Oroi (Jitters): 2010 Cast: Atli Oskar Fjalarsson (as Gabriel), Hreindis Ylva Garöarsdottir Holm (as Stella), Haraldur Ari Stefansson (as Markus) IMDB: - The movie takes place in Iceland, even though it starts from the summer camp experience Markus and Gabriel had together in England. It's mostly about the problems that teens have such as neglection, restriction, falling in love with the wrong person, sexuality confusion etc. It revolves around how Markus and Gabriel fall for each other while also touching upon other characters' lives and problems. The cover, name and trailer make it seem like it's all about Markus and Gabriel but I'd say it's equally about every other character and theme.
Personal Thoughts: First of all, it was a truly flawed movie so watch it at your own risk. It was also kind of hard to find a version with English subtitles so good luck with that. It starts off with Gabriel and Markus's meeting in a summer camp in England. It's understandable for Gabriel to go to a summer camp but Markus's character is nothing like the type that'd study for summer, and he doesn't anyway. The first thing that came to my mind was "Why the hell is he there? It doesn't look like his parents would force him into it either knowing that they're not even once mentioned and he can quit studying just like that without anyone stopping him" Second thing that came to my mind was how random their kiss was. There have been scenes that they were hanging out together, okay, but that doesn't mean they have chemistry or anything. I think they tried to create a love-hate relationship for them but it backfired since even their hate wasn't that passionate. The movie was sort of all over the place in terms of the plot and the characters. The story isn't entirely about Gabriel and Markus's relationship so why the hell did they make it seem that way? It was equally about Stella's family problems, attraction to her gay best friend and suicidal tendencies (which was far more realistic to be honest.) and Greta's search for his father. I felt like they tried to squish a lot of themes together while abandoning each one at a weird point. It was realistic though, I have to agree on that. Also, there was something so dark about the way it was filmed. If I haven't watched thousands of movies like this, I'd say it was even impressive at some points (definitely not the Markus-Gabriel relationship though) Like Markus went out of his way to go to an expensive summer camp to do nothing and then ended up leaving school and being a hairdresser? I'm still confused about that. Anyway, I think it has a few good points mostly related to Stella's life (and death). Also how her grandmother was so protective on her while crossing the line so much might be something relatable. Her death was dark and it was out of the blue which is how death is sort of like I guess but I would've expected a better performance from Gabriel since he was supposed to be her best friend. I swear the boy doesn't have emotions which is not something you expect from a supposedly lead character who has to be in multiple complicated relationships. The good part of the movie was that it had a different way of portraying things than accustomed which perhaps is because I personally haven't seen many (if any at all) Icelandic movies. It's an okay movie to watch if you're into slightly dark teenage dramas not to mention the two main characters are kinda cute. However, you've been warned...
Thursday 12 April 2018
To the Bone: 2017 Cast: Lily Collins (as Ellen), Keanu Reeves (as Dr. Beckham), Alex Sharp (as Luke) IMDB: 6.9 To the Bone is about teens who have anorexia nervosa, bulimia and similar eating disorders. Ellen, who is anorexic, is an aspiring artist with a depressive attitude caused by her eating disorder and self image. Her family is separated and has different opinions on her behaviour while no one seems to really listen to what she has to say. We often see Ellen as sarcastic and aggressive. The movie shows the smallest of sparks she has when she meets Luke and how her behaviour changes according to the events in her life. It focuses on the disorder itself with the slightest hint of dark humour. Personal Thoughts: It's sort of educative and enlightening and it grabs the attention of teens since it is essentially a teen drama. There were contradictions between people saying that it romanticises the disorder. The thing is, it doesn't really romanticise the disorder itself, at least I didn't feel that way but I can definitely see where those comments are coming from. Lily Collins looked really pretty in the movie and her outfits and character was really impressive. Her character and the way she dresses seem to be all connected with her inner suffering which is caused by anorexia. We often see that she reflects her thoughts to her art. Of course teen girls will find themselves admiring her. But luckily, the movie includes some graphic, realistic images of anorexia. Overall, I liked the movie because it talks about taboo topics that most parents are scared to talk to their kids about. It sort of reminds me of 'the Road Within' which focuses on Tourettes. As a person who has Tourettes, I thought the movie was pretty realistic and reflective. The thing with these kinds of movies is that they focus on children's relationships with parents which is a good point to start off to understand the disorders themselves. I recommend you to watch it, although it's not really something to watch on a girls night or when you're looking for something entertaining.
