The Reader

Kate Winslet's eyes spoke their language. She has the ability to mutate from an unconventional housewife living on a Revolutionary Road into an illiterate lover linked to the dark passages of Auschwitz. And she has the ability to get excited, and excite us, with the verses and lines from universal masterpieces that enter her ears and trigger her mind with pain, lust, sensitibity. Scarce moments of delight and a life journey filled with puzzle pieces that would hardly paint a clear image in the end. Reading and writing as a route to connect to the outer world when one is imprisonned (literally and metaphorically). 

A question arised, what is it that reading offers that audio-visual cannot? my answer, when reading, a voluntary action that requires an intimate effort, we get to paint our images and recreate characters in our minds... audiovisual gives us painted pictures as we watch passively... 

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De tú a tú

Dice la niña, hoy una amiguita cumple años y mañana otra amiguita cumple años pero a la otra amiguita no le tenemos sorpresa, ¿tú sabes qué le podemos dar? Ella es vanidosa, tres cosas que a ella le gustaría, tu elijes, la número uno es una lámpara brillante, la dos una bufanda peluda con espejo y con gafas de plástico, y la número tres, déjame pensar, un bebé.

- Yo le digo, si yo fuera la niña vanidosa pediría la lámpara brillante (para verme mejor).

- Bueno ya me tengo que ir, dice la niña, mi pregunta es, ¿cómo se inventó la nieve? 

- La nieve es lluvia que se congeló en un día muy frío.

- ¿Cuál fue el primer hombre que descubrió el fuego?

- El fuego es un rayo que cayó sobre un árbol en un día de tempestad, el árbol se encendió y los habitantes de la región, donde vivía aquel árbol en llamas, se llevaron cada uno un pedacito de fuego a su casa... lo pasaron de unos a otros por años... hasta que alguien se inventó los fósforos...

- ¿Quién es la primera persona que descubrió a Rusia? 

- Rusia... hmmm... ahí sí que me corchaste... vamos a tener que investigarlo juntos. 

- Bueno chao, dice la niña.

- Chao, que tengas una semana llena de sorpresas lindas. Share

Revolutionary Road

All roads should be revolutionary. I find that some of us loose hope as time goes by. Schemes and paradigms become the barriers we want to build instead of break. We become accommodating. We fear that drive that once enticed us to do meaningful things... that passion that wanted to change the world. I once packed up my few garments, sold off my scarce goods and embarked on a 10-year journey. Today, when I am about to reach a harbour the temptation is there to take off again. Why not? I'd love to yet again jump in the water and swim away. Along these years I have found companion. My significant other is not an anchor, he's a wing, a fin... we should not stop here, we have a longer journey ahead of us.

We've been watching some of the 2009 Oscar nominated feature films. Everybody talks about Benjamin Button, another recycled Forrest Gump (1994) with a more interesting premise and Slumdog Millionaire, A Bollywood soap opera with great camera shots and 2004 born-into-brothels-like characters aimed at breaking some Academy members' hearts.  My choice is Revolutionary Road... scheme-breaking... well done! (in recipe and flavour)... so far my favourite above Doubt (Seymour and Strip are great but so what?) and Freeze/Nixon (Too predictable, too "beginning, climax and happy end")... we'll see what happens with The Reader.

I like the name!

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