The Abu Dhabi Film Festival, Day 1

Today I watched three very different movies. One was at the Marina Mall, while the second and third were at the Emirates Palace, complete with the red carpet and gold dusted french fries. Here are my reviews:

Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)

What a treat to be able to watch the classic film, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, for the first time on a big screen. I had heard about the film since I can remember, but actually had no idea what it was about. I didn’t fall in love with the movie until the end. It was this quote that did it for me: “No matter where you run, you just end up running into yourself.” It made me think about my life, and a good movie does just that.


I soon forgave Holly Golightly for dumping her cat, Cat, in the rain and being a whiny, alcoholic, chain-smoking gold digger, but it was all thanks to Paul Varjak who put her in her place. I admit I got a little teary during the final scene when she gets out of the taxi to run after Paul, who has gone looking for the cat in the rain storm. As he watches her search for Cat, you can finally see what he has seen all along, and why he fell in love with her in the first place-- her innocence. I’m not a big cat person, but there was something so sweet about the embrace and kisses in the rain with the big drenched orange cat being squeezed in between them. 

As an independent, “free spirit,” I could relate to the character of Holly Golightly to the extent of which she tries so hard to find herself and to assert her independence. She believes that marrying a rich man will grant her even more independence, which is a lesson she learns the hard way. Luckily, I have never been one to seek out a mate for financial gains. But being afraid of falling in love and losing myself? Definitely. Sometimes I think I could use a lecture like this:

"You know what's wrong with you, Miss Whoever-You-Are? You're chicken, you've got no guts. You're afraid to stick out your chin and say, "Okay, life's a fact, people do fall in love, people do belong to each other, because that's the only chance anybody's got for real happiness." You call yourself a free spirit, a wild thing, and you're terrified somebody's going to stick you in a cage. Well, baby, you're already in that cage. You built it yourself. And it's not bounded in the west by Tulip, Texas, or in the east by Somaliland. It's wherever you go. Because no matter where you run, you just end up running into yourself. "

Djinn


I went to this film because it was the world premiere and the UAE’s first horror movie, directed by Texas Chainsaw Massacre legend Tobe Hooper. I was not prepared to be jumping out of my seat and clutching my scarf in terror every 5 seconds. This film gave the audience no rest from one scare to the next, and by the end I felt like I had gone on a 90 minute roller coaster ride through a haunted house. Thanks a lot, Djinn, for giving me a reason to be spooked by women wearing all black, face covered by a black veil, which isn’t exactly uncommon here! I might be sleeping with the lights on tonight. 

So the djinn are spiritual creatures mentioned in the Quran, along with humans and angels.  They can possess humans, they are made of fire and smoke, and can be good, evil or "neutrally benevolent" since they have free will.  In this movie, they were pure evil.  If you want to get a little creeped out, watch the trailer:  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2eRNgFZyNk

Belle

I loved this movie, which was made even more special by the attendance of the lead actors and director and the Q & A that followed the screening. I think I may have a new celebrity crush on the actor Sam Reid, who is not only handsome, but is also a passionate activist (on and off screen). *Swoon*

It was a movie based on a true story, that of Dido Elizabeth Belle, a mixed-race girl raised as an aristocratic lady in 18th century England.  Not only was it a love story, but it also included the first official antislavery actions. What an interesting character from history-- a mixed-race woman raised by a wealthy family (her aunts and uncle), growing up with her white cousin Elizabeth, and inheriting a fortune making her “free” in a sense from the pressures of marrying that women in that day had to do in order to become financially secure, yet still limited by her status as a black woman.  The movie was based on an actual painting made of Dido and her cousin Elizabeth.  

I found similarities between this movie and the message I got from Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and could probably write a whole essay comparing the two, but I won’t because it’s 1 AM and I should be asleep. I highly recommend this movie. Here is the trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wtdk6owFj2o