Three Japanese Movies

For so long now, I've been trying to write so many things about my current adventures. Sadly, the sun always sets down even before I could begin painting my thoughts in words. No one could really stop the earth from its rotation and the sun will always have to sleep to regain its strength; fortunately, this ball of fire will certainly rise up again the next day to mark a new beginning for sentence and paragraph weaving.

I want to learn writing with great passion. So, every time I write article, essay, or poem, I would like to feel that I am writing a masterpiece worth cherishing for a lifetime. It is as if they are gems that will require constant polishing, a treasure of great semantic arrangements. But more than my written works’ linguistic characteristics, I prefer to read them over and over again because of the lessons deeply imbued in each of their letters, which serve as strands of a literary fabric intricately woven into a clothing that will give me warmth and strength in case I encounter rain – or hurricane – in the future.

For now, I particularly want to write about the movies I have watched from the recently concluded 2009 Japanese Film Festival. It was held last July at the Shangri-La Hotel – free admission.

I have seen almost all the eight featured films except Always-Sunset on Third Street and Tony Takitani. Three of these eight films emerged to be my most favorite -- Memories of Tomorrow (Yukihiko, 2006), Kamome Dinner (Naoko, 2006), and Mind Game (Yuasa, 2004). The other films, such as the Memories of Matsuko, The Milkwoman, and Turn Over-An Angel Is Coming on a Bicycle, are almost as good as the three, but not equally memorable for me.

Memories of tomorrow is a story on how short life is – a passing mist that will appear in a moment and will disappear even faster. Life is as weak as the spider’s web that in a gentle touch will suddenly collapse. However, knowing this universal truth is different from feeling it. And feeling it unnecessarily mean it is strongly being reinforced in my heart. But because of Memories’ medium and message, I have not only understood the fragility of life – I have also felt it with a strong reinforcement. I realized that no matter how successful a man is in this mundane world, he will perish like nothing – a pitiful creature.

Although life is delicate, there is no reason to be pessimistic. It might be short, but there is a way to make it happy and contented, which is the main message of Kamome Dinner. The story, plot, development, cinematography, and screenplay all boil down to a simple yet strong message – a message that can be summed up through the line of one the characters: “Why are the Finish happy and relaxed?” The other character replied: “Maybe because of their forests?” Perhaps, some may wonder why such mediocre line deeply caught my attention. Well, it is because, like the character, I am looking for something that could make me happy. And while watching the film, I have come to a realization that all I have to do to be relaxed. Finding happiness is settling with what is right – remove from my heart anger, envy, jealousy, and sadness. I have to eliminate the feeling that I have been a victim of grave injustice – because I have not been and will never be. Always having the feeling that I have been gravely punished makes me feel so heavy that I can no longer breathe at times. It is as if I want to cry all day. So, I shall pray. Settle with the basic of life. Drink coffee in my seat. Do my job well. Study hard. Teach with love and concern. And at the end of the day, pray again for prayer is the first and last step.

Kamome simply says the becoming happy is easy. Our dreams need not to be grand. Our dreams could be as simple as wanting to feed people with good food and seeing them smile in every bite. But with a simple dream, we could find great happiness and immense contentment.

Last, but certainly not the least – Mind Game. Mind Game is an animation about a group of people trapped in a big fish. I could tell you the whole story and bore you or tell you the lesson which you could use as you travel in this world. Life is full of great challenges. We might be trapped in a situation where escape may be seemingly impossible. But that is not true. No matter how impossible it may be, there will always be opportunities to win over it. All we need is determination and will. No matter how we perceived our situation to be hopelessly miserable, there will always be chances for us to escape from it and enjoy freedom and happiness.

So, I guess that would be enough. Three stories I would want to get back in the future. I hope to always remember their lessons.

Eiga Sai 2009

We have learned that films are great mediums for learning. Just be sure of the "right choice and treatment." Last month, we had French Film Festival. This month, its Japanese's turn to entertain and teach us through their great films. And like the previous festival sponsored by the French Embassy, Eiga Sai 2009 will be providing screenings to us for free. And what could be greater than free passes in a nice film theater? None, right? So, what are we waiting for.

Click this site for the screening schedules or this site for more details about the event. Find some time to watch!

Movie: An Effective Medium to Teach Language

One prevalent reason why most students are discouraged to study English is their wrong perception that it is boring and tedious. They would rather go to cinemas and watch their favorite blockbuster films rather than study the rules of subject and verb agreement. Most of the time, like these students, I find myself in the same difficult situations. I know that my professors are doing their best to come up with the best possible methods to effectively teach English. However, I cannot solely leave everything to their hands. College life is no longer like the elementary and high school years when almost everything was spoon fed. I should ask not only a fish to live a day but to explore the possibility of learning how to fish to live a lifetime.

I was thinking that my love for watching good films and my need to be proficient in English can be fulfilled both at the same time. I do not need to set aside one to accomplish the other or vice versa. I could watch my favorite movie while simultaneously learning English. In fact, in a study conducted by David Wood (1997), it has been proven that movies are effective mediums to teach language and culture among students. It says that language teaching through the aid of movies has great benefits, including the improvement of the students’ tolerance to ambiguity while supporting ability to independently study the language; the enhancement of the students’ analytical skills; and the motivation of vocabulary expansion.

There is an important reminder though. With the great number of movies that are easily accessible to students these days, a “careful selection and treatment” is necessary to ensure that the aimed learning result will be successfully achieved.

In the age of electronic media, there is no better way to lengthen the students' attention span and focus but through the things that interest them the most. In my case, since I love watching good films, I will take this opportunity to reinforce language learning to myself, and I will treat each movie as a chance to be exposed to communication skills development.

Speaking of language learning through films, the 14^th French Film Festival was recently launched at Shang-rila Cineplex, featuring award-winning movies produced and directed by critically acclaimed French film makers. The festival has provided and will still be providing free movie screenings until June 14, 2009. I have watched Van Gogh, Jean dela Fontaine, Ca Brule, and Flandres so far.

To guide you with the event, this entry on Business World, entitled Viva la France, may help you know more about the films. Also, you may click this link for the screening schedule.

By the way, form the movies you have watched, which one do you think should we not miss? Can you please post a brief synopsis about it?

Reference:

Wood, D. (1997). Culture and Language Teaching -- A Case Study. Journal of Chikushi Jogakuen University, 105 - 125.