:: My french love affair ::

An unassuming dirt path
That seemingly leads to nowhere


Walk along it and you will find...
a gateway into another world
one which opens your mind to new experiences
of joy, laughter, amazement and the bittersweet


Alliances Françaises is one of those relatively undiscovered gems in Singapore
and recently I am rediscovering it ...
enjoying their movie screenings every Tuesday
The eclectic array of movie offerings are a wonder to explore
Straying far from the usual sameness of Hollywood.
And at $7.20 a movie
I think its the most value-for-money education one can find


Now I eagerly check Sistic for the next movie,
the next adventure, the next new experience
But it is a journey that I rather not embark upon alone
Part of the fun is in discussing the movie afterwards
And learning more along the way...


Luckily I was able to marshal some troops last week
for the screening of Perseoplis..





::wikipedia's plot summary::
An animated film based on Marjane Satrapi's autobiographical graphic novel of the same name. The story follows a young girl as she comes of age against the backdrop of the Iranian Revolution, which goes horribly wrong with Islamic fundamentalists taking power and creating a new theocratic tyranny themselves; the story ends with Marjane as a 21-year-old expatriate.


The title is a reference to the historic city of Persepolis.
The film won the Jury Prize at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival


While some people might wonder ...
>> How can such a serious issue be addressed in animation?


I felt that they have managed to utilize the freedom
and artistic representations in animation...
done mostly in black and white,
with choice splashes of colour..
to tell the story simply and eloquently.


In a very refreshing way,
with sensitivity, candidness and
peppered with the occasional black humor.


There were times where the whole theater laughed out loud together
emphatising with the protagonist
feeling and seeing the story through her eyes


I left feeling more connected to the history of Iran and its people
However with more knowledge
..we are able to see the ugliness of mankind and the world with greater clarity
Which can weight down as a burden for the heart..


However, despite leaving with a slightly heavy heart
I felt my mind more open, more seeing, more free
With new knowledge, comes liberation from the fence
that ignorance builds around us


And to be able to soar above the mundane and microscopic view
of my life and my everyday world..


>> It is a definite worthy price to pay..


So a toast to Alliances Françaises
and its dedication in sharing such treasures with the rest of us.