Enjoyable Subtitled movies seen in 2021

Why should you waste your precious time on subtitled movies?  They require more attention and sharper vision, they don't have any of the stars you are used to and they are well, "foreign." The world is more interconnected and it is consequently ever more important to understand how others think and live.  Subtitled moves are only one tool, but easily accessible and a push in the right direction.   On top of all those reasons they really can be very enjoyable.  Creativity thrives globally.

 The photo to the left is of my most satisfying movie of the year.  It also had the highest rating on IMDB.  Appropriately it is on a human rights issue and how many try to bury them often requiring a super human effort to fix them.  Last year my top movie was also a Tamil movie, "Peranbu" (2018):  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2020/03/peranbu-top-film-out-of-india.html

A few trends that I have become conscious of.  Mini series are favored for streaming and their advantage is that they give opportunity for both character and plot development.  Their disadvantage is they can drag on a good idea to the point of monotony   Koreans seem to have mastered them.  I have also come to admire both Tamil and Malayalam film industries that deserve more international respect.  I still pick up DVDs at the library which offers an older selection and some which come with special features helping one to better appreciate the quality.

Denmark

Mads Mikkelsen and Sisse Graum Jorgensen have some history around  the Oscar with this being their latest triumph for 2020.  "Another Round" (2020) is about a group who for awhile believe getting mildly drunk each day helps them teach better.  However as you might imagine it is too easy to get carried away. http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/06/another-round-picks-up-oscar.html  Denmark acknowledges a problem with alcohol.
 

 

 

 

 

  Swedish

"My Life as a Dog" (1985) directed by internationally renown Lars Hallstrom.  Focused on a young boy who felt life had been unfair to him. 

"The Unlikely Murderer" (2021) One of the great mysteries-Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme killed .  Referred to in Stig Larrsson "Dragon" books.   In this film Stig Engstrom, real person is portrayed as a bitter man with a political agenda seeking attention.  The police investigation was sloppy at the beginning, but did develop in a major way.   Years later a journalist re examined evidence and concluded Stig was guilty.  The film series says the murder has not been proven, but both the media and the police believe Stig did it.

"The Caliphate" (2020)  gullible young girls from Sweden get involved with terrorists, while one who left for to live with ISIS want to escape back home.  

 

 

 

Norwegian

"Loverkvinnen" (2016 Lion Woman) was about a child born with hair growing all over her face and her ability to overcome prejudice and shocked first reactions.  The film uses 3 actresses to portray the woman at three different ages.  Another leading character was played by Rolf Lassgard who I have watched in three different languages, Norwegian, Danish ("After the Wedding") and Swedish ("A Man Called Ove).

"The Painter and the Thief" (2020) is a documentary telling the story of how a painter relates to the man who stole her painting (which was never recovered.  She became very supportive of the thief with addictions and even visited him in prison.

French

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2020) was the headliner for AGH Film Festival, but I waited to see it on a DVD.   In the late 1700's, a female painter is hired to paint a picture on an isolated island of a woman about to be married to an aristocrat she has never met.

 

 

Spanish

"Money Heist" (2017-2021))  was another Netflix blockbuster.   My favorite series of the year.  Some things it has going for it:  really good twists, psychological understanding, enjoyable actors and good camera work.    http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/12/money-heist-best-heist-movie-ever.html 

"The Lighhouse of the Orcas" (2016) is based on a true story about a man helping an autistic boy with whales.  My most popular movie blogs:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/03/the-lighthouse-of-orcas.html
Set in Argentina.

 

 

 

 

 "Live Twice, Love Once" (2019)  set in Valencia is one of a few with an Alzheimer theme.  Very well done.  Watch for a precocious child actress--the script was re-written for her.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/08/live-twice-love-once-spanish-gem.html

Ukrainian barbers

Getting one's hair cut is in some ways a ritual with personal meaning.  I suspect women are more concerned, but it is also important to males.

Growing up in Oshawa my father directed me to where I would get my hair cut and I stayed loyal on my own which was easy as it was right across from my high school, Oshawa Central Collegiate. Steve Salmer was someone my father knew long before and told me a little of their family history.  They didn't have a lot of money and they identified one son as the best chance to get ahead and the rest worked to put him through law school.  That one son became my father's lawyer dealing with my father's trucking business.  Steve, happened to be of Ukrainian descent.

Steve was my barber until we moved from town just after grade 11.  I remember sitting in chairs and told to move further from the window so prospective customers would not be deterred.  Steve humoured me when I rebelled against a regular brush cut as I am sure he had been through it many times.

There are no photos of me getting my hair cut, but my father who was a prolific photographer did take a photo of my brother Marshall at the hands of Steve Salmer.

I knew a fair number of Ukrainians in Oshawa.  I even had a Ukrainian aunt, Aunt Mary Coakwell.  Lots of  friends at school and also Polish and Italians. Michael Starr representing Oshawa was the first Ukrainian cabinet minister. A few years later I helped him to lose an election.  Check out http://www.johnfdavidson.com/2014/04/my-short-but-educational-political.html  One of my longest time relations with a girl friend was Ukrainian and I spent a lot of time with her family getting to appreciate Ukrainian food and customs..

After many twists and turns before I ended up in Hamilton and met my wife who is actually half Italian and half Ukrainian.  One of her uncles was a Ukrainian lawyer whose father was a Ukrainian Greek Orthodox priest whose church, St Vladimir's I was married in.  Of course I gained some more Ukrainian aunts.  Definitely got to appreciate Ukrainian food.

Steve was actually my barber with the longest hair cutting relationship.  In Haliburton I had two barbers.  At university in Guelph I wasn't sure who they were, but do remember I first met my wife outside their shop.  As I worked different parts of the province I had some good barbers--I remember one Italian barber in Oakville that I went out of my way to visit and also another one in the town of Hagersville, but I was on the move all the time and two reliable barbers actually retired on me.

Getting hair cut is a drain on the pocket book and often inconvenient.  I would sometimes get up early on Saturdays to be first in line otherwise would have to wait one or two hours.  At one stage my wife volunteered.  She would usually comment on my hair cuts--too short, too long or too uneven and I trusted and valued her judgment.  Eventually decided it was cheaper, more convenient and even more satisfying to trust my hair cuts to my wife.

In the warm weather it is done out on our back porch where the mess is easier to handle.

My wife is also Italian, so keeping one's hair at its best comes natural.

Did I learn anything worthy of the Ukrainian culture?  I certainly learned to like much of their food including perogies and cabbage rolls.  One my favorites was something I remember as beet leaf holubsti. I enjoyed the dancing and the accompanying music.  I learned a little of their history.  My son who lives in New  Zealand said that he found it very difficult to find perogies in his new country.  On one of our trips to watch the Raptors play my son and I went to Wayne Gretsky's restaurant and enjoyed a Polish version.  Back in Hamilton about six blocks from where we live Loaded Perogies with some innovative ways of enjoying one of my favorite foods.