Jesus Henry Christ is a quirky title – true to the nature of the film; a film that I feel is somewhat under-appreciated. Director Dennis Lee‘s 2012 film, starring Jason Spevack in the role of a ten-year-old boy genius, is a refreshing take on growing up different, defying uniformity while still trying to fit in.
The film’s narrative is filled with ingenious humor and plot twists that kept me glued to the screen through the whole ninety-two minute length of the movie.
Many classic Coming-of-Age films were never released on DVD and, with the disappearance of the VHS format, such films are harder to be seen and appreciated. Thankfully, after the 1985 film Martin’s Day was recommended to me by another reviewer, I was able to obtain a copy.
The film relates the story of an unlikely relationship between an escaped convict and a young boy he kidnaps while on the run. Starring Richard Harris and Justin Henry (Kramer vs. Kramer) in the lead roles, the film offers exciting adventures, dramatic tension, and surprise plot twists.
The pace of the opening seemed slow. It’s as if the director wanted to make sure the audience gets to know the personality of the main character. Yet initially, the less-than-convincing editing results in confusion about what the subject matter of the film really is. As the plot develops, however, the story starts making sense and, by the end of the film (and most notably in its final scene), we witness significant improvement in editing in relation to the juxtaposition of times, mood and settings.
There are different ways in which one may perceive the film’s story. Some may decide that it exemplifies traits of Stockholm syndrome, as the kidnapped boy expresses empathy and sympathy toward his captors. And one can’t completely disregard such opinions, especially since by the end you are likely to find yourself rooting for the villain (I know I was).
But my opinion is that the real goal of the film was to show that the boundaries of inter-generational friendship can be eliminated if people see in others the person they are. In other words, see where a person is presently, not where they were or where they will be. This is best seen when the psychologist assigned to the escaped convict tries to explain to the policemen in charge of the case the seemingly incomprehensible behavior of kidnapper and kidnapped:
“For a first time, this kid has found somebody who doesn’t give a shit about the rules. A friend who probably listens to him, who scares him, who likes him and who definitely never says ‘what the hell do you want? You are just a kid!’ They have both broken out of prison!”
Many Coming-of-Age films that feature inter-generational friendships incorporate dialogue filled with wisdom, as the older character shares his experience with the youngster (and sometimes vice versa).
Some, like the Scott Hicks’s film Heart of Atlantis, end up serious and dramatic while others like Alan Gibson’s Martin’s Day rely on swifter action, tension and humor to keep the interest of their audiences.
Admittedly, I was afraid of a predictable ending, but thankfully Alan Gibson once again proved that my initial judgment of his directing skills was wrong. While the film was enjoyable (after the first 20 or so minutes), it is the ending that makes me recommend the film. I’m positive that you will appreciate its story, the conflict, and its resolution!
If you have seen the film or plan to see it you may also enjoy its tribute site available at martinsday.com
If a film features beautiful cinematography and talented young actors, one may be willing to forego expectations for a challenging plot and/or surprising story twists. And that is, indeed, the case with the 2012 Vanessa McMeekin short film Red Summer.
Naturally my interest in it was inspired by the Coming-of-Age nuances of a story that focuses on the experiences of 12-year-old Daniel (Adam Wilson) as he discovers
As somebody who has not seen very many foreign films, I was a little hesitant when approaching Christophe Barratier’s Les Choristes (The Chorus). However, the second I was transported back to 1945 to the Fond de L’Etang orphanage for ‘difficult boys,’ I completely forgot I was watching a foreign film altogether.
Twitter is a wonderful media for the discovery of new movies, books or music. Recently, while scanning my timeline, I came upon a response to the Canadian singer Beamer Wigley (@BeamerWigley) — sent by another young singer from China — the 11-year-old 钟辰乐 ChenLe Zhong (nickname- Lele). Usually it is singers from the English speaking world that get featured in the English language media, but throughout the years we have introduced many young talents from across the world right here – at TheSkyKid.com .
One can find quite a lot of covers performed by ChenLe Zhong on YouTube, and even hear his first original song titled Music Boy, which was released in the summer of 2012. On many of his covers, he performs the songs of former child star Declan Galbraith who is (as is the case with many other young singers from the English speaking world) tremendously popular in Asia — and in China in particular.
Many people have compared Declan’s voice with one of an angel and young ChenLe does Declan’s songs justice, performing them confidently and with an equally pure and angelic treble voice. In January of 2011, the then 10-year-old ChenLe Zhong was invited to perform a song from Andrew Lloyd Webber‘s famous musical Cats at the Golden Hall of Vienna. Accompanied by the entire Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, he delivered a beautiful performance:
http://youtu.be/DkL67_w65Uw
Two years later, in January of 2013, the talented Chinese youngster released his second original song My Wings, a lyrical ballad which he performs in his native language. A Chinese website, which features a profile of ChenLe Zhong, characterizes his voice as: pure, sweet and mellow with resounding power and full of penetrability and explosiveness. These are characteristics one undoubtedly would agree with when hearing the boy perform.
That website also features lots more about ChenLe Zhong, including information about his hobbies (vocal music, playing the piano, swimming, hip-hop), favorite school subject (Mathematics, English) and a detailed timeline of his professional singing experience which, among his other accomplishments, includes three appearances in China’s Got Talent. Here’s a link to the English translation of ChenLe Zhong’s profile (via Google Translate) for anyone who wants to find out more about him: ChenLe Zhong Profile (Baike.Baidu.com)
ChenLe Zhong has released two albums: Tomorrow (2010) and My Wings (2011). They each feature both songs in his native language and popular English language songs such as Tomorrow from Annie the Musical, I Just Can’t Wait to be King from the Lion King, and a beautiful cover of Declan Galbraith’s Tell Me Why.
Not wanting to overload this introduction with video clips, I selected two (above) out of the many one can find at YouTube. Discovering the songs of the young Chinese singer is a rewarding experience and I invite you to share that experience by searching for his name on YouTube. A ChenLe Zhong fan page is available on Facebook and you can follow him on Twitter @ZhongChenLe. He is quite active on the social media and one can’t help but notice the friendly communication he maintains with singers his age from across the globe.
I hope that you have enjoyed this introduction and will help the young ChenLe share his music and talent.
Onni von Sopanen is a 2006 Finnish film directed by Johanna Vuoksenmaa. The main protagonist is Onni (Kaarlo Somerto), an eleven-year-old boy who lives with his parents and older sister Isa.
One day, after a Biology class at school, Onni starts to suspect that he might be adopted because the color of his eyes does not match those of his parents.
Furthermore, he believes that his older sister always gets what she wants, while he has to be content with the leftovers – such as his mom’s old cell phone. A new kid joins Onni’s class, and he makes no secret that his mother adopted him, which for a while gets onto Onni’s nerves.
There are very few things that may get one’s attention in this otherwise typical youth TV film from Finland. Firstly, one can get used to the lack of snow or any winter scenes from watching Scandinavian movies. Secondly, a scene that gives away the European origin of the flick: a group of boys with Speedos making fun of one who wears shorts as a swimming suit (something I see as the norm rather than an exception).
Other than that, there are very few suspenseful scenes, events, or story twists that might keep one interested in the film past the first twenty minutes. It almost feels like someone took a camera on a class field trip or to school and filmed around.
Onni von Sopanen is a sensible movie told from the perspective of its 11-year-old protagonist. It is rather dry and subtle in its humor but includes excellent character acting and writing.
It’s tough, though, to criticize any film too harshly that shows the daily life of Finnish kids nowadays. Maybe the events that occur in this day and age are somewhat less adventurous and exciting than those of the past.
That would explain why so many great Coming-of-Age stories are set in the 60s or the 70s. Still, Onni von Sopanen, while intended as a fun children’s film, is more likely to bore you than entertain you (the funniest thing about the film is its DVD cover art).
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0819792/reference/
Danish movies can sometimes leave you really puzzled and that’s the case with the 1977 film by Director Nils Malmros, Drenge (Boys).
The film opened with a scene of kids playing. Five-year-old Ole (Mads Ole Erhardsen) runs along with the rest of the group — wanting to be included in all the fun they are having. During a game of hide and seek, he wanders outside of the garden playground in the direction of the nearby pound.
I would have to think hard to come up with a film whose story is more controversial than that of the 2006 Danish Film The Art of Crying (Kunsten at græde i kor). It’s a dark, melancholic story imbued with choices and sacrifices, about a dysfunctional family, sinful behaviour, secrets, sicknesses, and a loss of innocence.
The story is told through the eyes of eleven-year-old Allan (Jannik Lorenzen), who is trying to help his depressed father. The father is constantly threatening to take his own life, which he considers a failure. It takes a while to fully grasp the abnormality of Allan’s family – a loving yet distant mother and a teenaged sister who seems to be the only person who can comfort the father when he slips into one of his suicidal moods by submitting to his unnatural urges.
Allan does not perceive his family as unusual, but he knows that if there is a problem and feels there must be a solution. His father is filled with self-pity, and his mother takes sleeping pills to escape reality (the harsh reality is frequently mentioned and addressed throughout the film). Unable to understand what is happening in his family, worried that his mother doesn’t take her husband’s threats seriously enough, and confused by the sudden rebellious and inexplicable behaviour of his sister, the boy is determined to do whatever it is takes to keep his father alive.
When the young son of a neighbour dies, Alan’s father delivers a tearful eulogy at the funeral, and for once, even though surrounded by sorrow, he seems truly happy that his abilities are being appreciated. Alan sees that as a solution and plots to arrange more funerals for his father to attend, even if they have to be those of their relatives. At this point, you may have decided that you have figured the story out – but just before the final credits roll, you will be surprised and maybe even repulsed by the events that occur in Allan’s family…
The Art of Crying addresses serious issues realistically, as is typical for many Scandinavian productions. It ends up being a combination of dark comedy and drama, emphasising the Coming-of-Age experiences of Allan and his sister – essentially a portrayal of their miserable childhoods. Jannik Lorenzen and Julie Kolbech deliver excellent performances in the role of Allan and his sister Sanne, despite the lack of any previous screen experience.
This compensates for the rather weak character development of the script. One still becomes concerned about the fate of Alan and his sister, even if identifying with their emotional turmoil is an almost unattainable task (while not a desirable one in the story’s context). It’s assumed that in the best-selling novel by Erling Espen (which I haven’t read, but on which the film is based), one would get more insight into the motivations and personal traits of the story’s characters.
The Scandinavian cinema has a few good warm and funny films, but when it comes to harsh, realistic dramas you can’t go wrong by selecting a film from that region. I often prefer harsh realistic films to the happy-ending fairy tales always present in great variety at the cinema saloons or DVD rental places. Despite the Coming-of-Age themes, the plot’s subject matter and complexity make this film unsuitable for young audiences.
The Art of Crying was highly recommended to me as a challenging and controversial film, and it did not disappoint.
The Art of Crying Trailer
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0495040/combined
If you are looking for a charming little film to cheer you up, you can’t go wrong by choosing A Plum Summer. While it’s true the story targets pre-teen audiences, and while many scenes appear a little silly or even bizarre at times, there is a certain appeal to such feel-good films even if one sees them as escapist entertainment.
The action in A Plum Summer takes place in Montana, USA, during the early 1960s. Kids all over the state have a favorite character – Froggy Doo – a marionette featured in a local TV show alongside a wizard and a story-telling genie.
Before Moonrise Kingdom, Little Manhattan and My Girl, there was a film that captured the essence of first love, starring the British child actors Mark Lester, Jack Wild and Tracy Hyde. Melody, directed by Waris Hussein, is one of the best Coming-of-Age tales of youthful love ever told through the viewpoint of children.
Thanks to its wonderful casting, Melody is as much a movie about friendship as it is about first love. Mark Lester delivers a dazzling performance in the role of the young Daniel Latimer.
Cuore di mamma (Mother’s Heart) is one of those classic Italian films attempting to exemplify what life was like (in the late 1960s). Yet, unlike the best of those Italian classics, in this case, the attempt has resulted in confusion, boredom or distress. My interest in the 1969 Salvatore Samperi film initiated from the cover artwork, which led me to believe that the film could end up being a challenging and even controversial narrative. Instead
Whats’s the best way to open this review? Maybe by telling you that I won’t be discussing cinematography, camera, acting or soundtrack — all ingredients of films that I usually touch on in my reviews. That’s because in the 2009 film by Robert Glinski, Swinki, the story is all that matters. It’s a story of lost innocence, of friendship, and of love and betrayal.