Home | About Us | Community | Channels
   You are not logged in. You may log in or join now! September 9   

Welcome to DemRaw's member page
Guestbook		 7014 Hits
[ Member Since: 6/2000 From: Phnom Sompov, Long Beach Gender: Male Body: Normal Status: Married Season: Fall Hobbies: Music, Travel Ethnicity: Cambodian Lifestyles: Young Professional Music: Alternative, Blues/Jazz, Hip Hop, Rap, Classical, Country, New Age, Khmer Classical, Khmer Pop, Khmer Traditional, Reggae, Ska, Gospel, Heavy Metal, Soft Rock ]
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle... Repeat.

Demraw Review:

http://www.mujestic.com/khmerbodian_films___docs

Albums:
Memoirs of the Invisible War (Prach Ly, 2008)
Language Arts (2nd Language)
Dalama... "The Lost Chapter" (Prach Ly)



Album: Memoirs of the Invisible War (2008) Artist: Prach Ly
Review:

News flash: Prach has just turned in his passport. No more visits to Cambodia to visit the poor, the destitute, and the corrupt. All doors slam shut to words too real for the Killing Field. If this is his last album, then he just slammed the book shut; threw his passport at the face of the Khmer dignitaries and dictators alike. Needless to say, Hun Sen will not be rolling out his Khmer Rouge carpet to welcome the brother back home to the motherland.

The album is political and unapologetic. It’s what happens when you cage up rage for way too long… a voice for all the voiceless that couldn’t get their damn Khmer Rouge trial. The lyrics in the album are their testimonies put to a soundtrack of suffering. Justice will not be denied in this album. Politicians implicated and injustice voiced. Stories will be told. The voice of suffering has been channeled through Prach, accompanied with beats and instruments from various artists for your listening pleasure.

Needless to say, story telling is his forte… from raps about refugee experiences to giving you a personal tour of the LBC, he is on point with no navigation needed. The brother bleed from his soul with stories so real and description so vivid, that you will be livid and alive after the listening experience. “Keeping it Riel,” a song about money, power, and greed. The bass is tight but the “chapei dong veng” gives it texture and soul that you can feel. The story of money and struggle is not new, but to be able to blend the necessity of money and survival in a melodic way and have the song make sense is a thing of beauty. I won’t be surprise if it ends up as a ringtone for all the hustlers and pimps out there. Whether you’re pimping cans and newspapers or bitches and hoes, “Keeping it Riel” can easily be a soundtrack to your life. If that’s not your thang, no worries, he’ll bring you back to hope with educational rhyme so dope that you’ll have to listen to it a few time to get the cunning word play.

The brother does a lyrical Double Dutch with his Khmer and English rap, demonstrated on the track called, Simplistic. Beats reminiscent of Usher’s song, In the Club. The song will definitely get you off of your “ka-tale.” Heavily laced with Onomatopoeia like the sounds of eating salt and spicy ass pepper. This track definitely brought back the gangsta-like, self-promoting, self assured style of hip hop… beautifully intertwined with Khmer wittiness that only Prach can deliver (No postage necessary if mailed in the United States). The album will be a bargain once it hits the market… definitely a great way to spend your tax relief dollars.

If that’s not enough for you to grab the album, there are even guest performances by Sinn Sisamouth’s and Ros Serey Sothea (remixed), Master Kong Nai and a variety of up and coming Khmer artists from C.L.A. (Cambodian Living Arts) that will get you wondering about the sound and the instruments that they used. Memoirs of the Invisible War is an album that educate, demonstrate, and retaliate at all the naysayer that said Khmer Hip Hop can’t be done. With this album, Prach gives ’em the middle finger with one-hand and a peace symbol with the other, a gesture truly representative of the hypocritical Hip Hop/Rap culture. Hopefully, Hip Hop culture will be the vehicle and the voice for freedom of expression in countries that have oppressed their citizens… and give them a chance to be heard… their stories to be told.


Preview the album here:
http://www.mujestic.com/dalama____memoirs_of_the_invisible_war_

Album: Language Arts (Artists: 2nd Language)
Language Arts is a wonderful album. It's the class you never took that you wish you did when you went to school. except your mom don used the "tong tin" money for gambling instead of tuition. Language Arts moves you and takes you along a journey of joints, "joy" (say it in khmer), and a joyful bliss of expression. Mad props to Red, Ted, and Syam. Language Arts is well written and the beats and the lyrics drop like lectures on lust, liquor, and the liquidation of the soul. cervesa. The title of the album is quite appropriate; it's like a 5 paragraph essay. It has an intro, a three body PARA-gRAPh (the 3 mcs), and a conclusion. It's well organized and well written. The flow is as smooth as henny on the rocks. and it'll give you the "Sweetest Hangover."

Needless to say, it's not one of those Christmas album. unless you spell Christmas with XXXmas and spend a lot of time sing'n Xmas carols like "smack her with a *!#@" and "These Horny *!#@^es." But the tunes are so catchy you might be dance'n to it at your next Christmas party or better yet, your next Cambodian Wedding. Your parents will soon be sing'n "smack her her with a *!#@" while doing the Saravan.

The album is not a book but the hooks gotz ya ring'n with guest styles from the Fresh Prince of BatdomBONG in "Before Twenty" to the D12 type of delivery that is so unbelievably real that you have to listen to it couple of time to make sure you didn't hear Eminem. If you listen carefully, you might even hear a bit of preacher praCh doing his thang on "New Day Tomorrow" and Chris Rock doing his routine in the intro to "Massagin' This Stick."

I don't know whether this is the 2nd language first album or not, but the Language Arts is well constructed and the chords will set you a drift along a soulful bliss of Sting's vocals on "Two Queens." This is a complete album and "Corona Nights" is an appropriate closure to a crash course on the up and coming genre of Cambodian rap. Red, Ted, and Syam should all be proud because Language Arts will soon be required rap'n in the study of Cambodian rap.

http://mujestic.com/2nd_l_a_n_g_u_a_g_e_

Album: Dalama..."The Lost Chapter" (Artist: Prach Ly)

It has been awhile since I've reviewed any material that has been worth the text in the Cambodian community.
I think I've found it in the form of a C.D. that was created in a North Long Beach garage. The title of the compact disc is called: Dalama..."the lost chapter." I really don't know the meaning or the ramification of the title but the 20 tracks on the C.D. could of easily been 20 audio chapters of an extraordinary Cambodian life that is an autobiography of struggles, confusion, celebration, and hope. I would review all of the songs, but I don't want to write a novel and if I praise the brother too much it might go to his head.

Anyhow the flows of all the tracks are strategically place in a sequence to outline a story. Just like a car in a race, it starts out slow and picks up speed every second there after. The first couple of songs start out slow with narratives such as "Stories" and "Power, Territory, Rice," with guest lyricist by Dozer. And then the beat pick up with more up-tempo beats (thanks to Universal Speakers) such as "Sok-sa-bie" and by the time you're done listening to "RefleXtion", which is a fusion of hip hop and pin peat on crack, you can almost feel your heart racing. Maybe I was a bit drunk from the imported beer from Mexico, but to hear old traditional Khmer music in this type of format is almost... intoxicating. The lyrics were well written and the words well versed. The beats set the tempo and the combinations of all the elements brought together the finish package. This one is worth the weight (wait) because it's worth that of gold perhaps even Cambodian "platin". Some of the lyrics in "Wise's That?" are a bit heavy to digest because of the blunt materials that were addressed but time and putting the C.D. mode on repeat will shed some light into the matter. The lyrics are very forthright and frightening when he spit out the lyrics of how the community's value have deteriorated.

I have to admit, the brother has mad skills. From putting lead to paper and drawing out sketches to spitting out lyrics on the microphone, Prach has an eye for detail and a stroke for perfection. There is method to his madness. The song "s.i.c" is one of the most socially conscious songs that I've heard up to date. The beat is catchy and the lyrics make you think and wonder about the society we currently live in. Before I give everything away, let me just mention that a few songs stood out from the rest. The insertion of the Khmer element into the hip-hop format is interesting. Some of the styles are trite, but praCh's style is unique and flavorful with informative narrative and precise delivery. Precise to the point where some of the lyrics for "S-21" were so vivid and haunting that it got my hair on the back of my neck to stand on end. Perhaps it could also be the music because Universal Speakers did a great job to set the mood. I especially like the fact the music was left to fade towards the end of the song. "Art of Fact," a play-on-word concludes the album. Here's what he said about this song, "it's one of the best lyrics I've ever written." I have to agree. I think this album is a testament to the evolution of the individual whose heart beats in time with music and whose flow is a fusion of experience and narrative genius. Good shit, indeed. The emotion of the c.d. started with calm, then went to a climax, and ended with strength and compassion, an evolution of sorts in an artist, an individual who is "Min-Tom-Ma-Da." Trust me, you won't regret it. The c.d. is educational, inspirational, and interesting to listen to. If that's not enough the artist has made it affordable when compared to your typical mainstream crap that floats around in the record store promoting sex and violence. If you ever have a chance, do yourself a favor and pick one up and play it loudly and proudly in your Toyota Cressida





Film: Bombhunters (2006)
Plot Summary: Bombhunters explores the long-term consequences of war and genocide in Cambodia that persist in the form of landmines, unexploded ordnance (UXO), and other munitions. Through the lives and experiences of rural villagers who seek out and dismantle UXO to sell the scrap metal for profit, Bombhunters examines the social, cultural, and historical context of the legacy of war long after armed conflict has ended. Through the use of lipstick cameras as well as extensive fieldwork and interviews, Bombhunters profiles the experiences of individuals as they risk their lives to clear UXO from their land in order to both protect their families from harm and to make enough money to survive. The film also draws connections to other post-conflict nations around the world as their citizens continue to grapple with residual, persistent effects of war, and the complex realities of achieving "peace." (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0963978/plotsummary)

Review: Forthcoming



Film: New Year Baby (2006)
A documentary film by Socheata Poeuv

About the film: “After her parents make a startling revelation, director Socheata Poeuv travels to Cambodia to unravel the mystery surrounding her family’s survival under the oppression of the Khmer Rouge. With disarming candor, humor and poetic animation Poeuv’s debut feature resurrects memory and personal history to reclaim her family’s past, and what is easily a heartbreaking story also becomes one of triumph.(http://www.newyearbaby.net/site/c.grKNIWPHIsE/b.700295/k.6A50/New_Year_Baby_Filmmakers.htm)

Review:
It’s not so often that you come across a film that touches your soul. This movie does just that. The film takes you on a journey of self-discovery and tap into that inner part of you that you thought you’ve lost but somehow the watershed of compassion still harbor some juice of empathy. Although the story of someone going back to Cambodia to connect to something lost whether it be family (it usually is… considering the severing of the family unit by the Khmer Rouge regime) or the money people sent to love ones, the storyline really never gets old especially considering the different nuance each filmmaker bring to the film depending upon their circumstance in life. It is however really refreshing to see and hear the voice of film dictated from a perspective of a young khmer woman trying to find out more about her family’s history.

The difficulty of most film of this nature is to capture the vulnerability and the honesty of each individual voice. It is especially hard when it comes to the khmer culture… anything related to the family is not talked about and especially not shared in front of the camera. Imagine the obstacles she must of faced. If you cant, not to worry, the scenes in the film will allow you to visualize what you cant otherwise. And if you still couldn’t, animations took place of the hollowed realities that the Pol Pot regime created. The metaphors of madness suited in the form of black crows. Socheata faced it and she overcame the obstacles with help from her father. At first unwilling, but eventually he gave in to his daughter constant probing. From there, the story takes on a life of its own and gives dignity and integrity to memories scarred with unbelievable struggles.

Aside from the honesty of the film, I thought the filmmaker’s ability to capture some of the more controversial social issues facing the khmer identity should be applauded. The issue of the color of one’s skin in determining social class was touched on briefly but not enough to bias the viewer’s belief. As a matter of fact, issues that were a bit touchy were handled well with humor. The issue of cowardice and the general stereotype that male should be superior and should always lead was challenged… and might be changed after seeing this film. With that said, I would like to thank Socheata Poeuv and her father for allowing me to see Khao-I-Dang once again. Seeing nature reclaim something humans created from conflicts and boundaries is very humbling yet unsettling. And I would also like to thank everyone who made the film possible. The film was very well done and the speech and Q/A that followed at the VC Film Festival in Los Angeles proved the individuals involved to be very compelling, compassionate, and determined. And I wish the community will start a discussion and a documentation of our past so we can better understand one another and share it with the future.


Film: Refugee (2003)
A film by Spencer Nakasako

Synopsis: For Mike Siv, the trip begins innocently enough. "Me and my homies, David and Paul, we're going to Cambodia. We'll see the sights, visit family, have some fun." But after their journey, they will never be the same. These three young refugees, raised on the streets of San Francisco's tough Tenderloin district (a.k.a. the "T.L."), head back to Cambodia for the first time in REFUGEE, a new documentary by the Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, Spencer Nakasako. (http://www.refugeethemovie.com/#synopsis)

Review:
I viewed this documentary/film 4 times and each time, I am captured by the sheer honesty of the film. Spencer Nakasako has a way of allowing his characters to dictate their own film. The direction and form in which the film took was natural and compelling.

I'm sure that many of the optimistic progressives will argue that the filmmaker can pick and paint a better picture of Cambodian Americans living in America, but the reality is that this film took the direction it took because of the characters in it, their circumstance, and the setting of the film dictated this particular reality.

At the beginning of the film, the narration and development of the film took on the same feel as that of AKA DON BONUS. I didn't mind it much because I actually like the autonomy and the freedom of the characters and the style captured the essence of the character and allowed the audience to be intimate with the emotions of the players involved. All of the characters in the film were real to the point where if you grab a camera and started to record yourself, it would probably have the same sense of authenticity... but nothing can be crafted to compare to the story that develops in REFUGEE. A story about three men (Mike, Paul, and David) who went on a journey to discover and connect with their familiar past and along the way, discovered something more... they discovered themselves.

The audience is invited into the emptiness of three individuals who are caught up in a strange dilemma of seeing their homeland for the first time. Each of the characters will come to understand their emotions as they seek and meet their family. I thought the main character, Mike; epitomize the social and emotional separation of a dysfunctional Cambodian American. The distance of Mike's relationship with his father can be seen and heard in the awkward dialogue that Mike and his father exchanged on the phone before visiting Cambodia. Like many of his generation, including myself, the loss of our native language has disabled us to express our affection for our parents in the language that they can understand. Perhaps it's cultural, perhaps it's the individual but the words are jumbled up and the linguistic laceration has severed the natural bond of communication between a child and his father. Added to that, is the mistrust and the confounding complications of a country that has seemingly lost it's innocence to a brutal regime and a fucked up government, the conversation about the past has more lies than a Nixon administration. And if the language barrier wasn't bad enough, added to the mix is a father's intention to further lie to his grown child about the infidelity of his past. Almost typical of every relationship in Cambodia, my apologies if I seem to generalize too much, but what other country do you know inflicts this kind of inhumanity toward each other. Maybe this is a microcosm into how Cambodian men thinks (often with their dicks) because there seems to be more fucked up families with half brothers and sisters in the Cambodian "community," than the whole state of Utah. We need a lesson in morality, or maybe proper parenting. I'm deviating.

This then is a journey into a fucked up world, forgotten by time and tainted by lies. The film has allowed the darkness of sorrow to resurface and shed some light on a forgotten past. I like how three perspectives, from three individuals, can shape this particular film. The varying degree of separation and each character's unique way of dealing and confronting their different reality, opens their minds and hearts to the situation of the suffering and allows the audience to sympathize with the characters. I really enjoyed the film. I especially recommend the film to the children of Cambodia living abroad who have lost a sense of who they are and where they came from. I'm still in the dark about the title of the piece and how they reflect the characters, but perhaps there is irony in the fact that they are refugees in their own land. I'm going to go out on a limb (no pun intended, for those who has lost limbs and kin to landmines and land minds... those good for nothing gov't officials) and say that this might be more appealing to the younger generations today than the "Killing Fields," partly because of the language and the urban appeal, but more importantly, because the film is short, direct, and poignant to our community of cultural descension. Refugee is important because it allows us to grab a hold of something... that of our identity and background as we drift further into the abyss.


Film: The Flute Player (2003)
Plot Summary: From 1975 to 1979, the Khmer Rouge led a campaign of death against every Cambodian believed to be educated. As a result, over 90 percent of the country's traditional musicians were killed. Now, as the handful of surviving musicians grow old and fall ill, a way of life quietly slips toward the brink of extinction. Facing this desperate situation is Arn Chorn Pond - a survivor of Cambodia's genocide, an internationally recognized human rights leader and a talented musician. Today Arn is striving to heal the deep scars of his wartorn past by bringing Cambodia's once outlawed traditional music back to his people. The Flute Player is a heroic story of one man's fight against the devastating effects of war. It is a film about sorrow and pain, dignity and freedom, and the will to survive. (Synopsis taken from http://www.hrw.org/iff/2003/ny/flute.html)

Review:
The flute player is a documentary that is thorough and well made. The director, Jocelyn Glatzer, did a fantastic job at establishing Mr. Chorn-Pond and developing his story and the importance of music to his survival. The documentary starts off with what seems to be a scene that was staged outside a community center in Lowell, Mass. The exchange between student and teacher almost felt typical, conflicting values between the old and the new school; an evolution of sorts between two Cambodian Cultures: one of the new worlds popularized by the age of hip-hop and urban outfitters and the other of tragedy and triumph draped in an artist soul. Mr. Chorn-Pond is a player. No not your P Diddy mack daddy type of playa, but a flute player who can trace his lineage and his gifted talents back to the vibrant days of Cambodia's past, before Pol Pot orchestrated his madness on the Cambodian people. But before we go on this journey to chase the echoes of Arn's past, it is important to do your own research on history and think critically before you take his experiences at face value.

Speaking of face value, Master Kung Nai's face reflects a man who has gone through hell and back. Master Kung Nai, is one of the surviving masters from the nightmares of Pol Pot. I'm sure your parents have heard of the sound of his "Ja Pey" before; if not, they don't know what they are missing. Master Nai has a lot of missing flesh on his face. Maybe it's from all the hardship he endured but he has enough scars and craters on his face to put the moon to shame. Perhaps he went blind from witnessing all the horrors of the Pol Pot regime. Somehow his experiences added a dimension to his artistry. If there were any truths to the myth of heighten senses, this would be a prime example.

Master Nai's skill is off of the Richter scale, every vocal distributions of sound that is made compliments his ability to stroke the string of his instrument. The music can literally shake the thatched house off its dirt foundation. If only some of our Cambodian Hip Hop Emcees can emulate some of his delivery, all of our ears would be better off.

The Flute Player takes us on a journey of reconciliation, reconstruction, and hope. It's just my guess, maybe one of the reasons why Arn Chorn-Pond chose to be apart of this documentary is to bury his ghost and come to grip with his guilt. Being a product of the Killing Fields and not being able to understand the pain and agony of those who were involved at the time, I can only imagine the pain of the victims, harder to imagine the pain and guilt of a former Khmer Rouge, even if he's got rhythm. With that said, a lot of credit should be given to an individual who is such a staunch advocate of the arts and culture. He is courageous for discussing his past so openly and candidly in his efforts to reconcile with the all the cruelties he committed while wearing the red rags. (Maybe Pol Pot and some of the other high-ranking Khmer Rouge officials can use Mr. Pond as a model of reconciliation.) Drumbeats have been replaced with the sounds of bayonets. Blood and guilt must still run deep in his arteries from his adolescent years. It almost makes you sympathize with Arn. Almost. Some of the most dramatic scene of this whole documentary is when he was sitting in the house with one of his old K.R. comrade discussing their past and how they cope with their guilt. The emotional scene captured the essence of his suffering soul.

I can't imagine what he went through and continues to go through. It is still easier to sympathize with the victims. But to his credit, he was able to track down the faded melodies of some of the older masters, maybe to reconcile with his past and give meaning to his own life. Hidden behind the poverty and despair, disabled by time and circumstance, hope still remains for these melody makers. Regardless, music still stains the mind, especially when made under duress. Let's hope these lessons are not lost in the rhetoric of power and money. It is music that gives Cambodia part of its distinctive culture. It's good to know that it will be in good hands, because of people like Arn Chorn-Pond and other master musicians who share the same vision and hear the same melodies. The road ahead looks promising. Let's hope the politicians in Cambodia can get their act together and start fixing some of the (Pol) potholes from the tragic past.



Film: City of Ghost (2002)
Plot Summary: A con man flees to Southeast Asia when an international scam he was involved in goes sour. Suspecting he's been double-crossed by his long-time mentor, he sets off to Cambodia for his promised cut. What he finds there is a mysterious and hostile environment where even the most polished criminal can end up on deadly ground. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0164003/plotsummary)

Review:
A little background on the film: Matt Dillon wrote and made his directorial debut with the movie,
in which he stars as a New York con man who travels to Cambodia to collect a share of an insurance scam. I saw the film last night at the Arts Theater on 4th and Cherry in Long Beach. The setting was appropriate considering the manner in which Cambodia and her people were portrayed in this film, because the theater is also the setting of the "Rocky Horror Picture Show." Maybe I'm a bit critical, but then I'm a product of a community that tends to be critical. I'm reminded of the last PBS special that was broadcast on Halloween, "Freak show or something of the sort about Noun Chea" and the social circus in Cambodia. Just because a "white" American put my country up in lights in the film industry, does not mean that I have to say good things about it. They don't have to be politically correct and mention all the beauties of Cambodia, but at least realize that for a country that recently went through a genocidal episode and currently suffering socially, economically, and politically. It would be nice to paint a nice picture of Cambodia.

During one of the scene, one of the actors mentioned (I think the character was Casper... what an appropriate name, for the movie and perhaps the racial metaphor that the character might of implied), "The whole country needs a paint job... or paint over." In response to how old the country looks and feel. To which the Matt Dillon's character father responded, "... that's the charm of the country." And then, Casper pissed on the sacred tree. Not to be outdone, Matt Dillon's love interest that is an art restorer, threw a party in one of the temples. Did I miss something? I thought people who restore art have some background or expertise... maybe even some respect on the subject matter that they are trying to preserve. What a freak'n shame not to mention tasteless and disrespectful. I was a tad bit offended by the reckless disregard in the urine defecation scene... perhaps it's sybolism. To reflect the racist ideology of white men's burden to come and try to liberate the native of their ignorance.

The film defines the local natives as prostitutes, broken people, chaotic misfits, and freaks of nature. *** In response to this white wash approach, I would like to recommend to the person(s) who has interest of Cambodia and her people or any other foreign countries to read a book called, "The Ugly American," published in the late 1950s. Perhaps you can take a few pointers of how to behave as foreigners in a foreign land. If there was anything positive from the film, it's the Cambodian character, Sok. I wish there was more opportunity to see his character develop. But then again, it was Matt Dillon's first directorial debut.

The score. I actually like the music selection that they picked out for the movie but I cant help but feel that they went overboard with it. Don't get me wrong; my ears were glad to hear the familiar sound of Sin Sisamot in an American film... I thought I would never see the day or hear the sound. But just like the editing, the sound score was choppy, which screwed up the flow and consistency of the story. But the sound selections for the film were full of Cambodian melodies old and new. If you don't go for the Cambodian background, at least go for the Cambodian sounds on Dolby Digital. I just feel bad for the people who don't understand Khmer. But then again, music transcends all linguistic barriers, especially the musical notes in this film.

Speaking of notes, I would like to end this review on a more positive note. I think Matt Dillon's attempt to use Cambodia as the backdrop of a movie about starting over and mending relationship with his ex-con father was daring and courageous. Although the contexts in which a majority of the Cambodians were portrayed might of angered some of the progressive women movement and that of minorities, it was through Dillon's lens and his personal interpretations. Perhaps the movie and the dark style that it was shot in was an artistic form of expression. But from a sociological perspective the stereotypes of the people in Cambodia can also be devastating to the country and her people. (Because in the rebuilding process, the money from tourism is paramount) We sometimes have to realize that we need to see how others define us (as Cambodians), before we can really get a grasp of how we define ourselves.

I don't want to make this into a social critique, but I feel that being a Cambodian,
I' obliged to give a more critical perspective of the film. Out of 4 refugee rice bowls, I give 'City of Ghosts' 2 bowls and some major coconut juice because Dillon had the balls and the courage to film the movie in Cambodia and for picking a Cambodian to be one of the supporting actors. Oh, did I mention that the film has a great soundtrack? :) Peace and Prorhok grease. This has been a Demraw Movie Review. We are all hypocrites; I'm just hypercritical.



Film: How Tasty Was My Little Frenchman (1973)
Plot Summary: In 16th century Brazil, while the French and Portuguese battle for possession of the territory, local Tupinamba Indians capture a Frenchman, believing him to be one of the Portuguese enemy. Despite his protests, the tribe prepares an elaborate ritual in which they plan to consume their hapless prisoner, hoping to appropriate their perceived foe's strength. Nelson Pereira dos Santos directs this oddly comic tale of culture clash and cannibalism. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066936/plotsummary)

Review: (for an Anthropology class)
The film attempts to shed some social light on the issue of morality and normality through the cultural phenomenon of the native tribe’s rituals and ceremonies and the role of power as the authority on what is normal and what is not normal. The film tries to do a 360 on the perception of what is considered normal and what is considered barbaric. The role reversal of the Frenchman trying to adapt to the “barbaric ways” of the Tupiniquim tribe put a twist on the social hierarchy of race. In this portrayal, the film creates a scope (through the vision of the director) under which humanity is magnified so we can better understand our relationship to one-another as master and slave, as men and women, and the power struggle that is waged between the participants involved.

In a film dominated by the themes of power and subjugation, the perspectives were broad and subjective. Just as the Frenchman was on the quest to normalize his presence in the village community, so too was the audience (myself included) to adapt to seeing people completely naked. This struggle is evidence that there is a chasm between cultures. What might be considered normal or legal here might be considered abnormal or illegal elsewhere.

The theme of normality and abnormality is similar to the theme discussed in class, mainly, the theme of legality and illegality. The people in position of power often decide the definition. In this film, the chief has the final say, and his ability to dictate violence is the mechanism he uses for control. The use of gunpowder in the film was a great representation of this power. Who ever have control of the gunpowder has control of the people. Gunpowder became part of the violent culture.

Cannibalism was also part of the culture. This is in direct conflict with the belief system of the Europeans. One of the quotes from the film was by a missionary expressing his views on the culture of the natives. He said, “…evil is integrated in their customs.” And their solution to the problem, at least according to the governor of Brazil in 1557 was to eradicate all of them. The ending of the film was powerful, direct, and depressing. This was a marvelous film that is borderline offensive and borderline outstanding. I enjoyed the film very much.





Movie: "Xica" (Brazilian Comedy, 1976)
Plot Summary:
In the 18th century, in Minas Gerais, the Portuguese mined diamonds and gold. João Fernandes de Oliveira arrives from Lisbon with the Crown's exclusive contract for mining diamonds. He quickly asserts control, letting the intendant and other authorities know that he's onto their corruption. Xica, a slave of the local sergeant-major and possessed of phenomenal sexual drive and tricks that cause men to howl with pleasure, quickly captures João. He denies her no extravagance; miners die for his greed. Eventually Lisbon hears of João's excesses and sends an inspector. José, a political radical, provides Xica refuge; her unrelenting sexual tingle is Brazil's spirit. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078512/plotsummary)

Review:
“Xica,” is an outrageous comedy that attempts to shed some historical light on racism and discrimination in Brazil. The film took place in the 1700s during a diamond rush that “transformed Brazil’s interior into a place of fabulous wealth and excess. In this unrestrained atmosphere, the slave Xica uses her iron will and her unique sexual talent to seduce her way into becoming the unofficial Empress of Brazil, lording it over her former masters and gleefully emptying the crown’s treasury.” The director’s use of sex as a vehicle for power and social mobility by Xica to illuminate the widespread racism and discrimination was very innovative, creative, and informative. The film showed how the dominant white minorities normalized the social racism and discrimination on the Black slaves through the process of slavery.

As the film started to unravel, Xica started to evolve. Xica evolved from a lowly Black slave, to a primadonna, and then back to a lowly slave. She used her sexual talent as a vehicle to climb the social ladder. Xica would be the exception rather than the rule of this rapid climb up the social ladder. The Black slaves in Brazil suffered through many injustices. The slaves were separated from the general “white” society. They were often seen as mere laborers and not “like real people.” In the introduction of the film, when Xica was still a slave her owner asked what she had wanted, and she replied, “I want to be like real people.” This desire to be accepted into the mainstream society can also be seen when Xica attempted to join the Sunday mass in the “white only” church. She was denied. The color line was distinctly drawn between “white” Portuguese and Black slaves.

The social lines that separated the people also separated them economically. Whites were rich, powerful, and arrogant. The Black slaves were poor, weak, and docile. These characteristics were similar to the treatments of blacks in the U.S. during the pre-civil rights movement. Blacks in Brazil were discriminated, separated, and disillusioned by the ruling class of minority white elites. State policies in both countries created a social divide between the blacks and the whites that are still visible today. Solidarity between blacks and whites are still not apparent as the gap between the rich and the poor is widened. Race and riches are often inter-connected. Minorities often have the upper hand.

The film, “Xica,” attempted to repaint the racist history of Brazil with a creative and colorful commentary by the director. The film was funny, unabashed, and made me realize just how far humanity have come from our barbaric past. Brazil is a country in transition, but as it strive for modernity, they must close the huge social and economic gap between the few, white, rich minority and the massive, mixed, poor majority. The journey of equality still continues.





You must be logged in to send this member a message.