Homebound

"Homebound" (2025) was based on a New York Times article in 2020 describing a Covid convoy in India.  It got picked up by  Neerajk Ghaywan and got the attention of Martin Scorsese and has since become an Oscar nominee for best foreign film

The first half of the film is about two friends looking for a better way of life.  Shoaib is a Muslim and Chandu is a low caste Hindu.  They both think getting on the police force will give them more respect.  Chandu has a sister who wants him to get more education.  Getting into the police is very difficult because there are far more applicants than openings.  They have local jobs and have been suggested they can go to Dubai.  The two young men argue among themselves and try to motivate each other.

Shoaib and Chandu encounter prejudicial comments that they resent.  Shoaib has a sort of girl friend who encourages him and she also pushes for more education and later bends a little.

 Past the half way point we encounter a brief reference to a disease spreading.  Quickly we become aware there is a panic and Covid is identified.  People are asked to wear masks and to maintain a two meter separation from each other.  A big blow is when the mill they are working in (to save money and wait for better opportunities) shuts down for 21 days and later followed up with another shutdown.  In India it is common for rural residents to send family to work in factories and send money back home.  At this stage convoys are organized, but the demand is great.  

Chandu comes down with a serious illness.  It might be Covid, but might not and in any case it is not just Covid victims that struggle to find hospital space, it is every person in need of medical attention.  They do get onto a truck transporting workers back to their distant villages, but Chandu is so sick that the other passengers demand he get out.  Shoaib is very protective for his friend, but their bond is really tested.  To find out what happens you should see the movie.  Here in North America we didn't suffer as much as Third World countries. 

This film has been nominated and won many festival awards already.  A lot of people contributed and here are a few of them.

 Basharat Peer was an Indian journalist who attended the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University.   He helped write the script for "Haider" (2014).  He wrote opinion pieces for the New York Times and one of them in 2022 was about how Covid had affected poor people in India.  It caught the attention of Neerajk Ghaywan and the notice of Martin Scorsese.  See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2015/02/haider-bollywoods-version-of-shakespeare.html

Neerajk Ghaywan was the director and writer.  He was born in a Dalit  (the lowest caste, untouchables).  He got an engineering degree, but the corporate world was not what he wanted.  He became a film critic and became active in the film industry.  He helped Anurag Kashyup with "Gangs of Wassepur" (2012).  his first feature film was "Masaan" (2015).  He had filmed some shorts and won twice at Cannes Film Festival.  In 2016 he did a commercial for British Airways.  He has 9 directing credits, 5 for writing and 3 as an assistant director.

Karan Johar was a producer.  His family was well entrenched in Bollywood.  He started as a child actor.  Over time he became a major producer and director who occasionally did acting roles.  He became the host of a popular tv. show, "Koffee with Karan."  Karan played a key role with some of the most popular films and was known for launching big stars. He is credited with 79 producing credits plus 14 as director and 16 as an actor including the most popular film of all time, "Diwale Dulhania Le Jayenge" (1995), "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" (1998), "Kabhi Khushi Kabhe Gham" 2001), "My Name is Khan" (2010), "Raazi" (2018) and "Good Newz" (2020).    A bit surprise was that he was also a costume designer for my favorite star, Shah Rukh Khan.  So to get a feel for more for his films (and others) check out  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2016/06/shah-rukh-khan-worlds-most-famous-actor.html and http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2016/06/shah-rukh-khan-worlds-most-famous-actor_23.html 

Martin Scorsese took an early interest and became an executive and helping with the script.  He is well known to American viewers   His formal film education took place at New York University;s School of Film.  Later as a lecturer he taught Spike Lee and Oliver Stone.  Scorsese has been involved with restoring and finding lost films He has directed for 19 Oscar nominated performances.  He has 96 credits as a producer, 71 credits as a director, 36 credits as an actor (mostly cameos) and 16 as screenwriter.  His credits include "Taxi Driver" (1976), "Raging Bull" (1980), "After Hours" (1985), "The Last Temptation of Christ" (1988), "The Aviator" (2004), "The Departed" (2006), "Hugo" (2011), "The Wolf of Wall Street" (2013), "Silence" (2016), "Rolling Thunder Revue" (2019),  "The Irishman" (2019) and "Maestro" (2023).  See   http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2024/01/killers-of-moon-flower.html

 Naren Chandavarkar was the composer collaborating with familar partner, Benedict Taylor.  He has 38 composing credits including "The Girl in the Yellow Boots" (2010), "Ship of Theseus" (2012), "Killa" (2014), "Nil Battey Sunata" (2015), "Udta Punjab" (2016), "Newton" (2016) and "Trail By Fire" (2023).  Benedict Taylor played the violin, viola, sang vocals and helped compose for the film in the link; http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2017/01/ship-of-thesus.html

Pratik Shah was the cinematographer and was American.  He has 20 cinematography credits, 9 for the camera and electrical department, 2 for writing and 1 for the color department.  Mostly filmed in Bhopal, India.

Nitan Baid was the editor.  He has 135 editorial credits, 13 for the editorial department and 1 for additional crew including  "Masaan" (2015, "Raazi" (2018), "Gully Boy" (2019) and "Chandu Champion" (2024.  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2024/08/chandu-champion.html

Ishaan Khatter played Shoaib.  He has played in British, American and Indian series.  One of the series, "A Suitable Boy" (2015 )had been directed by Mira Nair, the mother of the new mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani.  Ishaan has 14 acting credits including Udta Punjab" (2016), "Dhadak" (2018) and "The Perfect Couple" (2024).

Vishal Jethwan played Chandan.  He has 19 acting credits including "Hindi Medium" (2017), "Mardaani 2" (2019) and "Human" (2022). 

Janhvi Kapoor played Sudha Bharti.  The daughter of famous actress, Sridevi.  She took acting course as the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Fillm Institute in California.  She has 17 acting credits including ""Dhadak" (2018 and "Ulajh" (2024).

"Homebound" is available on Netflix subtitled.

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

The American Revolution as seen by Ken Burns

"The American Revolution" is a truly mammoth project and requires a more gifted blogger to do it full justice.  Anyone who tackles it is certain to remember some themes more than others, but all the details are important to understand how the colonists were victorious and how the process affects modern day America.  You will get my perspective and if really interested in addition you should seek other viewpoints with different focus points.

The series covers in reasonable detail many battles, both won and lost.  Of interest to me were the many cultural factors that helped the rebel victory and the Loyalist evacuation. 

The story starts with the establishment of the British Empire in the New World.  One historian pointed out that profitability was tied to the percentage of slaves.  Massachusetts was the least profitable in the 13 colonies South Carolina was more profitable, but the most profitable was Jamaica along with other Caribbean islands where the British stationed the most military troops and ships.

Not covered in the series, but with some relevance was that England had unloaded convicts, political prisoners and prisoners of war as much as 120,000 to the Americas.  In Australia such citizens were critical to the development of that country.  The pamphlet "Common Sense" written by Thomas Paine was very persuasive in turning more colonists against Britain.

Before the Revolution began there were numerous small incidents.  The Boston Tea Party was over taxes without representation.  John Adams successfully defended some British soldiers who had killed some colonists.  The Quebec Act meant to mollify francophone speakers offended the English speaking colonists.   Benjamin Franklin at an early stage tried to organize the 13 colonies for unified action against the British, but after much quarreling it disbanded.  As rebellious sentiments expanded it became difficult to decide who to trust, rebels or Loyalists.  Although historians describe the conflict as the American Revolution it was somewhat like a Civil War.  There were many colonists satisfied with the status quo and even felt a debt of gratitude to the British. 

A Continental Congress was formed from the 13 colonies to co-ordinate the Revolution and other affairs among the participants.  They initiated a Continental army and found George Washington to lead it.  They developed a currency (a coin was designed by Franklin) that was intended to make payments, but carried little credibility.  They spent much of their time protecting their individual jurisdictions. 

George Washington was noteworthy because he consulted with his generals in forming strategy.  There were many setbacks over the course of the Revolution, but he was persistent and learned from mistakes.

Thomas Jefferson was asked to write a declaration that signaled a justification for independence.  A duty to throw off tyranny.  All men are created equal.  Jefferson was of course a slave holder and it is thought conscious that was true of his slaves.  The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776 and might be considered the official start of the American Revolution.

George Washington had his hands full.  Most of his soldiers were poorly trained, but perhaps more importantly poorly fed and paid.  Starvation was ongoing especially in winter.  Clothes were difficult to replace and they often took clothes off the dead.  There were contracts, but when they expired the men left.  At one point mutinies among his soldiers was so great that Washington decided on an execution of two ringleaders in front of their men.  

Most financing came from foreign sources.  Robert Morris built his fortune trading goods by ship to the West Indies, Africa (including slaves) and as far away as India.  He became the main financier for the rebels and was an signer of the Declaration of Independence. 

Colonists decided it would be beneficial to defeat the British in Quebec and perhaps make it the 14th colony.  They succeeded in conquering Montreal under General Montgomery who then traveled towards Quebec City to join up with General Benedict Arnold.  However in mid winter and with the British in a better position forced them back.  Retreating back to Montreal, they were also forced out of there.  Alliance with indigenous tribes allowed the British to push rebels back to the 13 colonies. 

The indigenous were independent with tribes that fought each other.  Colonists felt they needed to expand to the west pushing aside Indians.  The tribes had to make decisions.  Altogether there were more of them than of the colonists and many were aware that the colonists chafed at British restrictions that kept them from crossing the Adirondacks.  Towards the end of the Revolution rebels burned many towns of the Six Nations Confederacy.

Some tribes had evolved a democracy that was effective and later studied by some of the nation's founders.  One item dismissed that women were given a real voice with some tribes.

The Six Nations Confederacy (Mohawk, Cayuga, Seneca,Onondaga, Oneida and Tuscarora) felt they were in the middle and needed to take a side to survive.  They had fought with the British in the past (against French).  The key decision was made by Joseph Brant to fight with the British.  His sister Molly was the consort of Sir William Johnson, the British Superintendent for Indian Affairs.  My two children were born in Joseph Brant Hospital in Burlington, Ontario. 

Africans, either slaves or freed or escapees were important.  About 15,000 supported the British if they would gain freedom and Britain, the major slave trader offered freedom for any who would fight against the rebels.  Others, mostly freed wanted to support the colonists, but only about 5,000 for the rebels.  George Washington who brought a loyal slave with him, rejected recruiting them.  Some said he felt they would be inferior, but others thought he feared encouraging Africans would lead to the loss of slavery.  Slave holders in his  home state of Virginia feared rebellions such as had occurred in Jamaica.  In the end Africans made significant contributions for the rebel cause and also were effective for the British.  Some professional black soldiers had come from what became Haiti 

The British were able to use 30,000 professional soldiers known as Hessians from what later became Germany.  At first they disdained rebel soldiers and especially blacks and indigenous, but gradually came to respect them.  Some of them ended up staying in America.  After a series of defeats, Washington's troops defeated the British at Trenton, New Jersey capturing 1,000 prisoners that proved to a morale booster and a turning point.

Small pox was a concern.  George Washington had suffered it in his youth and was very careful to guard his troops against it using mainly isolation as the alternative.  An available primitive inoculation would have been too disruptive and risky.

A key subordinate was Nathaniel (often spelled Nathanael) Greene who had been in charge of the Rhode Island Army.  Working with Washington he became a Quartermaster General with one success in bringing a herd of cattle.  He went on to command rebel forces in the South and was the key leader attacking Yorktown.

Quakers had a significant presence, particularly in Pennsylvania, and felt their religion required them to be neutral.  They refused to condemn the British and avoided any aid to the rebels.  Many of the colonists stole supplies from the Quakers.  Some of my Mennonite ancestors lived nearby in Lancaster, Pennsylvania also tried to stay out of the conflict and later (just before the War of 1812) migrated to Canada near Markham, Ontario.

John Paul Jones at a young age was able to work up to a command position in a British ship, but had a legal problem after killing an insubordinate crew member and decided to run away to America.  He had served on a slaving ship, but found that distasteful.  From Virginia he joined the Continental navy such as it was.  He fought successfully against English ships in European waters.  He is considered one of the founders of the U.S. Navy. 

Benedict Arnold had fought early in the Revolution and had been regarded as intelligent and brave.  However he felt he was not given enough credit for his accomplishments while some of his subordinates thought he was corrupt.  He owed money due to a wealthy lifestyle.  In Philadelphia he courted and then married Peggy Shippen from a wealthy Loyalist family.  Soon he switched sides and became a British commander and sent to fight in Virginia.

Benjamin Franklin and John Adams had been sent to Paris to convince the French to support the rebel Americans.  For some frustrating time the news was discouraging and the French could not see any value is backing an army that seemed likely to lose.

The Marquis de Lafayette, a young aristocratic Frenchman came to America looking for adventure contacted Washington and was given command for a few battles.  He returned to France and worked with Franklin and Adams to successfully persuade King Louis XVI to back America.  In 1780 he returned to America promising 6,000 troops and 6 warships. 

Slavery in the south had a negative impact.  Slave owners exempted themselves from military duty and then their overseers in order to keep control of slaves. 

Women played a role supporting their men.  Abigail Adams felt the women deserved the vote and had been a strong support for her husband John Adams.  With no men bringing in money, many women had scrambled to make money some turning homes into boarding houses.  A few became spies.  At one point some of them organized to ask Washington about fund raising to give money for the soldiers, but it was felt they would spend the money on rum. Washington suggested they sew shirts which they did.

Spain decided to help the rebels, but had an ulterior motive.  They defeated the British in the south and re-claimed Florida.

The British had been forced out of most of the north and were determined to hold Yorktown in the south.  This is when the French joined in a big way and forced the British to surrender in 1783.  The British determined that further effort was not worth it.  Britain had a bigger investments in the Caribbean and had shifted resources to protect that part of their Empire.  In England there had been a change in Parliament that favored surrender.

The Loyalists were attacked by the successful rebels and felt unsafe.  Many had been killed and others had property confiscated. The British negotiated a treaty to ship large numbers of Loyalists, many of whom chose to settle in Canada.  One group of Africans took part, but a section of them broke off and moved to Sierra Leone in Africa.

To the left is a statue in my adopted city of Hamilton, Ontario to commemorate the British Empire Loyalists who played an important role in the development of Canada.

Among the 13 colonies there were many quarrels, soldiers were demanding back pay and others were itching to conquer the west.  The contributions of indigenous tribes were forgotten.  Europeans were dismissive of America developing any cohesion and would likely break into smaller pieces.

However they Americans realized they needed to organize a central government balancing legislative, executive and judicial powers. 

After ratification of the treaty in 1787 to end the Revolution, George Washington relinquished his military power and left for home. A new constitution was ratified in 1788 with elections held from December 15 to January 7th that was easily won by Washington as president with John Adams as Vice President.  He was admired by all Americans and could have been a dictator.   At the end of his second term he passed on his presidency to his successor, John Adams.  The revolutionary idea was that the government gets its power by the consent of the people.

This series requires a lot of talented people to contribute. 

Ken Burns is the key person behind this series.  He is a director and a producer.   Ken  has a long history of dealing with important people and events in depth  and comprehensively such as "The Civil War (1990), "Jazz" (2001), "Baseball" (1994 and 2010), "The Central Park Five" (2012), ""The Roosevelts:  An Intimate History" (2014) "The Vietnam War" (2017). "Hemingway" (2021), "Muhammed Ali" (2021) "Benjamin Franklin" (2022), "The U.S. and the Holocaust" (2022) and "Leonardo Da Vinci" (2024).    see   http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2024/12/leonardo-da-vinci-ken-burns-version.html  and http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/07/benjamin-franklin-ken-burns.html

Geoffrey C. Ward was the writer.  He has won 6 Prime Time Emmy Awards.  Geoffrey has 28 writing credits and 20 for additional crew including "The Roosevelts:  An Intimate History" (2014), "Hemingway" (2021) and "The U.S. and the Holocaust" (2022).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/09/the-us-and-holocaust.html

David Cieri was the composer.  He has 63 composing credits, 11 for the music department and 2 as actor including "The Roosevelts:  An Intimate History" (2014) and "Hiding in Plain Sight" (2022).

Buddy Squires was the cinematographer.  He has 142 cinematography credits and 3 for directing including "Muhammed Ali" (2021), "Benjamin Franklin" (2022), "The U.S. and the Holocaust" (2022) and "Leonardo Da Vinci" (2024).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/02/muhammad-ali-by-ken-burns.html

Tricia Reidy was an editor.  She has 20 editorial credits, 3 for the editorial department and 2 for additional crew including "The Roosevelts:  An Intimate History" (2014) and "The U.S. and The Holocaust" (2022).

Peter Coyote was the narrator.  His last name was inspired after ingesting peyote and fitting in with his interest with indigenous culture.  Acting led him to many narrating roles including the 2002 Winter Olympics and many of Ken Burns productions.  He has 170 acting credits, 2 for producing and 2 for writing including "E.T. The Extra Terrestrial" (1981), "Jagged Edge" (1985) and "Erin Brockovitch" (2000).

Well known actors voiced different roles including Adam Arkin, Kenneth Branagh, Josh Brolin, Hugh Dancy,  Claire Danes, Tom Hanks, Damian Lewis, Matthew Rhys, Liev Schreiber, Craig Ferguson, Paul Giamatti, Lara Linney, Edward Norton, Jeff Daniels, Ethan Hawke, Samuel L. Jackson, Domhnall Gleeson, Mandy Patinkin, Tantoo Cardinal, Michael Keaton, David Oyelowo, Bill Camp, Morgan Freeman, Wendell Pierce, Meryl Streep, Maya Jasanoff, Annette Gordon Reed and Maggie Blackhawk, 

Historians explained different aspects of the Revolution.  Paintings of Revolution events were used.

I watched the PBS broadcast and it should be available in DVD and Blu-Ray.  You will need a lot of concentrated time to really experience it as there are a lot of details, many of which are barely known by the public. 

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

107 Days the campaign of Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris was for over seven years my favored candidate.  This book is sad in the  sense of "What might have been."

The "107 Days" refers to how much time she had to campaign.  It was a delicate situation following a disastrous debate for Joe Biden.  Democrat leaders felt this would almost certainly lead to a defeat in the 2024 election.  Yet getting him to resign was a formidable task and Biden didn't feel he deserved to be discarded.  His record under the trying circumstances of dealing with a pandemic should have been something to be proud of, but the average citizen felt he had been a poor president, egged on by a ranting Donald Trump.

Other people could see a problem with a black and Indian woman married to a Jew.  Seen by some as too progressive and not possessing the name recognition felt necessary.  The Bidens felt she needed to be loyal to them and were sensitive to how he would be treated.  Practically it was conceded that Kamala was the logical choice.

On a CNN broadcast John King was heard to say "I think the greatest acts of political malpractice...is they  have kept her under wraps for 3 years."  She had been showcased a lot more in California, but when given a chance proved to be articulate and exercised good judgment.

Was there enough time?  The book is broken down mostly to day by day decisions and actions with a few flashbacks.

A big obstacle noted at the book's beginning is expressed in a quote by Alberto Brandolini:  "The amount of energy to refute bullshit is an order of magnitude bigger than to produce it."

Gaza presented an issue that had changed.  The Democrats and Republicans had both supported Israel financially and politically for decades, but Muslims were becoming to have more influence in western nations.  More people could appreciate the Palestinian story of being dispossessed and Israel with American support were being accused of genocide.  The Democrats and Kamala were in favor of a two state solution, but found Benjamin Netanyahu intransigent on this issue.  Many voters and not just Muslims now felt Israel was guilty of genocide.  It could have been seen by many, that the Republicans  were closer to Netanyahu's position, but Kamala lost votes to Palestinian sympathizers.

Transexuals were another issue that was blown up.  In truth they represented a very small section of the public, but induced feelings of squeamishness that were fanned by a major ad campaign of Trump. Kamala was tied to this and in fact she was just being ethical and legal. 

A major decision was to pick a Vice President.  She admits her first choice would have been Pete Buttigieg, but felt that an openly gay would be too big a burden.  She narrowed it down to Josh Shapiro, Mark Kelly and Tim Walz with each having pluses and minuses and she finally chose Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota.  Afterwards asked Barrack Obama how he decided on Joe Biden and he said Biden represented a different political view that he thought was good for future decisions.

Elon Musk turned out to be a decisive factor.  He spent millions and his marketing expertise helped to buy the election.  Laws at one time limited financial influence on elections, but the Republicans whittled restrictions away to allow someone like Musk to have an undo effect.

Debates also play a role in voter decisions.  Kamala took a few days off her travel schedule to prepare.  Many would say she won the debate, but facts were not relevant to MAGA supporters.

Climate change should have been a major issue, but Kamala realized most voters saw it at best, a long term concern while consumers were upset about the cost of living that they blamed Biden for increasing.   Unable to appreciate that the pandemic had been aggravated by Trump and required a lot of extra spending to deal with that was the real cause of inflation.  Biden had actually outperformed other wealthy countries.

Each day demanded choices.  She tried to emphasize efforts in the battleground states, but had obligations to cover other states.  

A personal problem she acknowledged was on her birthday.  A lot of effort had been made by friends, relatives and staff to ensure an appropriate celebration.  Her husband Doug Emhoff, perhaps under stress disappointed her.  He gifted her with a favorite style pearl necklace, but when examined she learned he had had it engraved with a date that wasn't her birthday, but their anniversary date that had been gifted at that time and he had tried to combine the days with one purchase.  There were a few other details that bloggers like me could only guess, but they did have a falling out.  He did make it up a few days later.

She had been negotiating to take part in interview with popular Joe Rogan.  He indicated he was willing and she indicated a date but he said he was taking that day off.  Other dates just didn't work out and then on his personal day off he endorsed Trump.  A lot of time was wasted on that effort.

We all know the results.  It was not quite as overwhelming as Trump liked to portray, but the country now has a new leader with new policies.

At one point Kamala made a prediction before the election:  "In less than 90 days, either Donald Trump or I will be in the Oval Office.  On day one, if elected, Donald Trump would walk into that office with an enemies list.  When elected I will walk in with a to-do list...". 

She still had more than two months to go as Vice President.  She honored tradition and certified the election of Trump.  She did her best to give a smooth transition.

The future is uncertain, but she maintains the fight is not over.  She points out that the Republicans have steadily shaped the laws to favor the wealthy and by appealing to prejudices.  It is not just Trump who is the problem, but his followers.  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/07/trump-as-tool.html

She feels the best hope is with Generation Z who have lived through the pandemic, economic turmoil that followed and will face the impact of a worsening climate change and AI.  Education will be important to the newcomers, but also for the rest of us.

Her book, "107 Days" packs a realistic record of the stresses of an election campaign.

Here is how I saw the choice:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2024/09/the-choice.html

From her book before the 2020 election:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2024/09/kamala-harris-truths-we-hold.html

Autocracy, Inc.

After the fall of the Berlin Wall, in 1989 we in the west felt relieved and somewhat victorious.  We had broken the evil Communist Empire.  We felt liberal democracy was pre-ordained and it was just a matter of time before the rest of the world adopted our way.

Communism was an ideology that some believed in, but a few powerful people used it as a tool for their benefit.  According to author Anne Applebaum, the ideology we should be concerned about is autocracy.  In one sense it is not an ideology, but really just concentrating power for its own sake.  Loyalty to the leader is more important than ideology.

Westerners including Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and Angela Merkel honestly felt one way of bringing Russia and China to our way of freedom was through trade.  In reality we have enriched their economies and allowed them a bigger platform.  

Several nations are united in a distaste and fear of America with its western allies as a threat to their power.  Such diverse countries as Russia, Iran, China, Venezuela, North Korea and Cuba support one another.  India is one example of a democratic country that is dependent on Russian energy.

Vladimir Putin as mayor of St. Petersburg had control of export licenses and skimmed off the fees for himself.  A Russian company with Putin listed as an advisor was listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange that German Intelligence determined was laundering Russian money.  Before too long Putin became president, changing the rules so he could have more control.  Some westerners were ready to launder the ill gotten gains of the autocrats that was a key to their enriching themselves and maintaining power.  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/10/freezing-order.html

Putin felt Ukraine should be restored to the Russian Empire.  Ukraine put up more resistance than expected.  At about that time I was tutoring a Ukrainian and we noted the newspaper coverage of the battle.  However when Hamas attacked Israel, the newspaper coverage immediately priortized the Mideast.  Iran was a financial supporter of Hamas and the Houthis. 

Autocrats use several tools to maintain their power.

The concept of sovereignty plays a critical role in their projection.  Many international groupings expressed the need for respecting human rights  Autocrats played that idea down and substituted the idea  each country was sovereign and no other country should interfere with its internal affairs.  Meaning that sovereign countries decide what is acceptable within their boundaries.

Controlling media is vital.  In their own country as much as possible  they take over media with perhaps two examples being Iran and China.  With modern technology autocrats have found ways to infiltrate their "enemies" who are more concerned about human rights.  Disinformation is spread through networks with their identity hidden.  The Russians do have presidential preferences, but are just as concerned about causing division to weaken democracies. They successfully delayed aid to Ukraine with outright lies.

Legalities are used to track activities of citizens.  Also to hide illegal money as for instance many western countries do not require the name of the actual owner for many transactions. 

Autocrats finance terrorism (and divisive groups) to undermine their "enemies".   Russia supported Assad in Syria and went to the trouble of lying about the White Helmets. 

Assassinations are used not only to get rid of a particular person, but to intimidate others.  At the same time they do not want to draw too much attention that might turn off prospective allies or alert their enemies.   Two big examples were Khashoggi and Navalny.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/01/navalny-hero-for-our-times.html

How can we fight back? 

Autocracies do have different ideologies, but they seem to recognize a comradeship and support one another.  One illustrative example is Iran and Russia whose ideologies are opposed, but they share a hatred or fear of democracies.  Anne thinks the democracies need to think in terms of a war against autocracy and its predecessor, kleptocracy.  Isolationism is a fatal luxury.

Need to make transfers of money transparent.  Without making money laundering illegal, there would be consequences if both parties were public.  Some businesses and politicians like to claim they have nothing to do with autocrats as they enrich and empower themselves.

Disinformation needs to be countered.  The American Global Engagement Center set up in 2023 to try to pre bunk disinformation (as opposed to de bunking afterwards).  AI is going to be an integral part of our future and is likely to be abused by autocrats (and other greedy entities).  International standards of transparency should be established that would showcase abuse. 

Jake Sullivan warned of the danger of becoming overly dependent on China.  The Chinese government subsidizes businesses to seek inroads into other nations.  They put in an effort to develop (or steal) technology.  They are looking at Russia invading Ukraine and see that fits their idea of taking over Taiwan.

Anne Applebaum feels that the free world "understand that one nation's freedom can often depend on the strength of freedom in others."

Climate change is a global crisis that few in real power accept.  That could change by force of circumstances, but it is too risky to wait.  There are big obstacles in the way, but a concerted effort has to be made to make this a global effort.  Ironically the country doing the most is autocratic China who expects to gain economic power from their efforts.  One of their edges has been access to key minerals, but in fact there are other sources that need to be developed.  This is a topic in itself, but ridicule should be turned upside down so that deniers are made to feel it.

The book was published in 2024 so although Trump was vocal he didn't really get into power until 2025, but I would say Anne Applebaum would agree Trump is displaying a determination to be an autocrat.  Her book has many more details to help readers understand the problem that faces us.

Prime Minister

"Prime Minister" (2025) depicts an ideal politician, but one that was rejected by her constituency.  The subtitle is appropriate. "To rule is easy.  To lead is hard."  Mistakes are unavoidable.

To become Prime Minister required a lot of details to fall in place.  The Labour Party was trending downward in polls and the leader decided it would be better if he resigned, so he did.   Jacinda did not want the responsibility of party leader although she had earned the respect of the members.   She once said "...that's the power of saying yes, because there will also be a moment when someone will ask you to do sometihng beyond your comfort zone.  I am not unique."

New Zealand has a proportional representation system and the Labour Party finished second, however there was no majority.  This meant the third party could decide who would be the Prime Minister.  The top two parties negotiated with Winston Peters and he decided in favor of Jacinda.  One consequence reported in her book is that she decided not to legislate a capital gains tax.

Another challenge for Jacinda was that she was pregnant.  From the book again, she pointed out that both she and her partner Clarke Gayford had wanted a baby, but after some medical procedures were not able to.  As she was in her late 30's they were both pleasantly surprised.  This led to some adjustments.  Clarke handled many of the household and parental chores.  Jacinda had decided she wanted to breastfeed and with awkwardness was able to do so in Parliament, but did cut out after awhile.

She brought baby Neve to United Nations and heard one of Trump's rants.  The camera showed some of the other members reaction and it was mostly negative.  A bit later Stephen Colbert asked her about the laughter, prompting her to say that question could provoke a diplomatic incident.  She did point out that after Trump had said, "I wasn't expecting that.  But that's okay" the laughter was mostly with him and not so much at him.

As a progressive she was able to help steer legislation towards dealing with climate change, mental health and parental supports.  New Zealand improved access for abortions.  But soon enough crises took up much of her time and energy.

In 2019 a terrorist massacred in Christchurch 50 Muslim worshippers.  She flew down and did her best to comfort the survivors.  Jacinda felt even if they were refugees they were New Zealanders.  She refused to name the murderer, but made efforts to remember the victims.  Donald Trump, like other national leaders phoned to express his sympathy.  After he asked if there was anything he could do she told him sympathy and love for Muslims were what was needed" the response was silence

Jacinda was aware of a conflict between police procedures and Muslim burial customs.  She was able to be diplomatic to everyone's satisfaction.   A personal note, when my brother in law Ali, died after visiting family in Morocco, his wife, my sister Rebecca and one daughter were in Montreal. They had to quickly cut though some red tape so they could get over in time for Ali's burial.

Another consequence was to tackle gun laws.  In the book she recounts there is a strong cultural tie for hunting, but she checked hunters and resolved that some firepower was not needed.  The film shows people bringing in the newly banned guns. 

A relatively minor crisis was a volcano that killed a small number of people and required evacuation.  New Zealand has been formed by volcanic activity.  The city of Auckland is built on extinct volcanoes.

 

 To the left is me, inside an extinct volcano in Auckland.  A bit of a tourist attraction.

 

 

 

 

 The Covid pandemic was global and New Zealand was not spared.  Jacinda took decisive action including shutdowns.  Masks were required in some situations and when vaccinations were available some employees were required to get them.  Another consequence was inflation.  Protests soon started and some became violent with fires.  She found herself viciously verbally attacked.  In the film she explains she would explain why they may have done too much instead of doing too little, but the difference was lives.  In fact New Zealand did relatively well compared to other nations.

Polls were against Jacinda even as the pandemic wore down.  Protests continued and she admits that she was worn down and concerned she might not have enough to handle another crisis.  Clarke felt she should stick it out, but she made a decision to resign.

As the pandemic wound down she decided to make a trip to the Antarctica.  She was interested in the failed trip by Ernest Shackleton, but was struck by the fact that all the participants returned alive.

Joe Biden took over a mess mainly a direct result of Covid and Trump's poor management of it.  One unavoidable result was inflation.  Of course shutdowns and health restrictions hurt many and they were quick to blame Biden.  In fact the United States did better than all of the G7 nations, but the irony ended up that Trump with a sorry record was able to become president again.

Afterwards she and Clarke got married, an event that had been postponed for political crises.  They both ended up at Harvard University where she could lecture and take part in some climate change projects.  One statement shown from her university lectures where she pointed out that there is too much binary partisanship that blocked solving global problems.  If one side strongly feels they are right and the other side is wrong there is little chance for dialogue. 

There was a little snippet showing her watching the Kamala Harris/Donald Trump debate.

When there is a challenge such as Covid everyone might have to sacrifice, but unfortunately there always seems to be a minority that resents any restrictions and will stir up others.  In Canada this resulted in the Freedom Convoy that disrupted life for many others.  Now to maintain our sovereignty, sacrifice is necessary and our Prime Minster, Mark Carney has pointed that out.  Hopefully that will work.

The filming was mostly in New Zealand, truly a beautiful country with an emphasis on the capital city of Wellington including the beehive that is the office section of their government headquarters.  Cambridge, Massachusetts was shown at the beginning and the end.  The United Nations was also shown.

Some crew members who made this documentary worth watching

Clarke Gayford, her husband was a key crew.  A lot of family time films provided some intimacy.  He was also a producer. He has 2 credits as a writer, 2 as a director and 1 as an editor.

Gigi Pritzker was another producer with 40 credits as producer and 1 for writing including "21 Bridges" (2019) and "The Eyes of Tammy Faye" (2021). 

Linsday Utz was a director.  She has 13 credits as editor, 2 for producer and 2 for directing including 2 episodes for Frontline.

Sofia degli Alessandri composed the music.  She has 35 credits for composing, 18 for the music department and 2 for producing.

I watched the American television premiere and assume it will soon be available for streaming and at your local library or video stores.  Jacinda Adern is a politician like we need more of.

To get more details check out http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/08/a-different-kind-of-power.html

Another post about her earlier:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2019/03/a-better-way-to-deal-with-sick-shooters.html

Using your subconscious is a key to a better life.

First off, I cannot quite buy everything suggested by author Dr. Joseph Murphy, but he offers a powerful reminder with some excellent advice.  He has a Christian background, but is well aware that other faiths and not just our standard other faiths work because people have faith in some overwhelming belief.

Call me an agnostic (he allows for that as well).  I believe there is some power bigger than me or all of humanity that we can never understand.  He often uses the term "Infinite Intelligence" which to me is close enough to "Mother Nature" for me to accept (and even prefer).

He points out that there are many kinds of healers some tied to a story book of some sort and others to something akin to witchcraft.  They often get results not because they have the true faith, a secret ingredient or procedure, but because in their subconscious they and their patients had faith.  

It is easy to realize that all humans have two minds or as he says elsewhere, one mind with two spheres.  One is the consciousness that we use to calculate what to do and think.  Our subconscious is more encompassing in that it regulates our bodies (such as heart beat, digestion system, etc.) without normally conscious awareness and it also sorts out much of your concerns when we are not paying attention.  It follows our conscious direction, so we should be careful not let negative thinking overwhelm us.

Here are some other points I feel are helpful to a happy life: 

Give thanks before going to sleep will help set a good mood.  Sleeping allows the subconscious to be active.

Robert Louis Stevenson consciously tried to activate his subconscious to find creative stories.  Mark Twain, another author felt his success was due to his ability to tap his subconscious. 

Fear is a person's greatest enemy.  Fear of failure creates a block that can lead to failure.  Ralph Waldo Emerson said "Do the thing you are afraid to do and the death of fear is certain."

Forgiveness liberates you.  Murphy thinks it is just as important to forgive yourself.  Most of us carry guilt for something we did in the past and for some that is a heavy burden.  We need to move on with a clear conscience.

Retiring is a big change.  Work for most of us gives a feeling of purpose, if only to support our families.  As I approached retirement I looked for some things to do.  My readers can assume I found blog writing, along with the research required to be a part of my plans.  You would be right, but that really is only part of the day.  I have found two volunteer situations that I look forward to.  I agree with the author that there is more to life than just surviving.  Life is meant to be enjoyed. 

Happiness is a habit.  All habits are maintained by your subconscious.  Negative thinking can also be a habit that you need to consciously fight.

Whatever thing annoys or disturbs you does so by your choice.  Throwing things against the wall or ranting are not as effective as ignoring affronts to your dignity or views.  If you puncture someone else's ego you cannot gain their goodwill.  This is too often is a response to criticism, but is counter productive.

You got this far because you think your life could be better in some way and you are right.  There are many thoughts on the challenge and below is my link to many approaches.  They are mostly not in conflict and you would do well to consider them.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2019/12/an-antidote-to-chaos-series-of-rules.html

As far back as 2013 I was conscious that the subconscious played a role in our decisions (not always good) as depicted in the following post:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2013/10/the-art-of-choosing-as-seen-by-sheena.html

Ek Chatur Naar--a dark comedy

 "Ek Chatur Naar" (2025) is a very layered comedy on the dark side.  There are 7 suicides tied to it as the result of scams.  The fun part is when circumstances allow a very clever woman to get her revenge.  

Mamta is so bubbly you lose sight of the dark side for awhile.   Con jobs going back a few years led to extreme despair for individuals who found the only way out was suicide.  One of the victims was the husband to Mamta.  Since then she had been coerced by a loan shark (one of the scammers) and found herself doing a range of jobs and hiding from the loan shark.  

The plot seems to start when Abhishek loses his phone with some semi pornographic videos as well as for con jobs. Somehow Mamta ends up with it and discovers the semi pornography and decides this is an opportunity to blackmail.

It gets a whole lot more complicated.  There is a crooked police man, a loan shark, a wife who wants to get pregnant, a girlfriend who has her own agenda.  We begin to understand that there is more to the characters.

It takes a cast and crew to get your attention and they do it brilliantly.  Here are some of them.

Umesh Shukla was the writer, director and producer.  He started with theatre including in the Gujarati language.  Umesh has 13 writing credits, 12 for directing, 11 for acting and 1 for producing including "OMG Oh My God" (2012), "All is Well" (2015) and "102 Not Out" (2018).   

Amar Mohile was the composer.  He has 172 composing credits, 75 for the music department and 3 for soundtrack including "Koi...Mil Gaya" (2003), "Ek Hasina Thi" (2004), " Shaitan" (2011), "The Attacks of 26/11" (2013), "Table No. 21" (2013), "Diwale" (2015), "Jazbaa" (2025), "Jolly LLB 2" (2017), "Prawaas" (2020) and "Dhoka" (2022).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/11/dhokha.html

Sameer Arya was the cinematographer.  He has 41 credits for cinematography, 5 for the camera and electrical department and 2 for acting including "Anjaam" (1994), "Koyla" (1997), "Monsoon Wedding" (2001), "Koi..Mil Gaya" (2003), "Jazbaa" (2015) and "All is Well" (2015).

Mayur Hardas was the editor.  He has 61 editor credits, 7 for the editorial department and 4 for cinematography including "The Silence" (2015) and "Cycle" (2018).

Divya Khossla played the versatile Mamta.  She was a model and got into music videos as performer and director.  She has 17credits for acting; 9 for producing, 2 for directing and 1 for choreography.

Neil Nitin Mukesh played Abhishek, the con man.  He has 32 credits for acting, 3 for the music department, and 1 for writing including "Johnny Gaddaar" (2007), "New York" (2009), "7 Khoon Maaf" (2011), "David" (2013), "Prem Ratan Dhan Payo " (2015) and "Wazir" (2016).

Heli Daruwala played Tina, Abhishek's girlfriend (and secretary).  She has 14 acting credits.

Chhaya Kadam played Mamta's live in mother in law.  She has 67 acting credits and 1 for producing including "Andhadhun" (2018), "Gangubai Kathiawadi" (2022), "Laapdtaa Ladies" (2023) "All We Imagine as Light" (2024).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2024/04/laapataa-ladies.html and http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/09/all-we-imagine-as-light.html

 Sushant Singh played Inspector Trilocki, the crooked (but kindly) cop.  He has 77 acting credits including "The Legend of Bhagat Singh" (2002), " Matrubhoomi:  A Nation Without Women" (2003), "Lakshya" (2004), "Sehar" (2005) and "Mohandas" (2009).

Rose Sardana played Angela, Abhishek's wife.  She has 11 acting credits including "Drishyam 2" (2022).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/02/drishyam-2-signifies-new-global-movie.html

Zakir Hussain played Querishi, a crime boss.  He has 145 acting credits including "Holiday:  A Soldier is Never Off Duty" (2014), "Badlapur" (2015),  "Johnny Gaddaar" (2017), "Andhadhun" (2018), "Aranyak" (2021) and "Farzi" (2023).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/03/farzi-or-fakes.html

Anil Rastogi, played a helpful neighbor for Mamta.  He  earned a degree in microbiology.  Anil has had over 100 theatrical performances.  He has 58 acting credits and 2 for producing including "Ishaqzaade" (2012) and "Thappad" (2021).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2020/05/thappad-or-in-english-slap.html

Available on Netflix with subtitles.  Suicide is an underlying theme and may bother some viewers, but the lead character is so vivacious in getting revenge you will appreciate that overcoming evil can be uplifting. 

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

A Thousand Cuts in the Philippines

The War on Drugs has been an excuse to justify dictatorial powers.  When the government clamps down on human rights, journalism is a key counterpoint.  There is more to this story, but parallels to the current situation with Donald Trump are hard to miss.

Rodrigo Duterte, lawyer got elected in 2016 in large part for his campaign promise to get rid of drugs.  He had been the first elected president from Mindanao and the oldest at 71.  Rodrigo carried a .38 caliber gun in his waistband.  Once said (among other incendiary comments) "Forget the laws over human rights."

He had a few run ins with Americans.  At one point he called Barrack Obama "a son of a whore."  He challenged Trump to a fistfight after the American president said he would prevent all Filipinos from coming to America.  He also said Trump was a bigot, but he, Rodrigo was not.

Maria Ressa, born and raised until 10 in the Philippines moved to New Jersey in America with her mother and step father.  Refined her English and became president of her high school class three times and performed in plays.  Later educated at Princeton.

She went on to work for CNN in Manila and Jakarta investigating terrorism among other issues.  Although an American citizen she chose to live and work in the Philippines and was a founder of the news network, Rappeler.  In that function she ran up against Duterte and his human rights abuses.  Many were killed and undoubtedly many of them were drug pushers, but also users were often included and few were given court procedures.  The poor were the most common victims.  I am reminded of Obama who is credited with saying that inequality was a major cause of crime.

Duterte was able to put lots of misinformation on social media and manipulate it so his viewpoint dominated.  He corrupted many Filipinos and had avid supporters.  He and his staff claimed Rappeler was only "fake news."  The climax (now well known historically) was Maria Ressa was appealing a conviction for cyber libel.  As in America, a would be dictator identifies journalists as enemy number one.  Maria somehow overcame her legal concern (see below) and in 2021 was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize shared with a Russian journalist.

The documentary film made an impression and here are some of the other connections.

Ramona S. Diaz was director, writer and producer.  She was born and raised in the Philippines.  She graduated from Stanford and now she lives in Baltimore.  Ramona has won an Emmy.  She has 10 credits as a producer, 9 for directing and 6 for writing.  

Gabriel Goodenough was a cinematographer.  He has 9 credits for cinematography, 16 for camera and electrical department and 8 as producer including "The Sopranos" (2002) and "A Beautiful Mind" (2002).

Sam Lipman was the composer.  He has 14 composing credits, 5 for the music department and 1 sound department.

Leah Marino was the editor.  She has 28 editor credits and 5 for the editorial department and 5 for producing.

Amal Clooney appeared as a support and counsel for Maria Ressa.  Born in Lebanon, her father was a Druze and her mother a Sunni Muslim.  Raised in England and got her law degree from NYU School of Law.  She can speak English, French and Arabic.  In 2016 with her husband George Clooney she founded the Clooney Foundation for Justice.  She had worked under future Supreme Court judge, Sonia Sotomayer.  Amal was interested in international human rights and did her job as a prosecutor and a defender.  Maria Ressa was one of her journalist clients who were being attacked by autocrats.  A recent campaign was to charge Russia with war crimes against Ukraine.

This film got some very negative reviews on Imdb as she had touched the nerves of Duerte supporters.  Reminds me of Al Gore with the responses to and on the other side Donald Trump uses similar tactics.  It was first shown at the Sundance Film Festival in 2020 and released for limited theatres and online.  PBS bought it and showed it on their Frontlline tv. show.  No distributor would dare buy it for the Philippines distribution, but Youtube made it available and got over 230,000 views within 24 hours.  It has won numerous awards and I would like to highlight from the Doc Edge in New Zealand.

The title comes from the fact that drastic changes can creep up in small increments and need to fight back one by one.

 I saw this film from a borrowed DVD.   

An earlier blog for Maria Ressa's book: http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/07/how-to-stand-up-to-dictator.html

Against the Grain

Author quote:  "And is there anything sweeter than going against the grain and realizing that the marks you leave behind are the new grain?  I think not."

Those words were used to identify 18 individuals and one group as subjects to devote a chapter in "Against the Grain."  Some familiar names, but some maybe not so well known and with an emphasis on their early struggles.  Included are those who overcame ridicule to make a positive benefit for the rest of mankind.

A lot of interesting people to choose from, but a blog is not a book.  A few highlights to make a few points.

 

Terry O'Reilly's background is advertising and he offers two examples of men who changed conventional thinking, Albert Lasker and Bill Bernbach.  One point for me was to see the advantage in the disadvantage such as used by Avis, the number 2 who tries harder and the small Volkswagen.  

As a blogger I will take this opportunity for my own advertising contribution.  I was a big basketball fan and managed to get involved with the inaugural idea of the Buffalo Braves playing some games at Maple Leaf Gardens.  They let me sell a few tickets in a reserved section.  Frustrated that it wasn't as overwhelming as I had hoped, I got the idea for a unique ad and asked if I could run it in the Oakville paper that I worked for as a district circulation manager.  Given the okay I came up with the idea that Canadians weren't aware of the 24 second rule that assured lots of action.  I got photos of Pete Maravich and Bob McAdoo opposing each other with the caption "24 second shoot em up."  Maple Leaf Gardens also copied it in their big Toronto ads.

Bogota in Colombia had a reputation of being one of the most dangerous cities in the world.  Antonas Mockus, a non politician had been in trouble, but he decided to run for mayor.  He used creative, even contra intuitive methods to deal with alcohol and guns.  He used ridicule to curb violence.  One example was to hire mimes stationed near high traffic accident areas to mock drivers who ignored rules.  His unorthodox methods that dramatically reduced accidents, homicide rates and even water wastage.

Scientists are often thought of as innovators, but as in other professions there is an establishment that likes to protect itself.  O'Reilly gives us four examples of medical doctors who literally went through periods of being ridiculed before their innovations became normal.  One was the simplest of washing ones' hands before delivering babies.  The others also helped save lives, literally millions of lives.

Suzanne Simard from a young age decided she wanted to be involved with forestry.  She worked for the government  and for private business.  A standard practice was to replace cut trees with new commercially viable plantings carefully spaced apart so they would not "compete" against one another.  Advocating for a role for birch trees some critics labelled her "Miss Birch" to her face and likely switched one letter on her back.  Suzanne discovered that in fact different types of trees and even mushrooms interconnect to be healthier.  We have known for awhile that  trees soak up carbon dioxide and send out oxygen, but she found a mixed forest provided a healthy environment for humans and provided justification for the term "forest bathing."

Due to the popularity of "King Richard" even many non sports fans know Richard Williams played a critical role in the development of two world famous tennis stars, Venus and Serena Williams.  The story has a long background covering Richard's poor youth that including racism and poverty.  He was also involved in fighting.  He had almost no awareness of tennis when he saw a news item about a woman (from Romania) winning $40,000 in a tournament.  Venus and Serena were not yet born, but he became obsessed with the idea of making them international tennis stars.  Richard's strategy was more than just practicing the game itself, but required school discipline and encouraging them to earn money on their own.

These are just a few highlights not really conveying the struggles involved.  Some better known people are included like Taylor Swift, Norman Lear and Dick Fosbury.  A few lesser known others have contributed to society against odds.  A reader will find lots of inspiration and perhaps an openness to other people who have innovative ideas that might seem a little off the wall. 

Another interesting book by Terry O'Reilly was "My Best Mistake".  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/06/my-best-mistake.html

The Lake Triology from Slovenia

 One idea behind watching foreign films is to see something different and to also appreciate the similarities.  When I grew up Slovenia was unheard of as it was part of Yugoslavia.  After Tito died the several ethnic groups fought for their own independent state.  Most of us became conscious of constant fighting.

Now Slovenia is making its mark in the world.  One of my newspaper carriers was from there.  The most famous name for me is Luka Doncic.  Now I am becoming conscious there is more to the country.  "The Lake Triology" ("Jezero")  is a television series about detectives chasing murderers.  A familiar theme for us English speaking entertainment seekers.

To be honest the DVD layout didn't match the IMDB writeup.  The DVD title was "The Lake Triology" and came with three discs.  Over the three discs with 11 episodes.  Checking out IMDB cast and crew it seemed to be based on 6 episodes.  It now seems the grouped three stories, but didn't spread them evenly over the 3 discs.   It is really three stories and they are linked.

From a few episodes I became aware of a mountainous  country with scenic lakes.  They seem sophisticated enough, compared to our more familiar detectives.  Perhaps to get our attention they seem open about sex and nudity and of course there is female detective who is as smart as any male. 

In the second story there is a switch,  Tina is now Taras' boss and we learn she has a live in boyfriend.  In the third story Taras has left the police and is now a private detective.

This is an engaging and good quality product.  In the expectation of learning future connections here are some of the people who contributed.

Tadej Golob  wrote the novel for the stories and helped write the script.  He has 2 writing credits.

Matevez Luzar was a director and writer.  He has 8 directing credits, 12 for writing and 2 for acting.

Davor Herceg was the composer.  He has 28 composing credits and 1 for soundtrack.

Milos Srdic was the cinematographer.  He has 48 cinematography credits, 3 for producing and 2 for the camera and electrical department.

Ivana Fumic was the editor.  He has 53 editor credits, 1 for assistant director and 1 for script and continuity.

Sebastian Cavazza played Taras the main detective.  He has 77 acting credits including for "The Lion King" (2019).

Nika Rozman played Tina, the new detective.  She got her start in theatre.  She has been a popular host for a children's program.  Nika was a founder for the Screen Actors Guild of Slovenia.  She has 23 acting credits.

Gaja Filac played the daughter Monica.  She has 15 acting credits including several episodes on a British mini series, "Love, Lies and Record" ( 2017).

Jani Zombari played a police officer.  He has 14 acting credits, plus 3 for assistant director and 2 for stunts including "No Time To Die" (2021).

Andrei Lenart played another police officer.  He has 48 acting credits and 1 for stunts including "Hotel Portofino" (2024).

The world is expanding and you will find lots of foreign films engaging and entertaining.  I picked the DVD from my local library.

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

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

The title was known, but it took a suggestion from Charity Norman Facebook friend and author from New Zealand for me to make a closer look.  I knew nothing of the author, except she was considered a role model.

She certainly had a life far removed from my experience.  Takes from early age when her mother left her with a grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas, a small southern town during the Depression all the way to 16 in Oakland, California and a life changing event, a birth.

After my first two paragraphs I took a foray to a Wikipedia biography.  She had a life full of writing, acting, dancing, singing and civil rights.  She lived in a variety of places in America, but also Africa and met a lot of interesting and historical figures.  She read a poem at Bill Clinton's inauguaration.  She was later honored by Barrack Obama.

She published "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" in 1969 and was recognized for her uniqueness in writing.  The book encountered criticism and was removed from some shelves.  It was very candid about black discrimination and sex.

A pivotal event happened at age 8; she was raped by her mother's boyfriend while living in St. Louis, Missouri..  She told her mother and testified against the man in court.  He was jailed for one day, but shortly after was beaten to death, likely by her uncles.  This experience rendered her with guilt and she was mute for about five years.  A teacher helped steer her to reading where she said her first hero was the white William Shakespeare.  She developed an interest in poetry.  

She went with her mother to Oakland California.  At a young age she had a fair share of adventure, such as a trip to Mexico with her mother's new boyfriend and drove a car with very little instruction.  She fancied the life of a street car conductor and persisted  until she became San Francisco's first black conductor.  Like many young girls she had a curiosity about sex worrying about her late physical development and wondering if she was a lesbian.  She approached a barely known boy and invited him to have sex with her.  The one time experiment led to pregnancy.  Her mother and her boyfriend were accepting and helped her get adjusted.  That is where the story ends.

There was something about her that enabled her to digest a variety of experiences and move forward.  There were a number of pivotal people, perhaps starting with her parents who had a tumultuous marriage, her grandmother, her brother Bailey a teacher in Stamps and at least two of her mother's boyfriends.  Moving between St. Louis, Stamps and Oakland would naturally give a different perspective on life styles.  In my life the contrast between living in an industrial city and a rural tourist area changed my view of life.  My views on the rural-urban divide, http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/10/the-rural-urban-divide.html 

Most of her early life she was among black people even avoiding whites.  Whites seemed arrogant and expecting blacks to be deferential.  Moving to bigger cities she could detect blacks who had been living in southern areas.  From California she briefly was aware of the Japanese and then they disappeared (during World War II).  She also encountered Mexicans, who seemed more relaxed and learning a little Spanish.   In the book she uses the term "negro"  whereas we would say "black" or "African American," not because she was ignorant, but because it reflected the atmosphere of the time.

It sort of snuck up on me starting with mostly every day events, but as I read more it seemed every thing built up towards a maturing black woman.  Maya Angelou has had a positive impact for the modern black woman.  Well worth reading.

A Maya Angelou quote suggested by my sister, Rebecca:  "If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain."

Two Films by Hirokazu Koreeda

Initially learned of and started to watch series "Asura" (2025) and then learned of film"Monster".  A lot of difficulty as my computer was not able to access Monster and finally learned I could catch it at a library computer.

Admired Hirokazu Koreeda for his previous films and thought I would combine coverage of both.  A series does offer more character development and room for more complicated plots.  On the other hand a film can make a definite point in short order.

Asura was an 8 part series that had been adapted from earlier Korean versions.   The really key part is how 4 adult sisters with different situations got along.  At times one could detect jealousy, but at others they would support each other.

The second youngest, Takiki hires a detective to follow her father and learns he has another family including a son.  The sisters aren't sure how to handle it, not wanting to upset their mother and ideally stop the relationship.  Takiki was thought of as too plain looking and too stiff to ever get married or even have much of a relationship with a man.  She herself  had given up hope of ever getting married, but the detective likes her, a lot.  He is a decent enough fellow who later confesses to the father that he was the one who spied on him.

Another development was the youngest and most attractive sister, lives with a boxer who has some initial success, but boxing is a dangerous game.

There are complications.  The sisters don't always see eye to eye on how to handle their father and even become more aware of the other woman and her son.  The father sees nothing wrong with his arrangement having two families.  Enough said.

 Hirokazu Koreeda is the link between these two films.  He is the director, writer and editor for both films.  He has 35 credits as director,  20 as a writer and 18 as editor including "Like Father, Like Son" (2013), "Our Little Sister" (2015), "The Third Murder" (2017), "Shoplifters" (2018) and "Broker" (2022).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/07/broker-japanese-korean-collaboration.html

Hajiri Taguchi was the producer for both films.  He has 31 producer credits including "Still Walking" (2008) Like Father, Like Son" (2013), "Our Little Sister" (2015), "The Third Murder" (2017), "Shoplifters" (2018).

Miyuki Fukuma was a producer for "Asura".  He has 6 producer credits and 3 for additional crew including "Still Walking" (2008), "The Third Murder" (2017) and "Broker" ( 2022).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/07/broker-japanese-korean-collaboration.html

Yu Aoi played Takiki.  She has 93 acting credits including"Hula Girls" (2006).

Rie Miyazawa played Tsunako.  She once posed in the nude and consequently was dropped by her studio and had to find another studio.  She has 65 acting credits.

Michiko Ono played Makita.  She has 117 acting credits including "Like Father, Like Son" (2013) and "Light of my Lion" (2024).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2024/12/light-of-my-lion.html

Suzu Hirose played Sakito.  She has 51 acting credits and 3 for soundtrack including, "Our Little Sister" (2015), "The Third Murder" (2017) and "Who Saw the Peacock Dance in the Jungle?" (2025). See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/03/who-saw-peacock-dance-in-jungle.html  That is her on the poster

Jun Kunimura played the father.  He has 232 acting credits including "Kill Bill: Vol 1" (2003), "The Wailing" (2016), "Japan Sinks:  People of Hope" (2021) and "The Boy and the Heron" (2023).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/12/japan-sinks-people-of-hope-emigration.html

Masahiro Motoki played Takao, the husband of Tsunako.  He has 59 acting credits.  He had to learn to play the cello to play the lead in the foreign film Oscar winner, "Departures" (2009).

"Monster" used flashbacks to point out there is more than one side to any event.  The director stated that all the characters were like prisoners.  A young boy exhibits strange behavior.  His mother goes to the school as she believes one teacher had used violence and insults against her son.  She meets with the principle, other teachers and the teacher Hori.  All are apologetic, but don't seem willing to do more than promise the incidents will not be repeated.  She is not satisfied.

Nothing is quite the total truth when you first experience an event.  Through the flashbacks we are given some background of the teacher, the principle and the other teachers.  We also view a friend of Minato, Yuri and learn more of the background of the two boys.  One phrase that comes to mind is "don't judge the book by the cover."

Ryuici Sakamoto was the composer who died shortly after this film and had it dedicated to him.  Born in Japan he did much of his composing in America.  He had provided some music for the Opening Ceremonies for the Barcelona Olympics in 1992.  He had 124 composing credits, 44 for the music department and 22 for acting including "The Last Emperor" (1987) which won an Oscar for him, "Wuthering Heights" (1992), "The Revenant" (2015) and "Call Me By Your Name" (2017).   

 Soya Kurokawa played Minata, the lead.  Despite his youth he has 13 acting credits.

 Sukura Ando played Minata's mother.  Her great grandfather had been the Japanese Prime Minister Tsyohi).  She has 74 acting credits including "Shoplifters" (2018).

Eta Nagayama played Hori, the teacher.  He has 96 acting credits, 1 for directing and 1 for writing.

Shida Nakaumura played Yuri's father.  He has 107 acting credits and 1 for directing.  One of his films was "Letters from Iwo Jima" (2006), directed by Clint Eastwood.

The films by Hirokazu Koreeda are noted for their understanding of human nature.  "Asura" is on Netflix with subtitles or dubbed.  "Monster" was seen on Hoopla which is free with some library cards.

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

Romantics Anonymous

 When I started to research for "Romantics Anonymous" (2025) I discovered I had already seen an earlier version, "Romantics Anonymous" (2010), seen over a decade ago.  In truth I don't remember much about the earlier French-Belgian version, but there were some differences. 

The 2010 version was an 80 minute movie while the Japanese version ('Romanchikku Anonimusu") was an 8 part series, giving them the advantage of character development.  The emphasis on the French-Belgian version ("Les emotifs anonymes") was on extreme shyness making it difficult for a couple to break the ice.  The more modern version chose to handicap each of the leading characters with unusual disabilities, one anxious about being touched (but not autistic) and the other anxious about eye contact known as scopophobia.  There is also a parallel romance  that complicated the main couple.

One common denominator is a focus on chocolate.  You will be tempted to taste some chocolates and they are very addictive.  There is a cut throat business angle with everyone wanting a cheap price, good quality and above all a profit.  Another angle is the father-son within the corporate structure.  Many of Sosuke's ideas are dismissed, but he does go beyond his father's wishes.  

By the second and third episodes the two leading actors become aware of each other's vulnerabilities, but each assures the other they will not fall in love.  Hana in fact has a crush on Hiro, a Kendo colleague who happens to be a close friend of Sosuke and oblivious to her.  Because of her scopophobia Hana avoids a lot of attention that comes with eye contact.  Her well regarded mentor, Kenji trained her and encouraged her to present her chocolate creations anonymously, but in effect not part of any company.  She hides her secret, although everyone is envious of her creations she is perceived as a shy nobody .

It takes a talented crew to engage your attention over the series.  Here are a few key ones.

 Sho Tsukikawa was the director.  He has 32 director credits, 10 for writing and 7 as editor.

Yoshikazu Okada was a writer who helped adapt the French/Belgian script.  He has 79 writing credits plus 2 for directing.

Jean-Pierre Ameris was the writer for the original "Romantics Anonymous" (2010).  He has 19 writing credits plus 24 for directing and one for producing including "L'homme qui rit"(2012).

 

 

 

 

 

Dalpalan was the composer.  He has 27 composing credits and 4 for the music department including "The Good the Bad the Weird" (2008), "The Thieves" (2012), "For the Emperor" (2014), "Assassination" (2015), "The Wailing" (2016), "My Name is Loh Kinan" (2024) and "Killer Paradox" (2024).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2024/03/a-killer-paradox.html

 Kosuke Yamada was the cinematographer.  He has 24 cinematography credits and 4 for the camera and electrical department including "Beyond Goodbye" (2024).

Jinmo Yang was the editor.  He was educated in the United States.  He has 28 editor credits, 11 for the editorial department and 2 for visual effects including "Snowpiercer" (2013), "The Beauty Inside" (2015), "Train to Busan" (2016), "Okja" (2017), "Parasite" (2019) and "Mickey 17" (2015).  See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2020/09/parasite-breaks-oscar-tradition.html

Syd Lim was the executive producer.  He has 24 producer rests, plus 1 for acting and another for additional crew including "Oldboy" (2003), "The Beauty Inside" (2015) and "The Handmaiden" (2016).

Shun Oguri played Sosuke.  He has 137 acting credits, 1 for directing and 1 for writing including "Japan Sinks: People of Hope" (2021).   See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/12/japan-sinks-people-of-hope-emigration.html

 Han Hyo-joo played Hana Lee and is Korean.  She has 35 acting credits plus 1 for composing and 1 for soundtrack including "The Beauty Inside" (2015).

Jin Akanishi, played Hiro, close friend to Sosuke, a Kendo trainee and a jazz musician.  In reality he was a well established singer and song writer.  He has 24 acting credits and 1 for the music department and 2 for soundtrack including the Hollywood version of "47 Ronin" (2013).

Yuri Nakamura played Irene and on and off romantic interest for Hiro.  She has 135 acting credits including "Like Father, Like Son" (2013).

You might be put off by the initial demonstrations of the two leading characters' mental afflictions, but it does not become cartoonish and eventually you will feel a little of the anxiety caused by the sensitivities.  It is a typical enjoyable romance, with misunderstandings and a happy ending.  Available on Netflix with subtitles or dubbing.  If you like chocolates you will find that part of the film of interest.

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