#and not to be biased but the são paulo one is the best one so far | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

unimpressedperson · 6 years ago

Text

“10 Movies to Describe Me” tag

Hey, as I ever said, I LOVE cinema and going to the movies, watching documentaries, enjoying life by studying every nuance present on the 7th art.

Along life we have contact with a bunch of movies and references that affect our personalities, view of world, and even how we act towards some situations. Cinema is a powerful way of art, possibly influencing.

Everyone has a list of movies which influenced our personal growth. This list is all about it: 10 Movies you can use to describe me.

1 - Spirited Away

Well, I think Spirited Away was my first contact with cinematography eastern culture and made me go further in searching for more. I was 5 or 6 when I watched and fell in love with it.

Nowadays I know how to respect different cultures, have a deep interest in stories and mythologies from other countries. Thank you Studios Ghibli!

Influenced personality: Love for mythology and cultures.

2 - The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

I LOVE drag queens and everything related to that subculture. I remember watching that movie as a kid, after midnight and hiding from my parents, which advised me to sleep because I had school the next morning.

Everything seemed so colourful and amazing, almost magical. A explosion of music and dresses, high heels, makeup, big wigs and dancing.

While growing up it influenced my choices on sports, acceptance, music, and love for drag culture.

RuPaul's Drag Race is part of my love for drag queens, but it wasn't the first reference. Btw, support your local queens and art.

Influenced personality: Dancing skills, LGBT acceptance (when it comes to myself, I have nothing to do with someone else's sexuality), love for drag culture and pop music.

3 - Blackfish

Oh ma'am, now we got to a very rough part of my personality: my HATE and INDIGNATION over zoos and aquariums.

I don't like zoos, not at all. Watching animals caged in small spaces and sad, oh boy, it makes me want to invade the whole place with a hammer and set them free.

Before watching Blackfish I didn't quite realize how bad everything was for fishes in Aquariums as well. Now, I want to start petitions against Sea World and Aquário de São Paulo.

I love animals, WAY MORE than I enjoy being around humans, so knowing how suffering is their life inside small places makes me want to cage humans and let them walk freely.

Influenced personality: Love for sea animals and thirsty for their justice.

4 - Inglorious Basterds

(This scene is one of my favourites lol)

#ILOVEHISTORYANDTARANTINO

Well, Inglorious Basterds is a very historically inaccurate movie, but I love it with all my stone cold heart. There are so many catchphrases and iconic moments.

I just love that movie. Nothing really special or meaningful.

Influenced personality: The need for kill Nazis lol

5 - The Perks of Being a Wallflower

I was a very angst teenage and depressed as well, not counting anxiety on the mix. When I was 13 The Perks of Being a Wallflower aired on cinemas, and suddenly all my concerns about acting weird and not normal, compared to other girls around and whose studied with me, kind of seemed so pointless, mainly because Patrick, Charlie and Sam seemed to have so much fun, even acting quirckly and being classified as misfits.

My story has nothing to do with neither of characters, but I related a lot to them. So I think a big part of me came and flourished after watching The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Also, it taught me the importance of speaking how you feel, therapy and trusting people enough to tell them when something wrong is going on.

The book is also one of my favourites, so I’m not impartial when it comes to The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Influenced personality: Not afraid of being myself, fight for human basic right of having mental health treatment guaranted and embracing my quirk personality.

6 - Erin Brockovich

Everyone who knows me well enough, is VERY aware of how independent and self-suficient I am. I hate depending on people for completing tasks or doing stuff, so most of the time I try to learn do things all by myself. It’s something natural inside of me, partly because I don’t get lonely, so the idea of depending on someone to anything makes me cringy.

Erin Brockovich is a movie I watched when I was 12 and the way Erin acted towards everyone, giving priority to her life and kids, not caring about everyone else’s opinion, it made me root to be independent like her (except for the kids and struggle to find a job). Erin exhales big dick energy, also the ending made me aplaud the movie (even tho I was alone at home watching it).

Influenced personality: I learnt how to classify my priorities, also improved my confidence on how I act, since Erin isn’t afraid of achieving things and proving her point, even if everyone else is against and won’t believe her.

7 - Lilo & Stitch

I think every single living human alive had at least one movie, you know this one movie, which you obsessed during your childhood. It doesn’t matter the genre, you watched it nonstop and pissed off your whole house with how repetitive movie marathons seemed to get with you, since everytime you picked whatever you were about to watch, your choice was quite predictable.

The movie I obsessed during my childhood was Lilo & Stitch (also Scooby Doo, where do you think I learned how to copy someone’s fingerprint by using pore cleanser and powder?).

As I mentioned a few items ago, I was a misfit and it played a big part on my life, being excluded from parties, playdates and games during P.E was common. It bothered me, but everything changed when we adopted my first dog, a dachshund called Xuxinha. We were Lilo & Stitch, whenever people treated me badly at school, I knew that she would be waiting for me at home.

Xuxinha passed away in 16th February 2017, and I still miss her.

Influenced personality: It helped understand that people are douchebags, but as long as I have my dog/sister at home to hold and distract me, then nothing else matters. I learned the importance of surounding yourself with people who cares about your well-being, not caring specie, ethnicity, etc.

8 - Wonder

I don’t think this item requires a lot of text to describe why I felt influenced by it. Watch the movie and let’s sob together.

Influenced personality: Learned why appearance means nothing, and everyone goes through some struggle, so always be there for people who cares about you as much as you do about them. Also, always stand up against bullying, it may look like a joke now, but it can be the trigger for fatalities.

9 - Spotlight

I study Social Communication: Journalism, that’s what I’ve been wishing to do and want to be in the future. Even tho I decided what I wanted as my career YEARS before the release of Spotlight, it helped me define which kind of journalism I wanted to follow: Investigative.

It feels like I just made 4 out of 2+2, considering the fact that I love detective stories and would love to be a detective myself, but watching and acknowledging that all the investigation and accusations were based on real facts, oh Ma’am, I can’t even describe the thrill consuming my mind only by imagining what it feels like to be involved journalistically in an investigation.

Influenced personality: My PASSION for investigative journalism.

10 - The Imitation Game

Last but not least: The Imitation Game.

Well, I constantly get annoyed on how biased our society is, for real, and whenever it happens I write poems and texts and protest, and piss off a bunch of people by only talking about a situation of inequality. When I first watched The Imitation Game the whole Alan Turing being castrated and killing himself because of homophobia and a VERY, I repeat, VERY narrow-minded society, it PISSED OFF THE HELL OUT OF ME, and I used this rage during a full semester of college paper works.

I named a group after Alan Turing and our semester project was basically about people being biased and killing genius because they cannot look further from their own bellybottoms. I won a “Oscar de Jornalismo”, which is the award that happens every six month in my college, prizing the best works from the semester.

It still makes me so angry to imagine what Alan Turing could had done if he lived for at least 20 more years.

Influenced personality: Well, it made me channel my rage about a situation and helped me to understand why we should discuss homophobia, racism, wars, etc, even harder now. Watching the world following the path for making the same mistakes all over again is frightening, and only history can help us.

- x-

It has potential to be a tag, so I’ll tag some people I want to know what movies inspired them. You don’t have to make a whole long ass text about your choices, just sharing is enough :)

@ohmydearmoonchild @okayycalum @emerson-moonchild @btsqualityy @theburntwaffle

#movies #cinema #hashtag #influences #personality #art #we're what we absorb #we are art #the imitation game #alan turing #spotlight #wonder #lilo & stitch #erin brockovich #the perks of being a wallflower #inglorious basterds #blackfish #the adventures of priscilla queen of the desert #spirited away

140 notes · View notes

amantidellaluna · 7 years ago

Text

dreamcatcher showcase in são paulo/brazil 171209

ooook so i have no idea of how to write this bc it’s like my first time doing it so be patient q and sorry for the english mistakes ok

so ok me and two friends went to the show here in sp and the line was like r e a l l y big we wait for like one hour to get inside the place and once there we waited for another hour for the show, but in this meantime they played some kpop songs and we were all singing (especially bts and exid) (and the girls could hear it because they talked about it later)

but let me make a point here to say that: we are really loud.

the show started with an introduction video of the girls, just like that ones that plays before somo stages yknow?, and then the first song was fly high and oh my god it was amazing, we had this project with purple balloons for fly high so we were like moving them with the song and singing along REALLY LOUD and by the end of the song we threw the balloons up and was really beautiful.

there was some moments were they talked to us with a translator and they risked some portugues words like obrigada and olá (it means thank you and hello) and was like so adorable THEY ARE SO BEAUTIFUL AND ADORABLE talking to us and smiling when we screamed in answer; they basically said that they weren’t expecting for us to be so energetic and loud and cheer that much for them, but that they were really happy and emotioned with that

AND OMG THE COVERS!!! there was a dance cover for believer from imagine dragons AND IT WAS AMAZING LIKE HOLY SHIT they are such great dancers i love how sync they always are and aaaaaaa and then besides lucky strike they sang just give me a reason, sunday morning and garota de ipanema and said that all the songs were special for us, specially garota de ipanema since it’s a brazilian song and o m g they portuguese was SO good and really it was so lovely.

there was a moment where they said they would show us their cute side and then they proceed to (kill us) be EVEN MORE CUTE with aegyo but even this was special for us because they learned to say “te amo, neném” that is basically “i love you, baby” AND IT WAS SO ADORABLE HOW EACH ONE DID IT they are really so lovely i could explode.

at one of the talks they said that barbecue (churrasco in portuguese) was the thing they liked more here and jiu even asked if we eat it everyday (we don’t tho) and said that she was jealous because she wanted to eat it.

they also called two fans dressed with the clothes from chase me to dance it and the fans rocked, they were really surprised (and even played later because the two fans hugged their biases that were sua and gahyeon and the other started to laugh and hug each other saying “i’m ok” “it’s fine”)

there were some making off (chase me and fly high) videos playing on the stage screen while they were off (playing with us saying that it was the last song, these girls q) and we kept there singing along until they came back and sang a little more

the last song was goodnight and holy shit we were so loud and you could see that they were loving the cheering just like the entire show, tbh, they had fun playing with each other and answering some hearts that we showed them and didn’t stop smiling at all was really good to see that

the girls said they want to come back here AND HONESTLY SO DO I they were really amazing, so lovely and powerful, their voices are so good and the dances seems even more amazing live and honestly stan talent stan dreamcatcher best night ever (and best gift since my birthday it’s today (10th))

#dreamcatcher #dreamcatchernobrasil #dreamcatcheremsp #sorry guys this is confused but im just !!! really it was amazing they are great #also my videos are really bad bc im a short person that didnt got much closer to the stage with lots of arms and phones in front of me #but if someone wants to see it still and hear how loud we were (me very included bc oh boy I Screamed A Lot) just let me know bc the audio #is good q

3 notes · View notes

telltheworld-phff · 8 years ago

Text

Chapter 8: New Beginnings

I wasn't going to post today but I'm so excited for seeing George and Charlotte on Pippa's wedding today and I just was fangirling on Harry and Meghan's pic arriving at the reception. Thanks so much for reading and your support. <3

Just to remember that I own only the original characters and the personality of the people here portrayed are shown just for the sake of writing.

So let’s get to the chapter, shall we?

(PS: I’m queuing another chapter for Wednesday afternoon)

Monday morning came and Carol could barely sleep, which was a first for her. She was up way before her alarm buzzed and got ready to go to work. She got there almost thirty minutes early. She had to wait for her boss to arrive to show her the building and facilities. And then she wondered how the hell she didn't notice the signs that it was BBC's offices. The interface and colors and branding were spread everywhere. She made sure to memorize the way to her office, because that building was huge and she didn't want to get lost while running some important errands.

She was sat at a room with other five trainees. They all studied something media/communication related and apparently they were friendly. Their office were separated by glass walls and she could see where the editorial staff sat. They were surrounded by TV's and lots of computers and the phone was always ringing there. It didn't take long for her to get annoyed by it's sound. It was still most empty. But her boss did introduce her to the few people that were there. He then led her to his private office and set her new tasks. She'd have to help in the generation of content to the websites and maintenance of internal communication channels and social media, supporting the actions of endomarketing and campaigns. "I know it's a lot to take in on your first day, but we're here to help you and guide you. We hope you may learn as much as you can, so when you graduate you could work with us again.", he said. Carol was taking so many notes that her hand started to hurt. But she didn't want to miss a word. "You'll also work with clipping redefinition, report production based on clipping, production of internal bulletin -with interviews and text production- provide support in the production of texts.", he said while looking at her a seeing that she was getting scared of everything he was saying. "You'll help the others with scheduling interviews and audio editions." She was quiet and looked a little pale. "But I'm going to teach you all of it, so are the other journalists. No one's going to give you a task without explaining how it's done before. So you can calm down now.", he said without looking at her. The first three days of work were overwhelming. She felt the other trainees a bit harsh on her but she made everything in her power to be polite with them and to learn what everyone could teach her. It was exhausting. But she was finally working with something she wanted. She decided that she was going to work at BBC as a journalist when she graduated next year. That was her new life goal. The days were longer but the weeks were short. That's how Carol felt in her first month working. She was still adapting. She already knew who she could talk to, who'd be willing to help her and who didn't have the patience to teach her how to use the various software the company had. Her work place was nice and friendly most of the time, but there were days where she wondered how she could stand being there. Sometimes the tension was so thick one could cut it with a knife. On these days she'd just try to not think about it, she was building her network and career and all trainees and interns in the world have a bad history about their first job in their field. She soon discovered that her boss, once nice and fair, was a massive pain in the ass for the trainees. He put her on "coffee duty" way too many times and made all of them work overtime on a daily basis. Carol thought that wasn't fair, but she kept quiet and even though sometimes he made her day like a living hell, she would always be smiling and polite with everyone there, specially with him. On a personal side for this whole month, her mom was having dates every Friday and Saturday. She wasn't working overtime anymore, she was smiling again and she was happy. And in between working and studying for her finals, Carol tried to keep her social life up. She'd always try to gather all her friends and go to Villa and other pubs around her city. In one night when she was drunk and wanted to be reckless she even accepted to have a very serious talk with Rodrigo, he tried to kiss her mid talk, but she turned her face to him. Julia almost killed her when she told they had decided to try to keep being friends and to try to forget all that they had done and said to each other. Her friend knew this vicious circle. They'd get back together in no time. Rodrigo was a toxic thing that Carolina was addicted to. She was always saying that they weren't friends, they were just friendly to each other if they found themselves at the same place. And, just like last time, Rodrigo made sure to be anywhere Carol was. Julia could actually see her friend changing her way and feelings when she talked about him. She was forgetting all the crap he made her go through. The only difference now was that she talked to a certain prince everyday. They were creating a real friendship. And even though they were in different time zones, they'd take their time to text each other. Harry had given his personal phone number to her a few days before his birthday. He always hated to carry two phones and decided it was best if she had his personal number. If anything hadn't leaked by now, the chances that she'd spill anything were very minimum. She felt honored for earning his trust. They talked about their day most of the time. He always asked about her job and seemed interested in her projects in school. She accepted the information he was willing to share. She was the one that encouraged him to keep his long distance relationship with Meghan. And she was one of the first people to know about it. And she kept that secret with her life. Harry enjoyed how normal she made him feel. She was like Skippy and Jake. She didn't care about his title, she acted the same with him even when she playfully called him "Your Royal Highness". She treated him normally and sometimes even said things without thinking about protocol or if it was appropriate. He liked that she wasn't afraid of cursing at him or with him. She was fun and he was discovering another side of Carolina, beyond that serious professional and responsible woman he met in August. And when they passed the level of simple acquaintances to friends, both were willing to talk, give advice, encourage and support. They were always willing to, sometimes, just listen to the rambling the other had. To listen about his or her dislikes in the different lives they had. He opened up to her to say that he hated that he had grown up in the public eye. And how the press was starting to spread rumors about his relationship with Meghan, that was being kept a secret until now. He talked about his frustrations and the lack of privacy. He liked that she was always attentive but not biased. She didn't overestimate or underestimate him. She had a different and funny way of being and talking. And even when they had different point of views over something, they always argued in a respectful way. Came September, she called him at 00:01 on his birthday. He was surprised that she called. She had said, after all, that she wanted to be the first one to congratulate him, singing Happy Birthday in Portuguese. He didn't understand a word but enjoyed it anyway. And came October and he did the same with her. But he went the extra mile and sent her a lillies bouquet to her office at BBC. Among the flowers a golden card stood up and she got it to read the message: "I made you a birthday cake to celebrate, but I couldn’t light the candles. It turns out the fire department requires a permit for bonfires. - H". She couldn't believe it. She started laughing because that message was so Harry. Her boss made a snarky comment about her flowers and cards but she was decided to not let anyone upset her on her special day. When he left she got her phone and texted him. C: Very Funny! Harry was at Buckingham Palace with his grandparents and was getting ready for a meeting. He answered her text right away. H: Did you receive the card and flowers I sent? C: I did! H: Hope you still like the cake without the candles. C: Just to clarify I turned 23 while you, Your Royal Oldness turned 32. So if any of us have to have a request for bonfires, it is you and not me. H: Already so grumpy! That's another sign you're getting old. C: Learned from the best! He had to stop texting her because his grandmother was already scolding him about being on the phone while in the presence of other people was rude. Carol went home that night to find out that her mom had baked a cake for her. They sang Happy Birthday and ate it with ice cream. She opened her presents and took lots of pictures with her mom. Rodrigo called her to wish a Happy Birthday and she thanked him. Maria was uncomfortable with the fact and didn't leave the room to give them privacy to talk on the phone. Carol soon hang up and when her mom was about to ask for explanations on that matter, the phone rang again and it was Flavio. He wished her a happy birthday and asked them to dinner on Saturday. She accepted it right away and he said his daughter would be in São Paulo, so he'd introduce them. Carol was a bit wary but didn't comment on it. She couldn't complain. Life right now was becoming good for her. -- Saturday came faster than Carol wanted it to. She'd have to have dinner with her mom, Flavio and his daughter. And she was a bit nervous about it. She could see that her mom's relationship was about to blossom and she didn't know what it'd mean in her life. Her mom would be happy, yes. She wanted her mom to be happy? More than anyone or anything else in the world. But she also liked the pace their lives had turned into. Since after the divorce, Carol was used to have her mom just to herself. They'd go out to clubs, they'd cook together, they'd watch terror movies at night. Carol would wipe her mom's tears when things got hard for them. And Maria always lend her shoulders to her daughter to cry on after her broken heart. And now two new people would be in the picture. And what concerned Carol the most was not the fact that her mom would have a boyfriend. But the fact that he had a daughter. A daughter of divorced parents. Just like herself. Carol didn't know the girl's background but she knew that witnessing a divorce was difficult and hard for the children. Even knowing that her parents marriage was over for a long time, when they told her they were separating for good, it was like several doors came slamming in her face. Even though she didn't ever have a happy home, Carol was used to her family's routine. She was used to her parents fighting, of her mom trying to mask the noise they did when they fought. She was used to her father arriving home drunk and saying lots of bullshit to them. But she was also used to the rare good moments that they all put their differences aside and just were together. And those are the moments she treasured the most. But in Flavio's case, Carol didn't know what had led him to divorce. She didn't know his family traditions and routines. So, she didn't know what new reality his daughter was facing now. She was only familiar to the feeling of everything you had and believed in was coming apart and she had to discover this new reality. She didn't know if his daughter grew up in the middle of fights, like she did. She didn't know how she took the divorce news. If she blamed someone for it. Because Carol sure had blamed herself as one of the reasons her parents hadn't worked out like a couple. And while she got ready in her bedroom Carol was actually afraid of meeting Flavio's daughter. Because she knew that children were the most important part of someone's life. She and this girl that she knew nothing about were, as per saying, the biggest stakeholders to their parents relationship. And Carol was willing to face her fears and put aside her awkwardness to support her mom and adapt, yet again, to a new routine. But was the girl willing to do so? Where did she put her blame on? "Carol, are you ready?" her mom said opening her bedroom's door. She was smiling and ready to go. "Almost there, mom", Carol put on her best smile and finished getting ready. They called for a taxi and spent the whole ride quiet. Maria didn't understand why her daughter was being that way but didn't want to ask what was wrong. She was also nervous about the dinner but she was trying to just go with the flow. They arrived at the restaurant and Carol took a good look at her surroundings. She took a deep breath and linked arms with her mom to enter the place. They were escorted to their table and when they got there, Flavio and his daughter were seated. He got up instantly and went to Carol first. "Happy Birthday, Carolina" he said shaking her hands first and then giving her a hug. "Hope this new year will be a fantastic one for you." "Thank you, Flavio." Carol said after they parted and genuinely smiling. "Thank you for having us." "Let me introduce you to my daughter, Hailey." He looked at her and she got up of her seat to greet them. "Nice to meet you, Carolina" she said in Portuguese but had a very thick English accent to it. "Nice to meet you too, Hailey" Hailey was beautiful. And was the spitting image of her father. She had those big blue eyes and that wavy blond hair that would make her stand out in a room with thousands of people. "Hailey, this is Maria" Flavio said while Carol and Hailey were just suspiciously staring at each other, trying to read one another. "Nice to meet you, ma'am" she said looking at Carol's mom for the first time and shaking her hand. "There's no need to call me ma'am, Hailey. Just call me Maria and that's fine" Maria's politeness and gentle smile took Hailey by surprise. She was expecting to find someone stiff and obnoxious. But there was a woman in her 60's with a gentle smile and kind eyes that was willing to get to know her. Hailey couldn't help but smile in return. They were seated and in silence for a few minutes. Carol was busy fidgeting her hands under the table and not really looking anywhere. Flavio and Maria, who sat side by side on the table where holding hands underneath it and were looking at each other to try to find who would speak first. "So, tell me Carol, how long until you graduate?", Flavio said after a while. His daughter looked at him and simply arched an eyebrow. "I'll be graduating in June next year", Carol looked at him and saw how desperately he was trying to make everyone in the table to feel at ease. "Can't get here soon enough, though." "Oh, I remember those days.", a waitress came to their table and they only ordered a few drinks and appetizers to start. "Hailey have just started school back in London." he said and was visibly proud o her. "Yeah? What do you study?" Carol asked. "Fashion" she said and taking a sip of her orange juice once it arrived. "And where do you study?" Maria joined the conversation. Hailey looked at her father and only answered after he nodded his head in encouragement. "I study at Central Saint Martins." she said. Carol had heard that name somewhere but she couldn't remember where. She tried to force her mind to remember the name of that school. "And why did you choose fashion to study?" she asked looking at Hailey. "If it was for my parents, I'd be either a doctor or a laywer but I can't see myself on those careers. And fashion is something I've always enjoyed. I was cutting and sewing my dolls clothing at the age of eight and haven't stopped ever since." "And she is really talented. Although she once threw away part of my wardrobe just because she said the clothes weren't of a nice fitting for me." Flavio said and they all laughed. "I'm going to ask you to go over mine and help me. Because to be honest I've never put much thought on what I was wearing." Maria said and Hailey only nodded. "What do you study Carolina?" Hailey asked. "Journalism.", Carol said simply. "Why did you chose it?" Flavio asked. "Well because I am a very curious person and communicative. I always enjoyed writing and after I learned other languages I only wanted to work with it. I considered being a psychologist but changed my mind soon after. I study at Cásper Líbero." "That's a great school. One of the best in the country." He complimented. "It's a great school indeed. I like studying there." The waitress came back and they all placed their orders. And from that moment the dinner became a little less intimidating and with no more awkward silences. "So, dad, tell me how is it to live in Brazil again." Hailey asked at one point. "Well, you do know i'm not living here permanently for now. But it's great to be back home. I mean... I love London. But Brazil have this different vibe and different reception that we can't find anywhere in the world. So it's nice to be back." "Have you ever lived here, Hailey?" Maria asked. "No. But I spent some time here while growing up. To visit my grandparents. And my father taught me how to speak Portuguese. It was like our secret language since my mom doesn't speak it." Hailey laughed. "How old are you?" Maria asked trying to not enter the topic about 'mom' and 'dad'. "19. Almost 20" she said and laughed. "How long are you staying Hailey?" Carol asked. "I'm actually leaving next week. I only came to see my dad for a couple of days." At the end of dinner they all had had a good time. The girls seemed to get along fine. They were still a bit wary of each other but they weren't rude. But the real connection was between their parents. Flavio was amazing with Carol and Maria was amazing with Hailey. When he was driving them home, they looked at each other with huge grins on their faces to see that somehow this was going to work. When Flavio parked in front of her house they all left the car. He hugged Carol tight while Maria adjusted Hailey's coat and hugged her. Flavio kissed Maria's temple and wished them both a good night. Hailey opened the cars door and grabbed a piece of paper, she scribbled her phone number and gave it to Maria and asked her to call her for them to chat. Maria thanked her again and waited for them to get back in the car to leave. Carol went straight to her room to take off her heels and didn't notice when her mom entered it. "So. What do you think of them?" "He's really nice and she is well... she could be worse." Carol looked at her mom. "Why do you ask?" "Because we're thinking about trying again. But we'll only do it if both of you girls are comfortable and accepting of our relationship." "Mom... you know that I only want you to be happy." Carol was putting on her pajamas. "So do I. And you do get a chance to tell me if you're comfortable enough with me dating him. And the fact that he has a daughter." "It's not like we're all going to live in the same house. She was nice and polite enough. So that's a start. It must me hard for her..." "As it must be hard for you. That's why I'm asking for your sincere input on the situation." Maria reached her daughter and took her hands in hers. "I think you should go for it. And don't let me or Hailey be in the middle of your relationship. I don't know her and she doesn't know me. But if all of our encounters will be like today, I can see we both hanging around just fine" "Thank you, Carol." her mom kissed her temple and left her room. And Carol knew that those two words meant a lot. It was her mom's gratitude for all the effort she had put on going out to dinner with her soon to be boyfriend and his daughter instead of going out with her friends. It was a thank you for Carol being just there while she took this new risk. It was a thank you for accepting this new beginning for them. Carol took off her make-up and made a messy bun with her hair. She laid on her bed and turned off the lights. She couldn't pinpoint what she was feeling. She was insecure and scared. But she didn't want to interfere on her mom's relationship. But she also didn't want to put up with uncomfortable situations and her mind was racing with thoughts and her heart was pounding loudly in her chest. She took her phone and dialed a number that she already knew by heart. She didn't even think that it'd be at least midnight in London. He was on his way to bed when he saw her name lighting up his phone's screen. "Hello there miss Carolina." He answered while laying on his bed. "Hey." she said and went quiet from now on. He just respected her time and was listening to her breathing on the line. After a few minutes he just said: "I take it wasn't a pleasant dinner?" "It was alright." "Then why are you panicking?" "I just... I just. I don't know. I'm all over the place and don't know what to think or do. I want my mom to be happy. But I'd be lying if I told you I'm not scared of what's to come." "Well... you're in a foreign territory. You have never been there and that's normal for you to be scared. But you always said he's a good lad and that your mum likes him. Even if his daughter is a spoiled brat you don't have to worry about her." "She was nice enough. But I don't know, Harry. I really don't. How did you manage?", she was biting her lip. "How did I manage what?", he as confused. "Managed seeing your father marrying someone else with kids.", she said. "I didn't have much of a choice. You probably know what happened. But I learned to grow a thick skin. She isn't that bad most of the times. She learned to respect me and she understands that she'll never be in my mum's place. But I never had problem with her kids. They're very kind and good. It's easier when they're around." They went silent again. Carol felt a few tears streaming down her face and dried them with the palm of her hands. Harry just knew she was crying and he couldn't help but feel sorry for her when she was facing almost the same things he did by herself. He at least had his brother to help him through it all. "Thank you, Harry. I really appreciate it.", he noticed her voiced had changed but didn't ask the obvious question, if she was crying. "Don't mention it." he smiled. "Why are you home on the weekend of your birthday?" "I'm not in the mood to party these days." "I have said it before, Carol, you're getting old. You can't put up with dancing and drinking anymore.", he laughed. "You're such a jerk, Henry.", she called him by his name and he actually liked when she did it. "I am merely stating the facts.", they both laughed and went silent for a few minutes again. "How's Meghan?", she changed the subject. "Well... she's a bit fed up because of the press and there's no way really I can help her with it. Not with us being that far away from each other. I've read really nasty things they're writing about her", she could sense the anger in his tone. "That sucks. And you should stick to your agreement to not read what the tabloids write. It's a waste of time." Carol adjusted her phone and was laying on her back when she came up with an idea. "What if you release a statement?" "What do you mean?", he seemed interested. "Well you release something asking for privacy and respect for her. You know they should shut the fuck up about her and all the comparisons and bla bla bla." "So you have read those nasty things as well..." "I have and they're pretty much wrong. Don't you forget I'm a Royal Watcher! But I'm not just saying this because we're friends but you're a grown man and you should be able to date whoever you want." "I know. I just don't know how to say what I want and be polite about it." "What do you want to say?" "Fuck you and leave her the fuck alone." They both shared a laugh over that. "Well... I can't think straight right now but I'll think of something and let you know. Ok?" "Deal!"

#When you tell the world you're mine #phff #prince harry #chapter: 8

20 notes · View notes

mrmichaelchadler · 6 years ago

Text

True/False 2019: Over the Rainbow, Midnight Traveler, Treasure Island, Let It Burn, A Wild Stream

My third trip to Columbia, Missouri to attend the True/False film festival confirms that the setting has become a source of comfort in these trying times. Each year, talented filmmakers, artists, writers, and journalists convene to witness the year’s best crop of non-fiction filmmaking. In between films, they soak up great food, cheap drinks, and smart talk. The festival’s precise, specific programming identity has always been its greatest asset, and this year was no exception. Programmers Chris Boeckmann, Abby Sun, and Amir George put together a lineup that challenges instead of placates and embodies diversity rather than merely paying it lip service. Its lack of cynicism and its commitment to promoting/exhibiting capital-A Art never fails to overwhelm me, especially considering it exists adjacent to an industry defined by slick, commercial interests. I’m eminently grateful to take a minor part in such a joyous excursion each year.

Over the course of five days, I saw many films that raised provocative questions, shined a light on unseen corners of the world, and remained in my head long after I left the theater. Here is the first of two dispatches from the festival.

“Over the Rainbow”

Popular documentaries like Alex Gibney’s “Going Clear” and the A&E series “Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath” might have exhausted new information about the controversial religion, not to mention sated audiences’ appetites for disturbing scoops about cult-like brainwashing. However, director Jeffrey Peixoto doesn’t adopt an exposé angle with his experiential feature “Over the Rainbow,” which has no fresh revelations about Scientology. Instead, he takes an observational tact by interviewing current and former Scientology members about the origins of their New Age faith. Peixoto spent almost a decade gaining the trust of his subjects and, subsequently, their confidence in his project shines through the film. In turn, “Over the Rainbow” becomes a compassionate, nuanced discourse on faith as an operating principle in one’s life, especially when the religion in question is in its most nascent stage.

Given what we already know about L. Ron Hubbard, David Miscavige, and the organization’s history of abuse, it’s tempting to think that Peixoto takes a naïve, even immoral, stance with “Over the Rainbow.” Does giving documentary subjects the space to wax poetic about their history with Scientology amount to a tacit endorsement of the religion itself? That might be the case if Peixoto’s formal approach didn’t systematically defamiliarize the vast majority of “Over the Rainbow’s” participants. Aided by an unnerving score from Australian electronic group HTRK, Peixoto films the Scientology members in lingering long takes that render their visages alien and unknowable. (It’s no coincidence that “Over the Rainbow” opens with a discussion of the psychology of UFO abductees.) In between the interviews, Peixoto fills the frame with ominous B-roll footage of Scientology retreats that compliments equally ominous footage of anonymous strangers walking in an urban metropolis or abandoned country roads. All life becomes a series of abstract, alienating enigmas when viewed through a narrow worldview.

“Over the Rainbow” doesn’t unsettle because of what its subjects explain or disclose but rather how Peixoto presents them, i.e. people who have gotten so in touch with themselves that their relationship with the rest of the world has been corrupted. The gap between the subjects’ comfort on camera and their non-fiction staging creates a nerve-wracking liminal expanse for the viewer. “Over the Rainbow” might run the risk of confirming pre-conceived biases from those within or adjacent of the organization, but to claim there’s no moral dimension to the film would be abjectly false.

“Midnight Traveler”

Hassan Fazili’s “Midnight Traveler” might be the most compelling argument for the iPhone (and, presumably, Cloud storage) as the best available vehicle for vérité filmmaking. Fazili brings gripping immediacy to his three-year, 3,500-mile asylum journey from Afghanistan to Germany after he and his family are targeted by the Taliban. Three different iPhones capture the danger and uncertainty inherent in such a voyage: Fazili and his family are often forced to sleep in the woods or in abject housing conditions while facing prejudice because of their refugee status. Yet, Fazili, a sentimentalist as well as a staunchly political filmmaker, also includes plenty of warm scenes with his family as they try to carve out something that resembles a normal life amidst the global chaos. (It helps that his two young daughters, Nargis and Zahra, are adorable testaments to the resiliency of children.) An existential road film with life-or-death stakes, “Midnight Traveler” presents a ground-floor portrayal of the refugee crisis that smartly privileges experience over solutions.

Screenwriter and editor Emelie Coleman Mahdavian deserves credit for shaping a lucid narrative from hundreds of hours of footage, even if, as a result, “Midnight Traveler” occasionally suffers from a neat storytelling sensibility. It’s not difficult to imagine a fiction adaptation of Fazili’s film, considering that all the A-to-B, three-act elements are already present. However, Mahdavian finds sideways approaches to Fazili’s story that impress, e.g. close-ups of Zahra’s bedbug bites that cover her arms and face communicates the dehumanizing condition of refugee camps better than standard B-roll footage. Interestingly, “Midnight Traveler” introduces but never resolves the tension between Fazili’s filmmaking impulses and the responsibility he feels towards his family. Whenever Fazili’s wife, Fatima, implores him to stop filming, he almost always refuses. Later, when Zahra goes missing for an hour, Fazili chastises himself for even considering how he might film her safe return. It’s an overwhelming concern, but one that’s dwarfed by the myriad practical complications Fazili and his family face as they try to find safekeeping.

Similarly, the way “Midnight Traveler” touches upon, but doesn’t directly analyze, a litany of political issues—xenophobic bigotry towards global migrants, the hijab as a symbol of oppression and/or cultural pride, broad institutional failures to protect marginalized communities fleeing state violence—only amplifies their resonance. These topics are the fabric of Fazili’s life, not abstract notions primed for TV pundit debate. It’s a feature not a bug that Fazili and Mahdavian allow these ideas to pulsate in the background rather than touting them front-and-center for easy liberal digestion. Sometimes the best tactic is to let the footage speak for itself.

“Treasure Island”

One of the more whimsical entries at True/False this year, “Treasure Island” offers a broad portrait of a suburban Parisian water park. Director Guillaume Brac exploits his unfettered access to capture multiple groups that flow amongst each other: jubilant swimmers itching for a good time, exhausted security guards who try to keep kids from sneaking inside the park without paying, and administrators making decisions behind closed doors that keep the lights on and people safe. The park’s recreational modus operandi connects them all even if their intentions are at cross-purposes.

Brac crafts a hazy, semi-utopian landscape in “Treasure Island”; it’s a place where multiculturalism exists without much consequence and life’s nasty realities are elided for fun under the sun. Splashes and joyous screams dominate the sound mix. Teens and twentysomethings eagerly flirt with each other in between awe-inspiring water stunts. In this regard, “Treasure Island” embraces its liberated French core: a sequence featuring a hunky lifeguard and two young women culminates with his arms around both of them, smirking up a storm, and repeating the mantra, “Life is great.” Brac contrasts the park’s charged adult energy with scenes of children embarking on their own carefree parallel journeys, as if to suggest that the space exists to be consumed from multiple vantage points. Frederick Wiseman’s institutional approach meets a pop sensibility in “Treasure Island,” which is content to privilege leisure over sharp insight.

“Let It Burn”

Maíra Bühler makes the admirable choice to resist almost all exposition for her film “Let It Burn,” a profile of São Paulo’s Parque Dom Pedro hostel that houses and employs drug addicts, until the very end. It’s only then that she explains that Brazil’s newly elected conservative government plans to shutter the harm reduction program that keeps this community off the streets. This choice retroactively provides weight to the purely observational film that otherwise offers dignity to people written off by society at large.

Culled together from four years of footage, “Let It Burn” carves room for strung-out citizens to exist outside of a punitive system, illustrating how their addictions operate while refusing to let it wholly define them. Men and women frequently break out into song, cannily performing for the camera and themselves. Violence permeates the environment but it’s presented as an unfortunate byproduct of a program designed to support instead of punish. Idealistic activists who run the hostel strive to keep the order while maintaining empathy for their charges. Lovers quarrel and make up. Tenants ride the elevator for amusement as much as they use it for transportation. Even as “Let It Burn” occasionally gets mired in repetitive rhythms, or too frequently loiters in overly familiar footage, Bühler’s generous eye keeps the whole project afloat. Judgment isn’t in Bühler’s vocabulary. Instead, “care” is the operative emotional framework.

“A Wild Stream”

Two men bonded by circumstance on the coast of Sea of Cortez, Omar and Chilo spend their days fishing and their nights drinking in a shack. Though not fast friends, they eventually reach an appreciably understanding of each other, partially because their isolation from larger society necessitates a relationship of some sort.

Their chemistry grounds Nuria Ibáñez Castañeda’s “A Wild Stream,” which splits its time between character study and regional portraiture. She captures the sea as a prideful entity, one that will exist long after Omar and Chilo have gone, but emphasizes the loneliness of the men who dedicate their lives to its upkeep. Castañeda strips away the rest of the world from her frame and only hints at a larger world outside of Omar and Chilo’s eye line. Thus, the coast becomes a confessional space for Omar and Chilo; they’re cautiously vulnerable with each other while maintaining enough emotional distance so that neither gets too uncomfortable. Suggestions of past lives, lost children, and scummy citizenry are bandied about, but Castañeda never pushes for explication. This approach might render “A Wild Stream” an opaque work for some, but any time the film threatens to get into the weeds, Castañeda returns to fishing and the mundane joys of working with ones hands. It turns out that nature and friendship are still sustainable resources.

from All Content https://ift.tt/2u6aLWU

0 notes