Interviews by Sara Bharrat
This week we asked the man/woman in the street what their favourite movie is and if the message in that movie had an effect on their lives.
Emanuel Livan, Valuation Officer: ‘My favourite movie is ‘Not easily broken’. The story is about a couple who got married after falling in love in High School. The husband’s dreams didn’t turn out the way he expected but the wife was career oriented. The wife’s mother moved in and it was at that point the couple began having marital problems. The wife’s mother would get involved in all their misunderstandings and contributed to making a mountain out of a molehill. ‘Not easily broken’ taught me that marriage is between two people and even though parents may have lots of experience and advice to share that doesn’t mean that they’re always right. Marriage is a sacred bond between two people and it is they who should sort out their own problems and make their own decisions.’
Rupert Grant, Self-employed: ‘I don’t have a favourite movie but I love comedy and Chinese action movies are my sort of thing. I’m not sure if we can learn anything from movies. Movies can’t teach us about life only our experiences can. Funny movies relieve my stress and Chinese movies allow me to see karate, one of my interests, so I guess that all I really want is a bit of entertainment not lessons in life.’
Ryan Oselmo, Craftsman: ‘In every movie there is a lesson there to be learnt. A person just has to look beyond the special effects and other strings knitted in for entertainment. One of my all time favourite movies is ‘Shattas’. It is an action gangster movie which is a bit violent but it shows you what many youths in our country and the Caribbean go through. It shows how our young people struggle to stay on the right path and really gives a stinging piece of reality. After I saw that movie I fully realized how some of our youngsters end up leading the life they do and I think that anyone who sees this movie will recognize the reality it represents. ‘Shattas’ has the power to teach any youth that looks at it that they have a choice because it shows them how they can be lured to the bad path.’
Andre Thomas, Self-employed: ‘Cartoons, now that is definitely my sort of entertainment and believe it or not they can teach the average adult a whole lot about the wrongs and rights in life. I’d say the best and funniest movie I’ve seen so far is ‘Madagascar’. It’s an animated movie which spins a tale of some zoo animals that get stranded on an island. That movie showed me the importance of friends, trust and the difference making a few selfless sacrifices can make in your life. If anything I try to follow what I learnt from that animated movie. I try to be a better friend, I try to be understanding and I try to trust and understand.’
Louann Thompson, Stylist: ‘Not really a television lover but I learnt an important lesson from a movie. We’d better be careful what we wish for. The movie ‘Good Luck Chuck’ is about this guy who wishes for something and is cursed by that luck. I can’t really say that I learnt a life long lesson from that movie but I certainly remember the steamy scenes.’
Mariana Holder, Cosmetologist: ‘I believe that we can learn serious things from movies. Every movie has a hidden meaning and you just need to understand it. I once saw a woman who almost lost her husband because she didn’t make time for him. While I wouldn’t say it’s my favourite movie I can tell you that I learnt something important from it that I will never forget. This woman neglected her husband and as a result he cheated on her, it wasn’t that her husband didn’t love her but she was too busy with other things to notice him. After seeing that movie I realized that all it took to keep the people we care about happy was giving them a bit of attention and showing that it mattered to you what happened to them.’
Michael Charles, Private Sector Employee: ‘Will Smith in ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’ has had a profound impact on my life. It taught me to value the things I have. In that movie Smith portrayed the role of a single father with one son who was hard on his luck. He eventually got a job and worked for a months without anyone knowing that he was homeless. He and his son slept wherever they could find and no one realized that they were homeless. Eventually he became successful. As a young man that movie showed me that no matter how hard the going gets we must never give up. There’s always a way to make it, life and things are never as bad as they seem.’
Maria Mahmood, Private Sector Employee: ‘Movies can’t really teach you anything proper. I mean movies were created in the first place for entertainment. I don’t have a movie I can call my favourite but I enjoy watching comedies. They give me something to laugh about and basically if I’m smiling it’s easier to maintain a positive outlook on life.’
Althea Thorn, Unemployed: ‘Well I don’t really have a movie and I can’t really say that I have seen one that has affected my life in anyway. I can’t say that I’ve learnt anything valuable from a movie anyway.’
Kerryann Haywoo, Student: ‘The best movie of all time for me is this Indian film ‘Kuch kuch hota hai’. I saw that when I was younger and it made me realize that romantic love exists and if I make the right choices I can be happy in life. There are these African moods films as well which continuously teach me things. African moods films represent realistic issues and the stories are things that you know can happen in real life. These movies show domestic violence, sexual abuse, crime and its effects on young people. These are all issues that young people need to be educated about and be prepared to ward off at some point in their lives. I think that watching a movie can teach person things that are capable of changing their lives.’