Sunday 29 September 2013

Don't Let Your Possessions Possess You

Often I find messages come not only once but repeat themselves.  For reasons I do not know but it forms a thought, or concept if you will, in my imagination.  I re-watched 2 movies recently that I thoroughly enjoyed the first time around.  I am great at forgetting things, or perhaps I am just good at being in the moment and therefore forgetting my preconceived notions of it in order to look at it upon with new eyes.

House of Sand and Fog. (Director: Vadim Perelman, Story by: Andre Dubus)
What I took away from it the first time around was the sadness of this woman and the attachment she had for her home.  Having never seen a movie that touched on the topic of house possession it intrigued me and I felt it to be quite original.  I had experienced bankruptcy as a child, and knew all too well what it was like to continue to drive past the old house long after ownership had been removed;  What it felt like knowing I had to leave a place where all my memories of my family and childhood were held so tightly.  I had a hard time letting go.  Watching this film the second time around, I realized that I had forgotten the ending of the movie.  I had also forgotten about the relationship of the woman and the police officer.  I looked upon that relationship seeing a man in an authoritative position preying on a woman's vulnerability, something I had not thought of before.  The story however is about a woman who has lost her family's home, unreasonably.  And a man who finally found an opportunity through this to be able to give his family a future that had been taken away in his native country.  Neither man nor woman could give up on their possession, this house.  The ending is absolutely heart wrenching.  There is so much more to life than possessing a home, holding onto it because it reminds you of another time, as if that time does not exist without the possession.  Well I must tell you, the precious moments exist no matter what.  Let go of what you think reminds you of a happy time, if it is an object, that moment exists infinitely no matter what.  It exists in our energy.  Every moment is a part of you, good or bad.  It is not worth losing your life, morals, family over a few riches.  Losing ones mental stability to hold onto something that was never really yours in the first place.  Getting caught up in another's pain hoping that it will bring you further to your greatest desires.  Chose to let go before you lose it all.

"Behrani: [to his son Esmail] Pesaram, she is a bird, a broken one. Your grandfather used to say that a bird which flies into your house is an angel. You must look upon his presence as a blessing."

Match Point.  (Written and Directed by Woody Allen)
First of all, I need to go on a Woody Allen binge and watch all his movies.  What a creative guy, over flowing with dialect!  What I remembered most about Match Point, before watching it again recently, was the surprise twist at the end.  Totally unexpected from what I am used to from Mr. Allen.  The lead character in Match Point would sell his soul for prestige, money, a lifestyle.  He married a woman because she came from wealth and could offer him a job and life that he would not have been willing to work towards on his own.  She was pretty and nice.  But as soon as a blonde bombshell sparked his attention he acted like he was totally in love and found his soul mate.  I would have routed for love, but it turned out he never loved her either.  It is hard to speak of this film without giving up the story line entirely.  The point is, he could have had a family with a woman whom he shared a great deal of passion with but instead chose a lifestyle.  What he did to hold on to this lifestyle was absolutely disgusting and unforgivable. The problem with this story is that they make this evil opportunist man a lucky bastard.  He won a life of stagnant possessions, something I personally can happily live without.  I mean really, what is life anyway?  An opera where you live vicariously through others adventures?  An expensive glass of wine and fishy caviar with company that doesn't so much as put a smirk of a smile on your smug face?  This movie is a beautifully appalling masterpiece that I cannot relate to whatsoever.

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