Este es el video de mi grupo con Jasmin y Abigail.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNoVQcMYjBM
This movie came out when I still lived in Tokyo, I always wanted to watch this movie and I am glad that we have this opportunity to watch this film in the class. I didn't know what this movie is going to be, I didn't even knwo the plot of this movie or anything so I was very curious when the movie started with colorful penelope cruz's outfit.
After she comes back from Aunt Paula with her daughter Paula, Raimunda's husband Paco was watching futbol with many empty cans of beer on the table and one in his hand and as soon as their daughter sits in front of him with her legs open, his eyes were on it, (and also later on this movie when she was changing he was looking at her too) and Raimunda is at the kitchen, he tells that he is umemplyed now and after than night he tried to have sex with her and she starts walking as cleaning lady. The same thing happened in the movie "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" Men use women just to fulfil their sexual satisfaction and their appetite and talk them with abusive words and action towards them.
Raimunda's mom was supposed to be dead in this movie, and actually she wasn't but everybody thought she was and believed that the existance of ghosts, also you can see them in Japan as well but the rural area like this has a lot of supersutitions like this and I was surprised and that is also seen in Span too.
This movie has a lot of stories behind other than you can see from the outside, like her daughter was actually a girl she got pregnated by her own father and actually Paula can be her sister as well and because of that, she was upset with her mom who she thought she was dead. Agustina's mother was involved with Raimunda's parents as well and also I thought Sole's role was interesting because at first she seemed that she was annoyed by peopel but they actually she was in the middle of everybody, bonding people with people and making it easier for people to re-unite.
Personally I liked this movie a lot and this was very interesting after watching the movie from the same director and they seem to share the same meening that the role of women's role at this time was totally different from the time we are in right now. I took feminist class in my old college and this movie and the former movie reminded me very much of these roles.
This movie was certainly different from any other movie I have ever watched. Although the movie looked old and the furniture in the apartment really irratated me because it was all patterened and mis-matched, I really enjoy the plot of the movie and was really interesting. Also, one of the main characters Gloria was familiar to me somehow, I might have seen her in some other movie.
In this movie, I wondered and was interested in a lot of differenct acpect but ones of the most weird impression I got was the Lizard "Money" and Grandma. I thoguht it was very ironic that the family was really struggled with the money and because of other reason as well but one of the reasons why Gloria killed her husband accidentally was because of money and the only witness of this homicide was the lizard "Money". Grandma had a very different perspective from other family members, yet to me she was the one who sounded the most sane one in the movie. She was calm and saying the most ordinary thing that normal peopel would say. That's why even though the older brother was a drug dealer, because he was sticking with her, he also had a good moral in life.
Also, I was wondering of the purpose of the girl who could use the super power of moving or stopping stuff the way she wants. She only appeared in the movie a couple times but her ability of moving stuff was enphasized very much every time she uses the power and I thought it was nothing to do with the other characters life style yet she came to show only Gloria that she is capable of doing this.
In my opinion, this movie was showing that women's position in this time in Spain very well and the man is dominant in the house and she works as much as she can but what she gets doesn't deserve even half of what she actually does in her life. Even though she tells that she's the one who killed the husband, nobody believes her because men think that it is impossible and women is never be able to do something extraordinary such as killing their husbands. Maybe the little girl who can use the power is showing that even though the little girl has this power that can manage stuff what older women would struggle and meaning the country is changing for the better that female has more oportunity.
Last Saturday, I went to the excursion held by University. In the morning, it was foggy and a little bit chilly so I was worried if I can have fun since we were going to be on a boat and going to the beach but after an hour of bus riding to the port, it cleared up and it was the perfect weather for the cruise.
First, we went on a cruise. I was told that they serve us a lot of vinos and tapas so I was very excited since the day before that day, my professor for the language class told us about the wine around this area. They started serving the white wine which tasted delicious and tons of mussles for each table. I personally don't like shell fish but it smelled better than I usually think so I tried one first. It didn't taste as bad as I thought it would be but still it was not my favorite food, the fact that I'm eating mussle made me sick because I cannot stand the appearence of it. Although, I refused eating after that one, I got really really hungry and also I was drinking wine so I started eating more and that was my first experience and realized the mussles are not that bad, this tour made me change my mind of mussles.
After getting out of the boat, we went on a bus again to the winary. There, lady was explaining inside in Spanish so I wasn't able to understand but it was good to see how they keep the wines. Then we went upstairs to taste a couple of different amazing white wines. I was still hungry so I ate crackers and drank good wines and thought this was such an amazing time. Some people from our group bought wines from this place and we got ready to go have lunch finally.
We got off the bus and saw the cafe right in front of us so our group went there and also every other people went to the same place. It took forever from taking the order to getting a check. we were supposed to be back by 4:15 but due to that, we finally got back to the bus at 4:30.
Everyone seemed a bit annoyed by that but we were about to go to the beach and take the siesta and thinking about it made us really excited. We got to the beach and it was beautiful and so hot outside and it was the most perfect weather for the beach except for that after a couple of hours, the breeze got colder and we got a little bit chilly by that but we also were about to leave so I would say it was a perfect weather.
Overall, it was a long trip 9:00am-9:00pm trip but very satisfying and a wonderful experience in my short stay in Santiago. I am also thinking about doing activity from the university for this Saturday too so I am very excited for it.
In this Film is based on the boy's view named Moncho from Galicia and he's starting his school and meeting new people like his amazing teacher nad Rogue. His father is Spanish Republican and so as his school teacher. There are about to start the war between Fascist and Republican and it starts after Moncho and his brother from the tour of his brother. At the end, Moncho's family tris to hide the fact they are Republican and Moncho has to be against the teacher he really liked.
During this time, the political disabilies like we talked in a class was more upfront. Still, it is said that everybody is free to believe or support what they like some people does not like certain religion or political party and tries to under control it with the mojrity of power. In the movie, like the pressure of the Guardia Civil was intimitating by just looking at the festival or since the war started, people in the other side has to get rid of their symbol just to escape from their torture.
In the morning class, we talk about how the artists have to leave the country to express what they want like Picasso left for France during the war. In this film, it is because Moncho's father is Republican, his brother was playing saxophone and that is more towards liberal side and also going to a tour with them only Moncho and his brother is really extraordinary in this time.
The last part of the movie was really sad and I felt that it was unnecessory for Moncho to throw at him rocks but I felt it is more true to the reality.
- What do you think about Barack Obama?
Kristina - I think he had a really good campaign and he decieved well, I don't really like him.
Pachu - He's okay, I don't really care for him. I care about Spain more.
Marina - I like Barack Obama!!!
Bishoi - it is too early to judge but he's the right man for these times, if America had any hope to regain some of what it has lost in the last years as far as international reportars go.
Mario - Barack Obama's speech was amazing, but being in Europe and I don't really like the way America has been reported as the most important country.
- What do you tihnk about Americans?
Kristina - There must be normal people but I think they are stupid. Their pride and all makes me sick. But I admit, the country has the best things like cars and cigarretes.
Marina - I like Americans, I love California and want to live there.
Bishoi - they need someone that can make their own culture to go around the borrow others.
Mario - I like some people but normally I don't really associate with Americans so I don't really know.
This is my first time coming to Spain and I had an amazing time in Barcelona. Gaudi's architecture, Picasso, a lot of fountains, the beach, the sun, flamenco and everything, I love the city so much and this city is one of my favortie cities now and in the future I hope I can come back and see the complete Sagrada Familia. Now we are in Santiago and i like it here, very different from what it was like in Barcelona even though it is the same country. About the book, Spaniards, learning about the fact what happend with Franco and the time. The communist party, creating democracy from that based on social situations. Also about the religious views of Spain, how the Roman Catholic became the dominant religious and its influence. So far, I am having fun in Spain and I hope the classes will be amazing and I learn a lot in this country.
