Gattaca (1997)

This is a really good movie. It's a sci-fi, so I was slightly skeptical and was half expecting the cheesy acting or second-rate plot line that can sometimes be found in some sci-fi movies. I can happily say however, that this movie was pretty gripping.

The film places itself in a not too distant future, a time that is more heavily practicing genetic engineering. Our protagonist is name Vincent, who was born at a time where more and more people were choosing to genetically modify the fetuses of their children to create 'ideal' children. They remove less than ideal tendencies, such as alcoholism or depression, and they also make more desired genes more prominent, such as desired height or muscle mass, behavioural practices. At one point the characters go to a musical show and the pianist has six fingers on both hands, which we can only assume were chosen by his parents before he was born. Vincent, being born on the turning point of this trend, is one of the last generations to have parents voluntarily choose to not modify their baby's DNA, and in fact choose to genetically modify his younger brother. As more and more 'ideal' people are being 'created', the people who were not genetically modified slowly become second class citizens. Because of his blood, Vincent was only able to get janitorial work, as no well paying or reputable company would employ a non-genetically modified person. The whole idea of an interview is replaced by a blood test to differentiate between the two kinds of people.

Maybe because of his blood, Vincent is obsessed with the idea of becoming an astronaut and traveling through space, and was since he was as a child. He studies hard, and steadily works hard to get into the company that dealt with this... but is only able to get in as a janitor. He seeks out a guy who, under the table, helps people like Vincent pass themselves off as genetically modified people by pairing them with a genetically modified person who underwent an accident or is in some way unable to work. The crippled person will give samples of blood and urine (which are tested almost daily in workplaces), and pieces of hair or skin that can be spread around a workstation, and in return, that person will be allowed to live with the non-modified person and receive a portion of their paycheck. Vincent it set up with a man named Jerome, and from that point on, becomes 'Jerome'. He applies to the company he wishes to work for, and gets in easily. Things seem to be going well for Jerome/ Vincent, until there's a murder at his work, and one of his hairs are found at the crime scene. The problem is that the hair registers as an invalid... aka non genetically modified person, and endless surprise DNA tests pop up all over, which endangers Vincent's secret identity. Worst of all, with this untimely murder, he is now selected to go to space, but will never get there if is secret is discovered.

This was a really great movie exploring both the mechanization of society and the idea of discrimination. The society is tailoring a new generation of people who are almost 'super people', with only the best qualities present in their genetics. It's like creating an army of robots, in that there is no chance left to their creation. They are intentionally selected to be smarter, faster, stronger, taller, etc. than generations that came before them, and indeed than they may have naturally turned out being. We can clearly see how this is beneficial to a workplace and how this can be seen as an ideal state by a society, so it follows then that we can understand why people who were not 'made' to be better, faster, etc. might be seen as and treated like second class citizens. Why would you want to hire or date someone not as smart, not as fast, not as amiable, when they could have someone better? Why would they  even waste time asking the question when a simple blood test will determine if your genetics were 'improved' or not? There's also a Big Brother aspect to this world as well. Everyone's DNA is in a universal data base and the government/ law has complete access to it and people are literally created to meet a social standard. A sort of caste system arises, wherein people who were not manufactured to meet the social ideal are worth less as individuals. For people who do not deal with racism or sexism or class-ism or ageism on a daily basis, this film provides an example of what living with that constant and completely bigoted and illogical injustice is like.

The interesting thing that the film does to provide a sort of counterbalance to that idea is to make Jerome, the man Vincent is pretending to be, unable to use his legs, and so even though he is this super person, is still limited to the flesh and is dependent. On the other hand, Vincent, who is a lesser being, is able to easily pass off as a person who was made to be 'ideal'. This suggests that he is mentally the same or better than some of the people he's working with, and the largest distinction between the two kinds of people is the general perception of their class.

This was an interesting film, and the acting was spot on. Jude Law, Uma Thurman, and Ethan Hawke all perform really well, and the plot keeps you guessing. It's worth the watch.

Imitation of Life (1934)

This story is about two mothers who make a fortune together, and their relationship with their daughters. The story opens with a white mother, Bea, dressing her daughter Jesse, when the phone rings and she goes downstairs to answer it. Upon hanging up, she sees a matronly black woman, Delilah, at the door who is answering an ad for a live in maid. Bea hadn't put an ad in the paper however, but before sending the woman on her way, she discovers that Delilah has a young daughter, Peola, and because she refuses to abandon her, is having difficulty finding a job. Bea agrees to take her on without pay so that Delilah and Peola have a place to stay. Bea has taken over her late husband's syrup selling business, and goes out every day to try selling it. One day, Delilah is making pancakes from Bea before she goes out to work, and Bea really likes the pancake recipe. Delilah tells her that it's a family secret, but shares it with Bea. That very same day, Bea goes out and rents a storefront... to set up a pancake house. The business is successful, but not booming, until one day a homeless looking man walks into the store and Bea offers him some pancakes on the house. He then suggests to her that if she wants to make it big, she should take the route that Coke took and bottle it... or box it, the mix that is, and sell the flour to people. Bea loves the idea and even makes a smiling picture of Delilah the company logo, calling it Aunt Delilah (Aunt Jemima much?). And so begins the story.

The business continues and they make a lot of money (mostly Bea, as Delilah doesn't seem to get the concept of making money... why would the black character not want to continue living a subservient life when she could be a millionaire? Great writing here), but as the girls grow older, problems arise. Peola struggles the most in this film with her relation to race. As she is light enough to be taken for a white girl, she scorns any evidence of her black history... namely her mother. She wants to try to move as far away from the idea as she can and often tries to blend in with other white people and succeeds, until her mother comes into the picture. We do not see as much dissension with Jesse (because of course the white girl would be sweet and obedient), until Bea's beau comes into the picture. Jesse quickly develops a crush on him, leaving Bea with the difficult decision of which of them she will choose.

This was a good film... if somewhat racist, but remember that this is the 1930's. Delilah is portrayed as the sweet hearted, but not so bright woman who only knows and wants servitude for herself. Her daughter Peola is nothing like her mother and, maybe because of that, is always causing grief with her own apparent selfishness. That is not to say that she is shown in a negative way, but not much sympathy is given to her for wanting more for herself than the discrimination and blind hatred faced by black people in those times. Also, this film tries to position Bea as having this heart of gold for having a soft spot for Delilah and taking her and Peola in, but she shows little concern or care for them and their plights for most of the film. She will be around and make appropriate facial expressions, but doesn't actually comfort either of the two when they face hardship. I don't know if this was the way the part was played or if the actress just felt this way and didn't properly disguise it, but there is an air of inherent superiority in Bea's dealings with Delilah. Even at the beginning of the film when she invites Delilah in and eventually allows her to stay, I got the sense that she didn't like her and wanted her to go. In commonplace interactions, Bea is somewhat distant and slightly patronizing with Delilah, and then when she's doing something 'charitable' she over acts it. It's actually quite fascinating to watch. Then there is also the fact in the plot that Bea essentially stole Delilah's secret pancake recipe and exploited it for her own profit, and then even made Delilah clean the store, cook the pancakes for the customers, and be the face of the product, all for the honour of working as her maid and nanny. Needless to say this would be in the lineup of interesting film to watch if one were to try piecing together the history of white/ black relations.

Aside from the politics however, I found the film to be enjoyable. It falls flat when compared to the 1959 remake, but is still a worthwhile watch.

Apparently this was the trailer targeting the black audience of the day

Imitation of Life (1959)

I picked up this movie on a whim thinking it might be some kind of romantic comedy or heartfelt family film... I was unprepared.

The first scene encapsulates the essence of the characters throughout the entire story. The film begins at the beach with a mother frantically searching for her daughter. A photographer (struck by her beauty) pulls her aside to settle her down and points her in the direction of the police to help her with her search. Little did she know, a matronly black woman had just reported the lost girl missing, as she has wandered over to play with her own young daughter. The frantic mother is reunited with her child and allows her to play with her new friend. She makes conversation with the black woman while the children play and asks how long she's been looking after the child shes with (as the young girl is fair-skinned, she assumed the older woman was a nanny) to which she replies that the child is her own, but her father was fair-skinned also. The women become attuned to their daughters, who are having some fun with a sleeping man and a pop can, which prompts the young photographer to snap a picture of the two. The first mother, Lora, scolds her daughter, Suzy, and says they're going home. The other mother, Annie, had previously offered her services to watch Suzy during the day, but Lora had declined saying that she couldn't afford to pay her. At thy point however, it becomes apparent that Annie and her daughter, Sarah Jane, have no place to stay and Lori takes the two of them home with her. The young photographer offers to bring the photo he had taken to their apartment later (maybe to get a second chance with Lora). This first scene introduces all of the main characters, and perfectly sets up and provides a brief caricature of each of these characters motivations and problems throughout the course of the film.

Lora is an aspiring actress who, after being widowed, moved with her young daughter to New York to make it in the industry. Throughout the majority of the film this passion will come between herself and her personal life. Her daughter Suzy is a sweet, good-hearted child and just wants her mother's love, which may be the motivation behind what develops into a crush for the young photographer, Steve, who has an undying flame for her mother.

Annie's goal in life seems to be to do whatever she can to secure a safe place for her daughter Sarah Jane to grow up in, including working for free for Lora as a live in maid and nanny. The problem is that Sarah Jane detests her negro heritage and everything that comes with it (in the 1950's). Because of her fair appearance, Sarah Jane is able to pass for a white girl and avoid racism and discrimination... That is until her well-meaning mother comes into the picture. Sarah Jane constantly renounces her black heritage and condemns her mother for existing, thereby informing the world that she is not white, but is black, and is entitled to the poor treatment of all of the other blacks. Her struggle is trying to escape a world of discrimination for a world of inherent privilege, where she doesn't have to live in back rooms and always come second to whites.  This struggle is continuously thwarted by her very black mother however, unintentionally, as she tries to love and care for her daughter.

I really enjoyed this film, much more than I initially thought I would be. I was completely drawn in and emotionally attached myself to the characters and their struggles. Lora and Annie are both such strong women who do everything in their power to improve the lives of their daughters, but ironically it is those very efforts that drive their children away from them. There is a bit of a misogynistic message by the writers, implying that a woman cannot successfully care for their children by working or leaving the house, that they should be in the home while the man works or their children might be a bit messed up, but this is the 50's. The name of the film is beautifully appropriate also, imitation of life. Both of these pairs are striving for some sort of ideal existence, but both fall short of that mark. Lora strives to be a true artist and live off of her art too, but to make it big... or at least put some food on the table, she ends up compromising some of her morals at the direction of her agent (though things never get grimy, it remains a family film). She also achieves a life of glamour and prestige, but the victory is hollow as she must sacrifice family life and romance to pursue her ambition. Also, her life as an actress adds a level of falseness to her interactions that she struggles with as her success grows. Suzy just wants her mom to be home and spend time with her, but that dream is never realized and she is left living a life without that need filled. As for Annie and Sarah Jane, they both live a sort of imitation of 'life' as black women. They will never fit into their society the way Lora and Suzy do, but the way Sarah Jane tries so hard to fake it, to... imitate the race she sees as more privileged. And Annie would just like her daughter to live a good life and take pride in who she is, but she never lets her concern show externally, presenting a contented, pleasant facade.

This was a captivating film. It was an intense drama, but it never got grimy in the character's decent into their struggles. There wasn't that feeling of 'no hope', where a character had fallen too far from where they felt they should be, where there would be little chance for redemption. Circumstances always held an aura of hope, because each character was trying so hard only to better their situation in life. There was also the theme of family connection and communion, both between mother and daughter as well as between the four women collectively. They worked together and kept together (kind of) to build themselves up from their unpleasant situations. Even in the face of one person's disaster, there was always another one of the women around to help out the person suffering, or to offer a word of consolation or demonstrate affection. There was never the impression that these women were alone and had to deal with a big, scary world by themselves and with everything working against them. Even at their individual darkest moments, there was always a shoulder to lean on and a helping hand within reach. This fact is what I think didn't make this movie as depressing as it could have been. They were a family and stuck together, especially when times got tough. It's a bit of a deviation from the 1934 version, but I would say that this one would be the one out of the two to watch, if you only have time/ inclination for one. I definitely recommend this film.

The War Between Us (1995)

This movie is a few years old and was a straight to tv production as far as I can tell. And seeing as how I can't seem to find it anywhere else, I would assume it was only on for those couple of runs that I saw it... but it was one of the best films on how the Japanese were treated in Canada during world war 2.

The story features 2 families, the Kawashima family and the Parnham family. When world war 2 took place, the Kawashima family was uprooted from their lovely home and successful business in Vancouver, British Columbia, and forced to move to a low-income mining town. This came as something of a shock to the family because though Mr. and Mrs. Kawashima were not born in Canada, their children were and Mr. Kawashima served in the Canadian army during world war 1. One of the very vibrant images I have of this film is watching the Japanese family move into this little shack of a house from the perspective of their neighbours, the Parnhams. The family is obviously wealthy. The women wearing fur coats and have fashionable hair and make up, the men in suits, the ornate furniture and belongings they have brought with them to their new home, and how all of this so obviously clashed with the poverty-stricken area, the dirt roads and floors, and even the shabbiness of the cart carrying their things.

The eldest daughter of the Japanese couple, Aya, ends up becoming a housekeeper for the Parnhams. Ed, the husband, is open- minded about their new neighbours, but his wife Peg is more skeptical and treats Aya like a maid. By the end of the movie though, Peg has warmed to Aya and she becomes one of Peg's closest friends. The Parhnams have a young daughter, Marg , and she is very curious about the new neighbours. She starts hanging around their house and asks her already nervous mother questions about what she sees there. She completely immerses herself in the culture of the new family and the other Japanese people there. By the end of the film the family discovers that the government sold their house and business without their consent, and to add to the insult they are to be deported back to Japan, even though they are Canadian citizens and their children have never been to Japan. The final scene in the movie has the Kawashima family in the back of a truck, being driven away and Marg running after them in a little Kimono.

This movie is a really good film, both in terms of its historical content as well as in terms of it just being a good film. The acting was well done and I could relate to all of the characters. I was probably in elementary school when I saw it, but I really enjoyed it and I think that the movie's ability to hold my attention and imprint itself in my memory says something about the storytelling.

I cannot find a movie cover for this anywhere, it's not on amazon or any other site I can find, so here is the imdb page http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114892/

Something Beautiful by Sharon Dennis Wyeth

This story teaches kids that they have the power to create their own beauty and bring it to their lives. The girl in this book walk around her house and sees some not very nice things, including some not so nice graffiti on a door, and the reader gets a sense of her unease. Then she goes to school and her teacher teaches the class the word beautiful, which is described as something, when you have it, that makes your heart happy. So she goes around the neighbourhood asking people what is beautiful to them, and various responses are given. Finally the little girl goes back to the graffiti and erases it, making a bit of beauty come into her own world. after that it ends on a sweet note with her mother. 

I think this a good book to read to a child to teach them that they have the power to make a positive change in the world, and that for every cloudy day there is an optimistic sun hiding unseen that is capable of showing itself to those who look for it.