Thursday, October 09, 2008

Emoting



I haven't watched many movies of late. While I'm partial to a really good comedy, I also like something where I come away actually feeling something. When that happens, I know I've seen something special. Those kind of movies seem really thin on the ground.

A long time ago (in blogging terms), I wrote about movie therapy. I was reminded about that post today, after watching a movie I'd been intending to see for a long time. Having a work from home day, I decided to ignore the work bit, went and hired the movie, sat and watched it.

This movie stirred so many emotions, it bought home to me how powerful a movie can be, particularly when it has personal relevance. While certain movies may help us generate an emotional release to allow us to further explore our feelings, subjects that impact on us personally can also act as a trigger for a wide range of psychological reactions. So, sometimes, caution in viewing is recommended.

What movie started all this ruminating for me? Die Faelscher or The Counterfeiters, starring one of my favourite actors, Karl Marcovics. If you haven't seen it already (it is from 2007), HP gives it a five star rating.

4 comments:

PG said...

Ooh - sounds like an interesting movie. I also didn't know that Aussies (or would it be the British influence?) use the verb "hire" instead of "rent" when describing getting a movie.

shrink on the couch said...

I've heard this is good. I want to see it. I feel trepidation, however. I have a tough time letting go of the disturbing images from movies with the concentration camp theme. Sophie's Choice? It still haunts me, even though it wasn't the imagery so much as the psychological implications. So I suppose I'm asking, is there much brutality? I did like Schindler's List quite a bit. It took me over a year to work up the nerve for that one.

Thanks for the review, btw.

HP said...

Hi PG,
You know, I have no idea, I didn't even think about it. Hire a movie? Probably a Brit thing, strange lot that we are :)

Hi PhD,
It is excellent but I admit I'm still thinking about it today. Look, there is some brutality but, given that this story is about a Jewish group who could serve a function and were therefore valuable, it's less. It was the end that really got me but to tell you more would take away from the impact. A superb film, don't miss it.

Synchronicity said...

I have not seen this movie. I am not sure I could handle it emotionally.

It is a bit of synchronicity that I was looking for movies about depression and somehow I found a link to the post you had talked about writing long ago...about movie therapy. And then you reference it here in your latest post.

Anyways...you have a great blog here. I have added you to my links.

I am a writer for Health Central's Depression site...feel free to stop by.

http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/84292/44007/peach-ice-cream