Death is still something we fear the most. The cause of it changed over the years. Spanish flu might have beaten you a century ago but now you're more likely to die in a plane crash, in a terrorist attack or accidentally choke on processed food at home. At the same time, a decomposing body is something we look at with fascination and disgust. We can see that the body gave up but we delude ourselves that it's not the final journey. We still desire our beloved family members to come back from the grave, especially if they left untimely. Even though we know that the process is irreversible. Or is it? An exciting retelling of Victor Frankenstein classic. Who is the monster, the creature or the maker? And can we really play God?
Have you ever wondered how big cities were created? What was the life in a great metropolis in previous centuries, how busy and crowded streets paved the way for what we see now and what we can visit on a tourist-like basis? How different were the people, their clothes, their language, their habits? Ponder on how rotten and corrupted human nature could flourish among dilapidated buildings and cobbled pavements. Think about morals in flea-infested bed mattresses. And as our civilization develops, wonder about the cities of the future. If New York was so different 150 years ago, how next centuries will shape this Mega-city for our progeny? A powerful and epic mythology of the most famous city in the world.
It often surprises me how superficial the idea of success is. You struggle, being poor, to buy the necessities of life, to pay for the basics of your maintenance. Then the luck turns upside down and you're wealthy, having won the blessing of a good job or starting your own business. The business flourishes until you're considered less attractive, until people are bored with your persona, until you're considered less up-to-date. And while you got used to a certain level of life, the luck might change again. Now you have to pay the bills for your restaurant meals, pay off your mortgage or sell everything you have to make ends meet. At times you end up in the street. Homeless. With higher education diploma, with past career and memories of prosperity, you find yourself alone without any shelter. And while we can observe the philosophy of downsizing, of choosing less instead of more, is the life devoid of home and family worth our pity or admiration?
Family. Tensions. Friendships. Jealousy. Support. Acceptance. Disillusionment. Our family situation is rarely simple and straightforward. There are siblings who used to hate each other and now they prove to be each others' greatest support in times of life trials. There are mothers who are too demanding for their daughters and there are daughters who push themselves too hard to prove that they're worth their mothers' love. Relationships come and go but your family members might prove your greatest support. While love, understanding, and acceptance are hard, the above showed by your family can be unconditional.
Do you pay attention to what mattress you sleep on? Do you read the ingredients of baby products which you use to take care of your children? Have you checked the content of your walls, wall paint, tiles on the floor? Are you aware what is inside the deodorant you press against your armpits every single day? To be honest, we shouldn't worry about it, since the majority of us are not chemists, scientists or the producers of goods. There are, however, standards which a lot of products available to us don't meet. Such products are responsible for cancer, infertility, autism and many other health hazards. This is a good eye-opener for a lot of us. And since standard requirements vary from one country to another, I doubt whether Europe has cleaned its deal way better than the USA.
One night stand. Happens to so many. In some cases, it ends up in an unwanted pregnancy. In others, the outcome is a tricky venereal disease. Sometimes it leads to a romance. Occasionally it's the trigger for a long-lasting relationship. In the majority of cases, it's something you quickly forget like a blackout party, boring birthday celebration or a drunk evening at home. In 1890 such one night stand could lead to a way different outcome, especially if it connected people from different social classes. Enjoy.
Abandoned places always boost our imagination. Shorter days make us come back home with fear or anxiety that there might be someone waiting for us behind this wall, behind this fence, behind this bridge. People were always afraid of the lack of sun. Equally, they feared things which were unknown and new, be it a different culture, custom, possibly a disease. In a house traumatized by fate, there was the family which might give you creeps. Fear is yet one more emotion.
The nightmare of spending a night in a cell can happen to any of us. You are a human being. You make mistakes. Law system was introduced for a reason. The nightmare of spending half of your life behind bars is rarely something we wish to experience. And the nightmare of being falsely accused, wrongly sentenced and unfairly placed in prison evokes feelings of hopelessness and anger. Imagine your life behind bars. Imagine how strong may be the certainty of being innocent and what such certainty might drive you to achieve. Stephen King's classic at its best. Enjoy.
There were times when there was no technology, no machines, no houses, no luxury. People used to sleep in caves, they ate what they picked and hunted, they weren't attached to each other as losing one mate in an accident, a wild beast attack or due to disease was common. Children were resourceful and could fight for themselves. Roles between men and women were divided. Yet, this film shows how similar we had been centuries and centuries before, driven by the same instincts and emotions. And finally, it's a great opportunity to laugh at a pristine detective story with creme de la creme of the French acting team.
You don't choose your family. You don't have any influence over your family history, your family members' character, their decisions or views. You tolerate each other for years, you vividly remember your past mistakes, the awkward periods of adolescence, you circulate: bumping daily at each other as if checking whether you are still the same people. You are attached like primary school children, always having each other in mind, and holding nothing but good wishes, old grudges or warm feelings. This is one such complicated family in which love mixes with hatred, responsibility with a wish to escape and start anew, and a bond only those few living withing the walls of one house can truly understand.
Motherhood is a hard job. You constantly worry about your child's health, balancing between life and death, stumbling upon every table corner, electric socket and abandoned pin. Due to the lack of experience, you fear your every move, deciding whether you're bringing up a human being in a right way. There are thousands of mothers who were helpless, despite the efforts they put into bringing up their progeny. Is it their fault? Can we really be responsible for the actions of our children? What do the mothers of well-known murderers and assassins feel? Does the society teach us important lesson that bringing up is not limited to food, sport, and school education? While there are parents incapable of raising a child, there are children who are resistant to any form of guidance.
People do have low self-esteem. Nowadays, when the western world suffers more from the surplus of food rather than its inadequate amount, people are bullied for being too fat. While fashion shows, lingerie, and chain brands campaigns are promoted by super attractive people, people fall into the madness of plastic surgery and enhancing their appearance. Poor look up to the rich, rich look up to the richer ones, creating a vicious circle of never having enough. Being gay is not only hard since teenage bullying is omnipresent at schools, but even though you look gay, and possibly are gay, you don't want to sound gay. However silly the problem might seem, it opened my eyes to many little problems which make people uncomfortable. The timbre of your voice is just one of these problems. Enjoy.