Tag: movies

GOOD FOREIGN FILMS AND LOVE OF LANGUAGE

D.K. Sanz4 Comments

I love language. I love learning new languages and more of my own. We often acknowledge the affinity between a love of language and being a poet or a writer. Still, I’m sure this passion isn’t limited to writers or even linguists for that matter.

I can tell you that this poet and writer enjoys watching foreign films as much as I enjoy English-speaking films. German films are among my favorite. The Dark series was brilliant, and Dear Child is another really good one. (I believe they are both still on Netflix.) Watching those, I learned a bit of German and would walk around the house saying German words or pronouncing “good” the German way. 😂

Spanish films are another favorite.

I remember a lot of Spanish from growing up with a Spanish mom. Even with my Italian dad, I knew more Spanish than Italian because I had a lot more Spanish-speaking relatives than Italian ones. Honestly, though, my son took four years of Spanish in high school and is more fluent in that language than I am, but aside from the Spanish shows I watch, I’ve been taking a refresher course. So, now I know a lot more Spanish than I ever did, and I’ll continue to learn.

Of course, people can watch these shows in English, but they are all better in their original language with English subtitles.

What do I watch? Suspenseful thrillers. That’s what I love. One Spanish series I really liked was Who is Erin Carter? on Netflix. Now I’m watching You Cannot Hide, also on Netflix. —so far so good.

In this post, however, I want to give a shoutout to one Spanish show in particular, a series I finished about a week ago—Alba on Netflix. I’m not sure how many of you have watched it or plan to watch it, but if you are going to watch, just be aware that there’s substance abuse, profanity, nudity, sex, and sexual violence.

Now, this is where my blog goes from lighthearted to a bit heavy and distressing, as I grapple with a topic that is extremely important to me and to many.

Alba is based on a Turkish novel called Fatmagül’ün Suçu Ne? and begins with a beautiful young woman awakening on a beach in Spain. Evidence reveals that she was the victim of a sexual assault, but she doesn’t remember anything. Her continuing story depicts the all-too-common experience of trying to prove her case while dealing with further abuse, threats, humiliation, and more. 

I do understand that some people don’t like this topic or can’t watch shows like this that trigger them. For those interested, however, please check out the trailer and read on.

This brave undertaking of Alba’s story resonated with global audiences and gained mass acclaim, but some of the criticism frustrates me.

A few called Alba unrealistic, and I can only imagine they never experienced it or been close to someone who has. There were complaints that it dragged on too long and was a “telenovela” quality drama.

For me, Alba is painfully raw in its authenticity. It’s powerful and intense, with some riveting twists and turns. Filmed in locations throughout Spain, it has a backdrop of glorious scenery. The cast is great. Elena Rivera in the titular role is excellent. Pol Hermoso is truly impressive. Jason Fernández’s facial expressions and non-verbal reactions spoke volumes for his character, and Álvaro Rico’s more nuanced performance is spot on.

Some called Alba a weak character. Again, I can’t imagine anyone who has experienced anything like this in their life or in the life a loved one would make a comment like that. What the young woman in this film endured for justice is something many of us only wish we had the courage to do. Personally, I don’t know how she hung in there through all of what her rapists and their enablers put her through. She was undoubtedly empowering and the hero of her story. 

For a project taking on an important social issue I say, “Well done!” It’s worth watching for anyone who can handle it, and it is a must-watch for people who don’t quite understand what victims go through in the aftermath. As with everything, though, the people who need to watch it most probably won’t. Certain comments I read had me wondering if there are people who simply find reality uncomfortable and would prefer to look the other way. Other comments gave me the impression that some people who have victimized others or enabled perpetrators have found ways to justify what they’ve done and prefer to remain in denial.

Still, we should always continue creating awareness through movies and books.

Pol Hermoso, the Alba actor who so convincingly played what might be considered one of the most angry, violent, and abusive characters on the show, made quite an interesting statement. His character was so despicable that it kind of surprised me to read it. He said to the fans, “Thank you very much to all who have been there week after week giving voice to a topic so current and unfortunately so repetitive. Projects like this give meaning to our profession and push us to continue researching. Thank you.”

Amen to that!

TRUE TO THE BOOK CHARACTERS?

D.K. Sanz2 Comments

Some members of certain fanbases become enraged over the casting of their favorite book characters in adaptations or retellings of the original. Often enough, it doesn’t have to be a favorite character or one they care about. It’s the principal of the thing, they’d say. They don’t welcome change. Disney stories, including Star Wars, seem to be at the top of that list. Seeing fans direct their anger and vitriol at the actors portraying these characters is sad and, frankly, inexcusable.

This topic came to mind because I’m working on a fantasy/horror series—something I’ve always wanted to do. (For whatever reason, I had to get all the other stuff out of the way—the stuff that was haunting me.) I created a slew of characters for the series.

Interestingly, authors now lean toward briefer character descriptions in many genres. Every so often, I’m reading a thriller where the author never describes the characters physically. Me? I like depicting my vision of people and things. However, if I were to have my work chosen for a film adaptation, I’d simply want the first film version’s casting to have the same effect I aimed for with my book characters. For example, I’d prefer the character to be as likable or unlikable as I’d intended, with the right amount of sex appeal and charisma regardless of their hair, eye, skin color, etc. Of course, I’d prefer creative oversight, but that goal would apply either way.

In further retellings, I’d want whoever puts one together to go with a version that feels right for them. I’d say, let your imaginations run wild! The original is always there for anyone who prefers it.

I celebrate diversity. What’s wrong with learning from and about each other? And who can deny that all people, especially children, need positive and accurate portrayals of themselves in books, film, and every other medium? That’s even more critical for underrepresented groups in our society. Inclusion, in a good way, is crucial to one’s self-esteem. 

So, I’m okay with having a brown or black person playing the part of a character described in the book as “having the fairest skin of the land with skin as white as snow.” That was just a physical description. It has nothing to do with the plot. I don’t care if some fable was a Danish tale, and the assumption by a person who isn’t even Danish is that the character should be blah blah blah. We’re talking about fictitious characters here, so I’d need far better reasons to complain. Like an ethnicity, race, gender, or sexual orientation changed or unchanged to provide representation for the underrepresented. And like when it’s essential to the story that a person be this or that.

It’s important to note that sometimes, with casting, you get to see a more appealing, more powerful character than the one from the book. Apparently, when Stephen King saw the film Stand by Me based on his novel, The Body, he was completely blown away. He was speechless, I read, and when he found the words, he said it was the best adaptation of any of his works. I don’t know if his impression included the film’s cast, but I think so because those kids were amazing!

I read, too, that, at first, Anne Rice wasn’t pleased with the casting of Tom Cruise as her beloved Lestat in the film adaptation of Interview with the Vampire. Lestat was her baby and based physically on her husband, who passed away. I can understand that. As a fan, I can say that Tom Cruise was not how I pictured Lestat, but I felt he got the effect she was going for with that character, and he did a good job. Evidently, Anne came to the same conclusion.

I was never going to be disappointed that the teenage Armand from The Vampire Chronicles got ditched for Antonio Banderas. I’m not sure what Anne Rice thought about that, but I can understand how it was quite a leap for some. In at least one version of Armand’s story, he was distressed that Marius had turned him into a vampire when he was so young. In the Interview with the Vampire, he appeared livid about Claudia being a vampire child for the same reason. So yeah, the casting of Armand in that movie could be a legitimate beef. It was a substantive change. At the same time, Armand was a relatively minor character, and it’s not as if he needed a reason to find turning a child into a vampire unacceptable and appalling. Or maybe that was an excuse because he wanted to get her away from Louis and have Louis all to himself. 🤔

But then, again, Antonio. 🔥🔥🔥

He gave us an excellent and entertaining performance.

The bottom line is that we should have fun with all this stuff and enjoy things as much as possible, and some people could be more lighthearted and open-minded. There’s no reason for anyone to get their knickers in a twist, and certainly no reason to be mean.

That’s just what I think, so what do you think when it comes to the casting of your favorite characters? Were there disappointments? Pleasant surprises? As an author who creates characters, I’d love to know.

Black hair Ariel image by John Huxtable from Pixabay

Top image of male fiction character by u_sqyc105ho4 from Pixabay

Antonio Banderas gif from https://media.giphy.com/media/ZOuFj6MYyPL9e/giphy.gif