 

 

 

We missed the wedding (except for Zoom), but were able to give a reception for the bride and groom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Visited the Ed Mirvish Theatre with Michael & Gherelyne who bought tickets for "Beetlejuice"  Two restaurants rounded out the day.

 

 

 

 

Visiting Heather and Laura and Fenway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

 

Jack couldn't believe he could eat the whole cake without a spoon or fork

 

 

 

 

 In April we saw "Fully Committed atTheatre Aquarius

 

 

 

 

A trip to Port Dover.  Used to be a regular thing before Covid.  We loved the Lighthouse Theatre and the plays of Norm Foster.  In late July we made a day of it.  Two plays by Norm Foster; "My Narrator" and "The Death of Me"   see more:   http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2016/09/norm-foster-bard-of-cottage-country.html  A few other details fell in place.

 

 

 

Shai Gilgeus-Alexander had a great year in the NBA as top scorer, regular season MVP and Playoff MVP.   He is very pleased to thank Hamilton.  Here he is at a rally with Ron Foxcroft, the inventor of the Fox 40 Whistle and Mayor Andrea Horvath.  Basketball has been a big part of my life.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2019/06/my-60-year-love-affair-with-basketball.html

                                                                                                                 

 One day we noticed a group (gaggle) of Canadian geese walking across James Street, stopping traffic and going along the path by the park on Strachan Street.  We didn't quite understand what they were doing, but they marched there most days.  Then we noticed there is an apple tree in the park.  They have developed a taste for apples.

 

 Supercrawl was bigger than ever.

Our neighbor Luke, head of Born Ruffians showed us another side of him we had not seen. Very enjoyable.

 A new mural at Wilson and James.   See more at:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/12/more-murals-in-hamilton-ontario-2025.html

Mural over old Eaton Centre

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Special treat outside Henry's

 Ismaila Alfa was at the CBC booth.  He had interviewed me a few years ago.  A story I remembered was when he came from Nigeria to Canada he was enrolled in a hockey league and for a traditional father-son game his father had ever skated so his mother substituted and scored the only goal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The Time Capsule seen at Theatre Aquarius. 

 

 

 

Hamilton Day with Bill King walk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Terry Fallis appeared at the Hamilton Public Library.  I had read his most recent book  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/10/the-marionette.html

 

 

 

 

 Traditional birthday celebration at Mandarin chosen by Emma.

In November I got a chance to make a presentation to our local M.P., Aslam Rana for electoral reform on behalf of Fair Vote Canada

 

 

 

 

Traditionally we have ended our year with a party.  The origins of this tradition goes back a few decades.  As a younger couple we spent New Years Eve going to some sort of party and that inevitably involved drinking and driving.  Then we decided it might be in our selfish best interest to host a party.  Sharon loves to bake, cook and plan social gatherings and she is as good as a professional.  Waiting for the count down we ate, drank, talked and played a version of Pictionary.  For the drinking we have been offering non alcoholic choices and they car pool and have a designated driver.  For me it is a good time to get together with some friends and I especially like my sister, Rebecca to come all the way from Brossard, Quebec.and help set up the party.

The hostess, Sharon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One last bit  about traditions.  It was my daughter Heather who encouraged me to start a blog and after a bit she gifted me a book about time management that suggested if you wanted to have positive outcomes you should focus on your good moments.  2025 had more than a few good moments.

People I will miss who have provided good moments in my past.

Chuck Mangione.

I stumbled on him playing with the radio dial in my twenties and hit a Rochester, New York station.  Was lucky enough to attend some concerts and bought a few albums. Very much still enjoy listening to his music.

 

 

 

 

 

Bill Moyer was known from his tv. shows where he always seemed the calmest news commentator.  His views were not only similar to mine but were a guidance.

 Graham Greene  Noted Canadian actor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Ken Dryden was a noted hockey goalie including for the Montreal Canadians who won several Stanley Cups with him in the goal and Team Canada.  He then went on to become a lawyer, a politician and a spokesman for many progressive causes.  A personal connection was that I delivered the Etobicoke Guardian to his family home and met his father.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Jane Goodall was best known as an animal lover and an environmentalist  see http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/10/jane-goodall-and-her-famous-last-words.html

Rob Reiner was one of a few Hollywood celebrities that died in 2025, but his brutal death stands out.  I watched "All in the Family" and his character seemed like a lazy liberal.  Surprised to see his name associated with some good movies.  Not so surprised to see he was very much a fair minded liberal, but not lazy.

 

 

 

 

Restaurants are still one of the joys of life.  We enjoyed Pintoh, Scadabush (Toronto), Caro, Seasoned, Mikaela's Kitchen, Charred (recently re-opened after a fire), Eem Khao, Mesa, 211 Main St. (Port Dover), Bonito's Pizzeria and Gelato, May Coffee and Cakes, Electric Diner, Mulberry Cafe, Mandarin

My readings for 2025:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/12/books-read-for-2025.html

English speaking films seen in 2025, some of which you may seen  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/12/english-speaking-films-seen-in-2025.html

Foreign films seen in 2025 with a lot of treasures:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/12/foreign-language-films-for-2025.html

My most popular blog:   http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/05/youre-not-listening-me-either.html

My second most popular blog:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/05/abundance.html

My third most popular blog:   http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/06/the-anxious-generation.html

Check last year, 2024 http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/01/2024.html