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 Normana 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.  They also had 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 and 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 credit 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 (or are you really strange?) 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.

Who Killed the Montreal Expos?

 "Who Killed the Monteal Expos?" has hit a nerve.  Although basketball has been my favorite sport since high school I was definitely a baseball fan.  During the players' strike 1994 the decision was made to sell the Expos to American interests.  At the time they were leading the majors.  The good players were traded or sold with little value in return.  In 2004 the team was sold to interests in Washington, D.C.

I felt betrayed.  I switched my interests to other sports and now basketball, my favorite was getting more accessible on tv and even in person. 

Montreal had a baseball history.  Jackie Robinson played there on a farm club as well as other blacks.  It was not the smallest market and did much of the time have good attendance.

The bottom line was money.  The documentary names names, but the truth is if more (a lot more) money had been available Montreal would likely still have the Expos.  By the 1980's player salaries had started to escalate and to make it worse that money was in American currency while revenues were in Canadian dollars which were declining in value.  Quebec politics drove out many anglophones who had been a significant portion of the fans.  There were no billionaires in Quebec and attempts to consolidate lesser fortunes started to fail.  

Near the end circumstances had conspired to make broadcast revenues shrink.  In one year TSN offered the Expos $5,000 per game while offering the Toronto Blue Jays $200,000 per game.  French broadcast rights were also difficult, yet vital for future success.

In 1994 the strike led to the season not being completed.  The players had long felt they were not getting their fair share of the money brought in by the fans.  The owners felt that the rising salaries were hurting the poorer teams (like Montreal) affecting the competitiveness needed to draw crowds.  Revenue sharing was seen as one solution, but was resisted by some owners.  Of course they all wanted to keep salaries under control.  As we know they kept growing, helping to freeze out prospective  Quebec and Canadian owners.

In addition to interviews in French and English with business people there were many conversations with former players, a few in French, notably Felipe Alou and the senior Vladimir Guerrero.  Alou who went on to being a successful and popular manager put his children into French schools.  One fan recalled that when she gave birth she had insisted a tv. would be put in the room so she could watch an Expos game.  

In my research I was reminded of some players.  Rusty Staub was an early star and with his reddish hair was nicknamed "Le Grand Orange."  He endeared himself to fans by learning French.  The Expos had 9 former players get elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Olympic Stadium had become a liability.  Parts of the building had collapsed and players were reluctant to play there for the poor playing conditions.  A new stadium was identified as a necessity, but gathering funds was very difficult.  Most American teams were able to get money from government, but Premier Lucian Bouchard was quoted as saying Quebec was closing hospitals and could therefore not open stadiums.

Jeffrey Loria and has stepson, David Samson are pointed as the main villains by some.  They had good intentions at the beginning in 1999, but felt frustrated with all the mostly money squabbles.  When Jeffrey sold the Expos that became the Washington Nationals he used the money to invest in the Miami Marlins taking all the Expo resources he could, including one computer an interviewee pointed out.

Here in Blue Jays territory Vladimir Guerrro, Jr. is a big star and it is nice to realize his father was a big star for the Expos.

Jean-Francois Poisson was the director of the film,  His experience has been mostly with documentaries in the Quebec market.  He has 14 directing credits, 11 for writing and 3 as editor.  Check out "Who Killed the Montreal Expos" on Netflix--subtitled for the French, but it is mostly in English.

I better understand the situation, but it also reinforces my feeling that money is the power that (mostly) guides our lives.  Just enjoy what you can with what access you have. 

There is interest in getting baseball back to Montreal.  Surprisingly considering many critical details it was stated in the credits that film was done "with the participation of Major League Baseball.  There undoubtedly will be a lot of competition.  

I already loved basketball, but the failure of the Montreal Expos played a part in my sports priorities.  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2019/06/my-60-year-love-affair-with-basketball.html

The New Force--Women step forward

We tend to think of Sweden as one of the more progressive nations, but in 1958 there were traces of misogyny among the police.  During a shortage of police officers in Sweden it was decided to experiment with women.  

After a brief period of training several women were brought to a Stockholm district station and paired off with male officers to evaluate them.  As you might imagine there was some resentment and over the course of a few months some of the resentment eased.

In the first episode events took Carin to a brothel that led to a prostitute's murder, a coverup and trying to work with another prostitute to pursue a suspect.  

Another female officer Siv trying to help, lied to a detective in the pursuit of the suspect who was a brothel owner.  This resulted in some confusion and entanglement with the detective.

A third female officer, Ingrid (close friend of the other two) became involved with male officers trying to discourage her by their rough house ways of handling criminals.

There were political factions among the more senior officers.  One hoped the experiment would work while another was set against the effort.  Carin  had an upper class boyfriend whose mother was very snobby about her son's choice of a girlfriend.  

The plot weaves through six episodes with the final one full of surprises.  As women are integral to most western police departments you won't be too surprised, but the struggle is not over.

Some IMDB reviewers commented on what they considered inappropriate music that intruded every now and then and it took away from their respect for the film.  It was described as hip hop in one review and I would agree it would have been better to have some 60's rock n roll to depict the time.  However there was enjoyable background music (one segment I bought).

This series makes a good point of the feminist struggle going beyond the institutional battles to the personal prejudice encountered in their social lives.  Credit is well deserved and here are a few contributors.

Rojda Sekersoz was listed as a conceptual director.  She has 7 directing credits and 3 for writing.

Julia Lindstrom was the director.  She has 8 directing credits, 2 for writing and 1 for editing.

Patrik Ehrnst was the writer.  He has 7 credits for writing, 6 for producing and 1 for the editorial department.

Iryna Gmeyner was the composer.  She has performed musically under the name April Snow.  For this film she collaborated with pianist Martin Hederos.  Iryna has 8 composer credits, 3 for the music department and 1 for acting. 

Andres Lennartsson was the cinematographer.  He got some of his experience living in Prague, Czech Republic before returning to Sweden.  He has 34 cinematography credits.

Sofia Lindgren was the editor.  She has 61 editor credits, 9 for the editorial department and 1 for the script and continuity department including 11 episodes of "The Bridge" (2011). 

Agnes Raes played Siv.  She had 8 acting credits.

Josif Asplund played Carina.  She started in musical theater at age 6 until her teen years. She has 19 acting credits including the English version of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" (2011).  I saw the Swedish version.

 Malin Perrson played Ingrid.  She has 24 acting credits.

Hannes Fohlin, played Oscar, the detective.  He has 30 acting credits.

Rasmus Luthander played Carina's boyfriend Arne.  He has 20 acting credits including "Let the Right One In" (2008).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2015/06/swedish-movies.html  that includes a paragraph on "Let the Right One In" plus other Swedish memorable  films.

Domink Henzel, played Carl Fischer, the officer against female participation.  He is well known for tv. commericals and being a standup comedian.  He has 28 acting credits.

Leonard Terfelt played Jack the brothel owner.  He has 18 acting credits including "The Bridge" (2011).

Women have made a lot of progress around the world.  We sometimes forget there have been countless battles.  "The New Force" can be seen on Netflix subtitled or dubbed.

The Marionette

Terry Fallis has never failed me.  His books have been engaging and hard to put down.  His humor brings on chuckles.

In "The Marionette" the hero, Norval James is a very successful spy novelist who visited Tajikstan for research and got into a jam, evolving to some uncomfortable imprisonment, but was rescued by some Canadian embassy staff.  From there he is introduced to a government employee, Angus McLintock (from a previous novel, "Operation Angus) who tells him about a unique situation requiring his unusual qualifications.  It seems a foreign leaders who is great fan of Norval's books is in some sort of trouble and is in charge with some 15 Canadians kept against their will at a Mali mining site.

Looking at a video the leader of Mali had arranged all of Norval's books out of chronological order to send a message that he needs help.  It turns out his country has nationalized a gold mine and forced some of the Canadian staff to work under duress.  CSIS has been tasked to rescue them and stumbled upon the leader's obsession with Norval's books..

Norval had had great ambitions to join CSIS some 20 years previous to become in effect a spy, but despite a promising start in the testing he was dropped without an explanation.  Instead he turned to writing fictional spy books.  Now he is brought together with the actual CSIS whose members seem skeptical and even when persuaded to work with him strongly demand that he stay in the background while professionals make the key decisions.

The leader of Mali is indeed a big fan and it does turn out that he is something of a puppet, or Marionette hoping someone will disentangle him from his mess.  It seems he is more of a hostage with his young unsuspecting daughter being used as leverage.  Norval works with Lauren Cooper who pretends to be his research assistant and for awhile they have a tricky relationship.  You know somehow they will smooth out their relationship and develop a complicated rescue plan.  Along the way there will be some laughs, but also a little suspense.  

 Terry Fallis, with a political background does a little satire.  One of his comments reminds me of another writer, Robert J. Sawyer with connections to McMaster University who spoke at the Hamilton Public Library.  Robert was a prominent science fiction writer who had some of his books turned into television scripts.  It turns out Robert did not include any explosions in his stories, but television people felt they were necessary to make the shows successful.  Robert pointed out lots of money had been spent and he okayed it.  

Terry was a graduate engineer student at McMaster while Robert had just agreed to let his literary papers be housed at McMaster.  He had received similar offers from other universities, but chose McMaster because they were treating him as a writer and not merely a science fiction writer.  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2012/04/memories-of-robert-j-sawyer.html

 Terry, winner of the Stephen Leacock award has also had stories turned into television shows.also finds ways to subtlety make fun of writers.  Nobody is safe.

I look forward when Terry visits the Hamilton Public Library next month.

An earlier blog covering several of Terry's books:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/10/terry-fallis-with-little-humour.html

And another blog about a more recent book:   http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/10/a-new-season.html

Jane Goodall and her famous last words

Jane Goodall is one of those people we wish there were more of in the world.   Most of us live in urban environments with our pet dogs and cats, but mostly separated from nature.   We forget we are part of nature.

The concept of "Famous Last Words" is to interview notable people to not be aired until after their death.  Originated in Denmark.  Very personal.  This is really the first episode to be aired.

 

In the interview she is very conscious that when her audience sees the film she is already dead.  Most of it is her story and opinions.  To some the idea might seem morbid, but Jane seemed appreciative of the opportunity.

The interviewer, Brad Falchuk, also the publisher had learned she liked a shot of whiskey to warm up and so they both enjoyed some whiskey together.  He was very good at putting her on ease to express herself freely.  The cameras were mobile and most important not visible.

As a youngster she had a strong curiosity about animals including worms.  Most mothers would be upset with their daughter handling worms, but Jane was encouraged to express her fondness for animals.

She was one of three women chosen by Louis Leakey to study primates in their natural surroundings.   Although she did not have a Bachelor's degree she was admitted for a Ph.D at Cambridge.

When she first arrived in Africa she was soon alone and not sure where the chimpanzees were to be found.  She was not bored, but found other creatures to observe.  One such study was of dung beetles who perform a task that helps balance nature.  She did meet up with some chimpanzees and had to earn their trust.  As she got more comfortable she was able to observe their similarities to humans.  Chimpanzees were able to make tools, go on organized war parties against other chimps, could pass on information to future generations and were emotionally complex. 

Her first husband, Hugo von Lawick  was a photographer assigned to take still shots and film of her with the chimps.  They became attached and married and had one son Hugo.  She related in her last words interview that her son took the divorce very hard.  After an education in England Hugo preferred to build boats in Tanzania.

Her second husband was Derek Bryceson who had been a director of a natural foundation.  They were married until he died of cancer five years later leaving her a widow for the rest of her life.

Opinions might have been carefully expressed in public, but here she strongly lets us know she does not like Donald Trump.  One can only hope that more people will respect her views than that of Donald Trump.  Elon Musk and Putin were also singled out as vile people.

Some phrases she used were "Your life matters", "Don't lose hope" (she felt the world was in terrible shape) and we are all "part of nature."  When asked how she saw her purpose she replied "

This photo has a personal connection for me.  I met Bruce Lawes at a horse show where he was exhibiting a really visually dynamic realistic painting of a horse.  I have followed him partly through his former agent, Glenda Fordham a Facebook friend.  I had seen this photo earlier and can imagine he took the pains to get the painting as realistic and memorable as possible.

She died in her sleep in Los Angeles on October 1, 2025 and the film was released only a few days later.  The film can be seen in full on Netflix.  Her last words can be found here on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfLKHY52ERc

The film was based on a Danish series "Det Sidse Ord" in 2020.  

Wolf Hall

"Wolf Hall" (2015) takes us back to the 1500's.  The focus is not on the infamous Henry VIII, but his councillor Thomas Cromwell.

Cromwell is trained in the law and had traveled around Europe.  He had a relatively low position, but carefully uses his persuasion powers to work with King Henry VIII.   When we meet him he working under Cardinal Thomas Wolsey who is about to be let go by Henry VIII for his failure to annual the marriage to Anne Boleyn.  

Cromwell delicately endears himself to the king and over time becomes his chief advisor.  He has critics and opposing royal court members, but is very deft at handling them.

You don't want to go to bed right after the ending.  Although the story is fictionalized if you knew your history it wouldn't be a surprise. 

A lot of talented people helped to make this worth your while.

Peter Kosminsky was the director.  While in high school he was a producer for a touring play of "Twelfth Night" that included fellow students Hugh Grant and composer Rachel Portman.  He ended up at the BBC directing documentaries.  He has 19 directing credits, 11 for producing and 6 for writing including "Wuthering Heights" (1992) and "White Oleander" (2002)

Peter Straughan was the writer.  Early he was a bass guitarist and played for over 4 years in bands.  He has 15 writing credits, plus 2 as director and 1 for producer including "The Debt" (2010), "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" (2011), "Our Brand is Crisis" (2015), "The Goldfinch" (2019) and "Conclave" (2024).

Debbie Wiseman was the composer.  She is asked to be a conductor for different orchestras.  She has 149 composing credits, 37 for the music department and 2 for acting.

Gavin Finney was the cinematographer.  The director trying to present a 1500's indoor lighting had scenes filmed by candlelight.  He has 56 cinematography credits plus 7 for the camera and electrical department including "Unforgotten" (2015-2017).

David Blackmore was the editor.  He has 58 editor credits.

Mark Rylance played Thomas Cromwell.   Mark has been involved with theatre.  From 1995 to 2005 was artistic director for Shakespeare's Globe.  He has won theatre awards on both sides of the Atlantic including 3 Tony awards.  He has 40 acting credits and 2 for producing including "Bridge of Spies" (2015), "The BFG" (2016),  "Dunkirk" (2017),  "Ready Player One" (2018), "The Trial of the Chicago 7" (2020), "Don't Look Up" (2021), "The Phantom of the Open" (2022) and "The Outfit" (2022).  See ...  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2016/05/bridge-of-spies.html  

Damian Lewis played King Henry VIII.   Damian has also had a theatrical career.  He has developed a credible American accent.  He has 40 acting credits, 4 for producing and 3 for soundtrack including "Band of Brothers" (2001), "Keene" (2004), "Much Ado About Nothing" (2005), "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" (3019) and "Dream Horse" (2021).  See...http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/02/band-of-brothers.html

Claire Foy played Anne Boleyn.  She has 33 acting credits including "The Lady in the Van" (2015), "The Crown" (2016-2023), "First Man" (2018), "The Girl in the Spider's Web" (2018) and "Women Talking" (2023).

Jonathan Pryce played  Cardinal Wolsey.  I will always remember him singing "If you want to die in bed" which is part of his career in theatre.  He has 140 acting credits, 1for producer and 4 for soundtrack including "Brazil" (1985), "Glengarry Glen Ross" (1992), "Evita" (1996), "The Woman in Gold" (2015), "The Wife" (2017), "The Two Popes" (2019), "The Crown" (2020), "One Life" (2023) and "The Thursday Murder Club" (2025).

Timothy Spall played the Duke of Norfolk.  He was diagnosed with leukemia in 1992, but has since recovered.  He has 167 acting credits including "Life is Sweet" (1990), "Secrets & Lies" (1996), "Topsy Turvey" (1999), "Desert Flower" (2009), "The King's Speech" (2010) and "The Journey" (2015). 

Mathieu Almaric played a French diplomat, Eustache Chapuys.  He has 142 acting credits, 24 for directing and 14 for writing including "Munich" (2005), "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" (2007), "Les Herbes Folles" (2009), "Poulet sux Prunes" (2011), "Venus in Furs" (2013), "The Grand Budapest Hotel" (2014) and "Eternity's Gate" (2018).  Read about Mathieu in a very challenging role, http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2013/10/paralyzed-men-in-4-foreign-movies.html

I watched the award winning "Wolf Hall" on DVD.  Looking forward to the second season.

Life, Death and the Pursuit of Peace in Israel/Palestine

As an outsider what I see in the "Holy Land" is hate and fear bundled together with ignorance.  No solution will work until much greater trust is somehow generated.  Outsiders feel compelled to take sides, but that isn't really fair as there is plenty of blame to spread. 

The two authors of "Tomorrow is Yesterday" Hussein Agha and Robert Malley were insiders who had been involved with advising leaders on both sides and were involved with negotiations. 

They noted an American bias.  It really goes back to 1948.  President Harry Truman was uncertain if he should support the movement to create Israel.  One of his more trusted friends, a Jewish tailor from his home town in Missouri encouraged him to support.  After knowledge of the Holocaust many Americans felt guilt as they had made it difficult for Jews to immigrate to the U.S.  Some admired the gutsyness of the Jewish pioneers.  The Jewish Christian traditions inclined Americans to think of the Arabic Muslims as uncivilized.

Religious fervor was a big factor.  While suffering in their wanderings after an expulsion, some Jewish thinkers felt they needed to get back to the Holy Land and organized the Zionist movement.  A small, but powerful group of Christians were able to find in the Bible signs of the second coming of Christ that required the Jews ruling in Jerusalem.  They became a significant factor in U.S. elections.  Israeli settlers seemed to feel they were fulfilling a historical religious calling.  A Jewish group, the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee also provided political support for Israel.

On the other side, the Muslims felt they were owed the whole of Palestine.  Going back to World War I they had been led to believe if they helped the British defeat the Turks they would have more freedom.  The Arabs felt they had conquered Palestine and beaten off the Crusaders and Turks and had their own religious attachment for the land. 

In 1948 the United Nations had tried to set up two independent nations, but the Arabs felt they were entitled to all the land between the sea and the river and furthermore the Jews were intruders.  The Palestinians have been criticized many times for not accepting Israeli/American attempts at compromise, but they felt cheated.  

The two authors were personally familiar with Yasser Arafat, Mamoud Abbas, Ehud Barak, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Benjamin Netanyahu and many others.  The American presidents felt restricted by their four year terms forcing them to rush. 

The two authors feel the two state solution has been advocated for many years and very likely to be resisted by elements on both sides.

They feel it is time to look for alternatives.  A single state giving equality to both sides with protections for minorities might work, but has a lot of resistance.  Nearby Lebanon has a constitution that is supposed to protect Muslims, Christians and Jews that worked very well until after World War II.  For awhile Jordan controlled the West Bank, but backed away from it over (among other concerns) worry of Palestinians dominating their country.  

To me the big problem was depicted in my first paragraph.  Fear and hatred need to be tamed and trust built up.  This would take more than an American presidential term.  The western world is gradually learning to live with Muslims (many escaping from Mideast turmoil).  Arab nations with oil wealth are now trying to exert international presence.  Many are open to trade with Israel.  A lot of political rhetoric in the U.S. has been about how repulsive Arabs and Muslims are and have been generating hate in American elections.

Trust is built by interconnections.  Two areas that have worked for others, are sports and arts.  Arabs/Muslims and Jews do business with one another in the rest of the world.  Western consumers are becoming fans of Muslim athletes and artists.  Education is critical and should include such things as cultural appreciation, history and logic.

Perhaps we expect too much.  Humans distrust strangers, but we function in big cities.  The world has become much more interconnected and we have mutual concerns.  Climate change affects everyone, even those who think it is a "con job."  Pollution has invaded pretty much everywhere.  All our problems could be obliterated in a nuclear war.  We would all be better off if more people would shift their focus to things that really matter.

Mobius

Lured to watch "Mobius" (2025) by the inclusion of a favorite movie actress seen in Thai films.  "Mobius" achieved 300 million views within one week of release and reached top 10 in several countries.

Science fiction built around the ability to loop through time to manipulate future events.  Several important scientists have lost their lives at a biotech company.  Ding Qi is called in and with his time looping ability is able to unravel some of the mystery and meanwhile build a relationship with one of the employees.  The mystery is deep and full of treachery.  The action is dynamic.

My interest was not the leading lady, but was an outside investor who I think appeared in 3 or 4 episodes, barely a supporting actress.  More on her later.

I no longer watch many films from China, but this one was mesmerizing.  See    http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2019/10/china-the-nba.html  They obviously have mastered still another business enterprise and I will give credit to some who handled this series.

Zhangmu Liu was the director with 5 directing credits and 1 for second unit directing.

Qiang Bi was the writer with 2 writing credits.

Bi Li was the cinematographer with 3 cinematography credits.

Peng Zhang was in charge of stunts.  He has 41 credits for stunts, 3 for directing and 4 for second unit directing including "Ant-Man" (2015), "Rush Hour 3" (2017) and "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the 10 Rings" (2021). 

Jingting Bai was the leading man.  He is very dynamic and earnest.  Jingting was active in high jump and basketball in school.  Has been a model, a singer and pianist (with his own album).  Also known as a sharp businessman establishing his own studio and agency and regularly making the Forbes list.  He has 21 acting credits and 1 for soundtrack.

Janice Man played the leading lady.  From Hong Kong she has 34 acting credits and one for the music department.

Yang Song played the owner of the biotech company.  He has 28 acting credits. 

Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying played the investor and for the most part did little until near the end.  She is from Thailand, but parents were of Thai-Chinese background.  She spoke in English and not sure, but I think Cantonese.  She has 12 acting credits including "Bad Genius" (2017), an all time favorite, "Happy Old Year" (2019), "Sleepless Society:  Insomnia" (2020) and "Hunger" (2023).   See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2018/06/bad-genius-out-of-thailand.html and http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/05/hunger-interesting-movie-from-thailand.html

I still watch numerous Mandarin language films and remember in past years that included some from the mainland.  See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/08/chinese-cinema-is-peek-into-their_1.html 

"Mobius" is available subtitled on Netflix.  If you like science fiction with some action you will more than likely enjoy this series.  Any of you would find Jingting Bai an exciting new face on the international scene.

The Crisis of Canadian Democracy

Most of "The Crisis of Canadian Democracy" dissects the many serious faults in Canadian democracy with a few solutions.  The last chapter is about the crises we are facing, including Trump and why we need to change our approach to democracy to better deal with the future.  

Explaining his solutions he also admits that those who have the power to make changes know they owe their power to the present system.  It appears most Canadians are not conscious of our deficiencies and perhaps an increased awareness will be a start.  But we are running out of time. 

With a poor democratic structure we are less fit to resist Trump.  One wild speculation has been he would be satisfied with luring Alberta to join America.  Blind patriotism may not be enough.

This post cannot be a summary of all Andrew's good ideas, but hopefully will inspire some to read the book and others to be more conscious of our deficiencies.

 The Canadian Prime Minister has too much power.  As with all party leaders he has power as to who gets nominated in ridings and obviously on cabinet ministers.  Cabinet members especially, and M.P.'s are expected to go along with government positions.  He or she has the power to call an election (at their convenience).  The power of prorogue to stop opposition, very effectively done by Stephen Harper and Justin Trudeau.

Andrew feels the leader should be decided by the caucus as they have the best understanding of the job and the character required.  This is not a new idea, but got lost with the lure of money making recruiting new members.

Parliament is where ideas get discussed and debated and where some local concerns can be aired, but time devoted to it is diminishing.  Parliament is where the government has to answer to the people, but when not sitting grievances pile up.  Canada has fallen behind other nations.  One reason has been elections that even once resolved Canada takes longer than most nations to resume Parliament.

Chrystia Freeland was shabbily treated, because Justin could, and this helped finally to force him to resign.  Before she got into politics a book (and some tv. appearances)got my attention http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2013/01/plutocrats-by-chrystia-freeland.html

Andrew states "Conventional management theory teaches that the greater the size of the operation, the more important it becomes to delegate authority to subordinates."  Instead the Canadian government is centralizing power.  

The Supreme Court is appointed by the Prime Ministers.  One of their roles is judicial review that now is more important because of the Charter of Rights and specifically the "notwithstanding rule."  Without allowing for exceptions to the charter it would not have been agreed upon.  Nonetheless it is subject to abuse.  The Quebec Bill 21 wants to ban religious garb such as turbans, hajibs or skullcaps from public service.  Recently I learned some in Alberta would like to place restrictions on transexuals.  The federal government is supposed to protect all citizens from prejudice.

The Senate is all appointed and subject to Prime Ministerial favoritism.  Andrew feels it should be elected, but not based on population.  Some groups have special rights, but not majority clout.  An example might be the indigenous.  My opinion, this could offset some of the power of majorities to overlook human rights.  It might also help to honor agreements that have been made to Prince Edward Island and francophone Quebec

A few points on election campaigns.  Journalists put too much emphasis on the horse race aspects.  Andrew feels they should be explaining policies and characters to help voters sort for their big decision

He also feels debates should be a bigger part of the campaign.  The networks know debates take away from profitable ad time.  The debates should be managed by a non partisan group.  Ideally held once a week on different topics and all should be bilingual.  The networks should not have any control over content or format, but obligated as part of their license agreement.

Essentially democracy means the voice of the common citizen should be heard and respected, but all votes are not equal.  To start with the size of ridings.  Canada  has a greater variance than in other countries, for example from the 2021 census, the smallest riding is in Labrador with 27,000 people while the largest is Edmonton-Wetaskiwin with more than 209,000 people meaning it takes more voters in some ridings to elect a member.  

Another serious concern is that most votes are wasted.  In our first past the post electoral system the decision is made by plurality and not majority.  In actual practice it is very normal for the minority parties to have gained more votes  than the winner, yet their votes do not count and thus their views are not represented.  Also the winner usually has unneeded votes that are also wasted.  Many voters use strategic voting meaning they vote for a secondary choice in order to lessen the chances for a disliked party.  

Proportional representation is a concept to remedy the wasted votes plus the need for strategic voting and has been found to actually increase voter turnout.  Unfortunately those in power don't like this idea as they got their power for the current system.  Still hundreds of countries have adopted a variation allowing a more realistic opinion of their voters to be reflected by their government.

Andrew also likes the idea of mandatory voting as the government is supposed to represent the whole country and not just the educated and informed.  

As Andrew points out Canada's future is full of challenges such as pandemics, climate change, Parti Quebecois, a European War, aging population and immediately Donald Trump.  The stronger our democracy the better we can weather the storms.  He also warns that the future will call for sacrifices (that might be painful).

An earlier blog regarding proportional representation:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/10/your-vote-neednt-be-wasted.html

Israel has long been used against the proportional representation concept.  In truth Jewish voters and elected representatives dominate Arabs, but nonetheless there are occasionally opportunities:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/07/is-israel-such-bad-example-for.html

Adolescence

Before even winning an Emmy award "Adolescence" (2025)  had received a lot of publicity.  I didn't know what to expect and certainly it was different.  Different in a thought provoking manner.  We are used to watching murder mysteries which despite complications generally direct us to some sort of resolution. 

"Adolescence" gives more focus to those affected by the violence beyond the victim and supposed perpetrator.  The police, school mates, a psychologist and most of all the father and mother to Jamie.

First off we see a family settling in for the night and suddenly police cars appear with protectively armed police officers, one of whom quickly breaks the door down and they come in taking standard police procedures to find out where a young boy is.  He is in bed and has guns pointed at him. He is told he is being arrested on suspicion of murder.  He is flustered and claims he didn't do anything.  The police are considerate, explaining his rights, but firmly stating he has to go with them.  When he gets out of bed one officer tells him to change his trousers as he has obviously wet his pants.

From there we go the police station where he is photographed, blood taken and a strip search.  A lawyer is provided who before getting many details tells Jamie to say, "no comment" if he is unsure.  We are shown a video where a boy is following a girl and they have some sort of confrontation and she pushes him to the ground and walks away.  He designates his father to accompany him and in a private talk says he did not do it.

On the second episode we see the two original arresting officers visit the school Jamie went to.  We encounter a close friend to the victim who is very upset and attacks another boy (a friend of Jamie's) and later the police officer chases down the friend.  The officers are led to different classrooms, but are unable to find any students or teachers willing to give any information.  After the two officers get set to leave, the one officer talks to his son who is a student at a higher grade and doesn't know Jamie very well.  But he does know teen culture and explains some of it to his father.  This was news to the police, schools and also to the creators and is a key message from the series.

In this second episode we learn the police have not found the weapon.  We are also led to believe that Kate had rejected an advance from Jamie.  

This post is not meant to be a summary of the series.  The final two episodes are more focused on some consequences.  Jamie is taken to a psychologist who claims her job is not to determine his guilt, but to learn what drives him.  He is suspicious, becomes upset and acts out.  She is professional and maintains her cool in Jamie's presence, but afterwards in private she breaks down.

The final episode is focused on the parents and his sister.  They are stressed.  Essentially this all I want to reveal.  The point of the series is how the events affect people.

 Researching the background to this series has been mind opening.  One new concept for me was one shot filming.  Each episode was filmed with no breaks.  The effect makes the viewer get closer to the action without realizing it.  The details are many and I don't understand them all, but the director, writer and many of the actors had been involved with it before.  It does require a lot of preparation with the risk that some small mishap means it has to be done all over again.

To create the experience takes a lot of talent.  Here are a few of the people. 

Phillip Barantini was the director.  He is a master of the one shot filming used for the series.  He has 12 credits for directing, 14 credits for producing and 32 as an actor including "Band of Brothers" (2001) and "Chernobyl" (2019).   See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/04/chernobyl.html

Jack Thorne was one of the creators and writers.  He studied politics at Pembroke College, Oxford.  Jack has 46 writing credits, 18 for producing and 3 for acting including "Wonder" (2017), "Help" (2021) and "Joy" (2024).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2024/11/joy-film-about-ivf.html

Stephen Graham was co-creator, writer and executive producer.  He has dyslexia and has his wife, Hannah Walker read scripts to him before approval.  He has 130 acting credits, 8 for producing and 2 for writing including "Band of Brothers" (2001), "Line of Duty"(2018-2020), "The Irishman" (2019), "Help" (2021) and "Bodies" (2023). See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/02/band-of-brothers.html

Jo Johnson was a producer.  One task for this film was to work with the parents of young actors to make sure everyone was comfortable with what they were asked to do.  He has 18 credits as director and 8 as producer including "Coronation Street" and "East Enders".

Brad Pitt, Hollywood star was an executive producer.  His children are home schooled.  He speaks fluent French.  Brad once bought the rights to the Hong Kong production of "Infernal Affairs" (2002) and ended up a producer for the adapted "The Departed" (2006).  He is banned in China for his role in "7 Years in Tibet" (1997).  Altogether he has 92 acting credits and 83 producing credits.

Hannah Walker had a cameo role as Mrs. Bailey.  She had formed a production company with her husband,  Stephen Graham in 2022 and was a producer.

The music was handled by the team of Aaron May and David Ridley.  Because of the one shot requirement they had to collaborate closely with the director and writers.  They had met at the University of Bristol, played in some of the same bands and then went their separate ways until re-uniting in  2017.  Aaron had 17 composing credits and 2 for soundtrack while David had 18 composing credits and 1 for music department.   

More on the musical collaboration.  Emilia Holliday had played Katie, the murder victim and had no lines, but when Phillip Barantini talked with learned she wanted to sing and so set her up with the two composers who liked her.  They also decided they would like a chorus and from the students at the filming location put together a choir and with Emilia adapted "Fragile" (from Sting).

Cinematography was by Matthew Lewis who has 15 cinematography credits and 15 for the camera and electrical department.  He had done one shot films before.

Ashley Walters played DI Luke Bascombe.  He was a rapper.  Ashley has 83 acting credits, 3 for directing and 4 for producing. 

 Erin Doherty played the psychologist Brioney Ariston.  She has 16 acting credits including two seasons as Princess Anne in "The Crown" (2019-2020).

Owen Cooper played Jamie.  At 15 he became the youngest male actor to win the Prime Time Emmy award for supporting actor. in a limited series.

This series brought to our attention there is a youth culture that is hidden from most outsiders and that violent crimes have an emotional impact on more than just the victims and perpetrators.  The presentation is unique and professional and resulted in 8 Prime Time Emmy Awards.

Available on Netflix.

All We Imagine As Light

 The Malayalam language has provided a disproportionate number of my favorite movies.  Totally unaware of it until I stumbled on a recommended movie and then truly stumbled on a few others and now look out for them, although admitting they have their share of ordinary films.  "All We Imagine As Light"(2024) somehow reached greater international attention than any of the others.  It received an 8 minute standing ovation and won a major prize at the Cannes Festival.  

On the surface it is a simple story, but reaches inside to quiet emotions.  The focus is on three women living in a huge diverse city of Mumbai.  The three are predominantly Malayalam speakers, but are surrounded by many other languages.  The link between the women is the hospital they work at, but at quite different functions;  one is a chief nurse, another a receptionist and the third is a cook.  

Prahba, the chief nurse had had an arranged marriage, but whose husband left to go to Germany and had ceased to write letters.  Even though approached by other men she maintained her loyalty to her husband, but felt abandoned.

Anu, the receptionist and Prabha's room mate was more open and expressive.  We are shown her dealing with a woman who was despairing about having two many children and a husband who would not consent to a vasectomy.  She snuck some contraceptive pills to her.  She had fallen in love with a Muslim man and knew her parents would be extremely upset.

Parvathy, the cook lived in a small housing unit after her husband had died.  She was being coerced by a big company that wanted that space for a big development.  She was forced out of it and went to her home village accompanied by the two other women for support.

The village is by the sea and it happens that a man is pulled out of the sea and apparently dead.  Prabha clears everyone away and with CPR is able to revive him.  A day or so later she is brought to the man as he wakes up.  For awhile she seems to think of him as her husband.  He asks how long he has been unconscious and in turn she asks him what he felt.  His description is strange, but somehow he feels everything he imagined became light.  

Anu is asked to invite Shiaz who had followed a great distance to meet the other two women.  At the end the three women feel a greater cameraderie and essentially that is the end of the movie with some viewers mystified and a few others understanding.

There are two scenes that upset a few Indian movie goers. In one scene we see Prabha changing her clothes and unnecessarily her breasts are exposed for a few seconds.  The other scene was with Anu having sex with her lover, Shiaz.

It takes a talented cast and crew to create such an award winning film.  Here are a few:

Payal Kapadia was the director and writer.  Although she does not speak Maylayalam she was able to make good use of a Malayalam writer to get the right nuance.  As a student she signed a boycott pledge with the Film Workers for Palestine.  Payal started with shorts and had one presented at Cannes and later her documentary won the Golden Eye award.  She has 6 director credits and 3 for writing.  Her mother did a painting that inspired the title. 

Julian Graff was one of the producers representing international involvement.  He represented the French.  He has 6 producer credits.

Topshe wrote the music.  Well known musician and has done many albums.  He has 1 music department credit plus one as composer and 1 as an editor.   The 9 minutes of music at the closing is very beautiful.

Ranabir Das was the cinematographer who has worked closely with Payal.  Growing up a downstairs neighbor was Anik Dutta, a well known film maker.  Ranabir has 9 cinematography credits, 2 as an editor and 2 as producer.

Clement Pinteaux was the editor.  He studied editing at La Femis film school in Paris.  He has 24 credits as editor, 6 editorial credits and directing.

Romil Modi was the casting director.  He had done 500 commercials before getting involved with films.  Romil has 29 casting credits, 3 for acting and 3 for secondary direct credit including "Budhia Singh Born to Run" (2016), "Newton" (2017) and "Lapataa Ladies" (2023) .  He was praised as the casting director for the two contenders for the Oscar foreign film nomination, "Laapataa Ladies" and "All You Can Imagine As Light" with the former prevailing.  "All We Imagine as Light" was also on a short list for France, but lost to "Emilia Perez" (2024).   See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2024/04/laapataa-ladies.html

 Kani Kusruti played Payal.  Her parents were activists and had dropped their last name to avoid discrimination.  Kani needed a last name for a school requirement and adopted Kasruti which means "mischievous" in Malayalam.  She had studied at L'Ecole International de Theatre" and went into theatre.  Kani has 47 acting credits including "Killer Soup" (2024)

Divya Prabha played Anu. She has 18 acting credits including "Take Off" (2017).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/02/take-off-brutality-in-tikrit.html 

Chhaya Kadam played Parvathy.  She once played kabbadi at the state level.  She got involved with the theatre.  Chhaya has 67 acting credits spread over Marathi, Hindi and Malayalam languages including "Budhia Singh Born to Run" (2016), "Andhahun" (2018), "Gangubai Kathiawadi" (2022) and "Laapataa Ladies" (2023).   Here is a post on "Andhahun" that Chhaya appeared in and the film had been remade into a Telegu film...http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/10/telegu-remake-opens-my-eyes.html

Hridu Haroon played Shiaz.  He has 7 acting credits.

Anand Sami played the drowning man rescued by Payal.  He was prominent in theatre.  Anand has 7 acting credits in film including "The Family Man" (2021).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/03/the-family-man.html

 Ever since I discovered films in the Malayalam language they remain a favorite source.  See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/03/how-i-discovered-malayalam-cinema-and.html

 I saw this film on a DVD borrowed from the library with subtitles.  It also had an interesting feature with Payal Kapadia talking about her history and the film. 

As usual I have bolded the first mention of films I have seen.  If you follow the links you should be able to determine if any film is worth following up.

Beyond the Bar

Legal dramas tend to be cut and dried and certainly "Beyond the Bar" has its share, but nevertheless is entertaining and thought provoking with interesting dialogue.

It was decided romance was distracting so the writers held back at the beginning.  The main characters certainly had personal problems.  Hyo-min, the female lead we learn was a twin whose sister turned out deaf and had been given to an aunt who was also deaf.  When a lover found out about this he broke off their relationship.  Romance is subtle and slow to develop.

A tool for a possible romance is a dog.  Early on you will learn Seok-hoon the male lead and mentor to Hyo-min has been divorced and shares custody of a dog.  He fusses over the dog and is very concerned for its well being.

What makes the series worth viewing, is the cases and how the lawyers peel away the issues to find out what really happened.  Ethics are discussed.  A few examples follow.

A man breaks into a fertility clinic and destroys some expensive equipment.  The clinic sued him for damages, but realistically that was beyond his means.  His motive was that he had come to them before an operation with a risk of infertility.  The operation saved his life, but he did become infertile.  And later we learn that his wife was desperate to have a child that would not have a disfigurement that she got from an accident.  The back story was important for the case and Hyo-min is the one who uncovered it despite the accused client's wariness being interviewed by a woman.

In another case Seok-hoon was forced to work with a client that repelled him.  Nonetheless he is very good at getting the client out of some messy situations.  You can't help but think life is unfair when despicable people can get away with bad things.  Obviously money plays a role, but not the only one:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/08/untouchable-how-they-get-away-with-it.html  Our hero does redeem himself.

In an assisted suicide case we learn the husband had had an affair and stood to inherit his wife's fortune.  But we and the court come to appreciate the wife was suffering and he really did love her more than some greedy relatives.

In the episode "Bystander" we learn a little of Hyo-min's history that involved watching someone being beaten up and did nothing.  One of their cases involves a similar situation and as viewers we come to appreciate what a big factor ignoring someone's suffering can be. 

Each episode brings a difficult case demanding careful analysis and moral judgments.  

Typical of Korean series there are some personal relationships among the staff as there would be to some extent with all legal teams.

Such a popular and well received series is the result of the talent and work of a number of people.

Kim Jae Hong was the creator, writer and director.  He has 3 director credits and 1 for writing.

Jang Woo-seok was the producer.  He has 47 producer credits and 1 for acting including "The Roundup" (2022) and "Rebound" (2023).

Yoo Min-ho was the music composer with 25 music credits including "When the Camellia Blooms" (2019). 

Songhwan Moon was the editor.  He has 26 editor credits and 26 for the editorial department including "When the Phone Rings" (2024-2025).   See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/01/when-phone-rings.html

Lee Jin-wook played Yoon Seok-hoon, the mature mentor.  He has 32 acting credits including "Miss Granny" (2014), "The Beauty Inside" (2015) and "Squid Game, Season 2" (2024).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/01/squid-game-season-2.html

Jung Chae-yeon played Kang Hyo-min, the new lawyer.  She has 20 acting credits including "The King's Affection" (2021).  see http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/12/the-kings-affection.html

Kim Eui-sung played a senior partner.  He has 61 acting credits including "Assassination" (2015), "Train to Busan" (2016), "Memories of the Alhambra" (2018), "Under the Queen's Umbrella" (2022) and "Trauma Code:  Heroes on Call" (2025).  see  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/04/under-queens-umbrella.html and http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/08/trauma-code.html

Lee Joo Yeon played a junior lawyer.  She had been in a girl band.  She has 7 acting credits including "Chocolate" (2019), "Hyena" (2020) and "Flower of Evil" (2020).   See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/10/flower-of-evil.html

If you enjoy legal drama you should find this thought provoking.  Romance is there, but you have to wait for it.  Available on Netflix dubbed and subtitled.

As usual I have bolded the first mention of films I have seen.  Some of them are among my favorite Korean films and a big part of my Korean obsession.  If you follow the links you should be able to determine if any film is worth following up.

The Future of Tourism

As more of us become more affluent one luxury in increasing demand is traveling.  It has been beneficial for many, but the author points some concerns.

One concern is that as an area becomes popular the locals lose control as corporations and outside companies move in.  Prices for many locally priced goods go up and locals find themselves being pushed further away.  In some cases there is significant environmental damage.

One example given was for Barcelona, one of my targets having watched a few foreign films plus the Olympics.  Now I am putting it further down my list.

Another example was Hawaii with its native culture being sidelined for a more commercially desirable image. 

Environmental concerns are the direct result of trying to squeeze more people into a sensitive area.  One trend has been with glaciers that have been promoted as something you have to see before they disappear.   Many efforts have begun to ameliorate climate change.  One long range concern is air travel and that is very complicated, but progressing.

Kerala in India is an example where locals have been given power to make decisions.  Most countries see tourism as an important economic tool.  Kerala is home to some of my favorite movies and I am glad to hear that locals offer interested tourist a chance to understand their culture.   See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/03/how-i-discovered-malayalam-cinema-and.html

The author referred to another book that impacted me, "Overbooked".  Among many good ideas that author highlighted two countries as good examples of being well managed.  France was one that honored its literary and artistic history.  Costa Rica was the other that got my attention, because their focus was on the environment with an emphasis on their unique natural assets.  At the same time they trained local people and paid them well.  They also limited numbers.  Read more  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/02/overbooked-and-thoughts-on-tourism.html

We have always had travelers including migrants, merchants, pilgrims and invading armies.  Tourism happened among the wealthy of Europe starting around the second half of the 18th century.  World War II heralded awareness of the world and incomes started to rise sparking an interest.  From 1950 to 2019 tourists went from 25 million per year to nearly 1.5 billion.  Then Covid drastically cut tourism with a notable drop in economic benefits.  Now the trend is upward.

One motive for tourism was to promote world peace,.  One unlikely source was Nikita Krushchev, but many others joined the pleas.  Tourism was identified in the 1960's as an industry with some countries including it in cabinet positions.

Mark Twain said "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow mindedness and many of our people need it sorely...Broad, wholesome and charitable views of men and things can not be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime."

Traveling can be very superficial, but Paige holds out hope that as individuals we can go deeper and enjoy it a bit more.  As an example she wrote about her experiences going by herself to Saudi Arabia where fears of anti female views and the Kashoggi murder had been prevalent.  Afterwards reflecting outsiders view of America. 

"I now know that Saudi Arabia is a deeply flawed and beautiful place that's home to millions of diverse souls including my fun and courageous tourist guide." Thinking deeper, "I ...see my home country as a deeply flawed and beautiful place that's home to millions of diverse souls including many of my closest friends and family members.....hope the naysayers might one day visit the U.S. and see there is more to it than the politics and crises they read about in the news."

 Hoping as you contemplate what to do in your future you give some thought to traveling and how it could make your life not only more enjoyable, but also more meaningful.

As I organize this blog post my city for over 43 years, Hamilton, Ontario, is holding its biggest tourist attraction event, Supercrawl.  I look forward to it, but I am now appreciating some downsides.  It is a once a year bonanza for our local restaurants, but as part of the deal literally tons of food trucks siphon off much of the tourist dollars.  Often they are more accessible than the restaurants.  This event started as an art crawl and then music was added and many vendors showed up. There is something for most everyone, but I would feel more comfortable if more locals benefited.  Now it is a big deal with a big budget trying to balance making it a fuller experience to attract a crowd, without local entrepreneurs missing out.