tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1668731454857654821.post3334509617560965404..comments2024-02-01T13:13:31.933+02:00Comments on ..so they dance!: Nationalism, culture & representation - thoughts on Finnish cinema.veracioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14437521137603205617noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1668731454857654821.post-44352325740444240402012-07-22T21:06:53.866+03:002012-07-22T21:06:53.866+03:00Filmbuff - I love that saying! It expresses the th...Filmbuff - I love that saying! It expresses the thought I was trying to get at in a way. Everything close to you is ordinary, so you can be more critical towards it.veracioushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14437521137603205617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1668731454857654821.post-47021040604422610052012-07-17T06:51:47.716+03:002012-07-17T06:51:47.716+03:00Interesting read. You have been more regular in yo...Interesting read. You have been more regular in your posts of late which is good as i enjoy reading them.<br /><br />I guess it could also be a case of "ghar ki murgi dal barabar" which is a kind of local idiom for familiarity breeds contempt (though I would not use the word contempt but dislike or critical look would be a more appropriate word). The literal translation of this phrase means "home raised and made chicken is equivalent to having dal - a staple diet. Don't know if my explanation makes sense here.<br /><br />It is universal ie people being critical of home cinema coz of their familiarity of the cultural context and perhaps great expectations that their local cinema would reflect that.Filmbuffnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1668731454857654821.post-53016501127259371752012-07-06T00:54:07.161+03:002012-07-06T00:54:07.161+03:00I'm kind of the opposite - I take delight when...I'm kind of the opposite - I take delight when Finnish films can portray the kind of life and people I see around me. When cultural humour or cadences in language are nailed in dialogue, it's awesome. <br /><br />But so often the films just lack that, or then they lack a good story, or believable characters, or fail to be entertaining. I've almost kind of stopped giving Finnish films a chance, since I can only name around 5 that I've seen that I actually enjoyed.veracioushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14437521137603205617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1668731454857654821.post-450185782627322402012-07-04T05:31:07.958+03:002012-07-04T05:31:07.958+03:00A really fascinating read, thanks! Sadly, it confi...A really fascinating read, thanks! Sadly, it confirmed that I am an incorrigible contrarian. It made me think if 3 films from NZ that have been praised offshore, and of which I only liked one. My mother-in-law was born in Whangara, the village in which <i>Whale Rider</i> was set, and I really enjoyed that film and its story.<br /><br /><i>Once Were Warriors</i> I didn't even watch, precisely because it was so authentic and credible a depiction of the part of NZ society it featured. And while watching <i>Boy</i>, I was struck by how believable and relatable it was in terms of being accurate and honest, but that very authenticity made the film somewhat dull to me - less like a movie, more like a mundane documentary, a re-run of lives I already know very well. There was no cultural cringe or demanding a higher standard of them for me, I simply didn't enjoy them as films. <br /><br />This was interesting because NZ and Finland have similar populations and we too are isolated, much more so geographically than Finland (albeit less so linguistically). "That was okay... for a NZ film" is definitely something I've said in the past, but not for many years. More often it's a case of "why pay $15 to see the world I live in, I'd rather watch a different (un)reality, thanks!"mehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09042500344000182850noreply@blogger.com