Nothing Forbidden about 'Forbidden Fruit'(Kielletty hedelma )........!!

No wonder “ Forbidden Fruit”( Kielletty hedelma )stole the show in quite a few prestigious Film festivals despite being a redundant melodramatic brooding from many a perspective..! This Finnish film has just gifted me a thoroughly engrossing time. Seems I have fallen under the spell of Finnish cinema after having savoured quite a few in the last couple of weeks….! To say in a nutshell, ‘Forbidden Fruit’ is about the Laestadians, a huge community of Finnish people,who are diehard conservatists tenaciously insisting on taking scripture literally and forbidding their members from indulging in all forms of pleasures deemed ‘epicurean’ and “worldly” — such as dancing, premarital sex, alcohol, television, movies, and contraception. It is a gripping tale of two Laestadian teens ,and their fluttering faith…But , above all, it is a cerebral film on the regressive nature of any form of extreme conservatism that robs life of all its naturalistic joys and makes it drab and dreary…. Director Dome Karukoski’s melodramatic flick probes into how two Laestadian teens go through fire and water to come to terms with the impositions inflicted upon them by their community. The first to rebel against the system and thereby threaten to pollute the prestige and sanctity of the Order is Maria, a headstrong teenager who refuses to show allegiance to the Laestadian community’s asceticism straightaway and moves to metropolitan Helsinki in the pursuit of ‘pleasures’. Plunging recklessly into a ‘no-holds-barred’ lifestyle, she rationalizes her choices by falling back on the idea that she can always purge herself of her ‘sins’ at a later point through the ritualistic repentance and confession , atonement and absolution.. Meanwhile, the deeply perturbed doyens of the community persuade the young woman’s best friend, die hard conservative Raakel to aid them and send her out into the world to bring the rebel back. Unsurprisingly, Raakel, too, falls under the spell of the world of sensual pleasures she experiences and soon dabbles into them, displaying her sheer reluctance to imprison herself once more in the cocoon of self-denial in which she was forced to take shelter in her traditional life . The film would make u feel the muddles of a Catch 22 situation that unhinge the minds of those who have gusts to question the impropriety of conservatism and assert their hearts… Top-notch performances of the leads and technical finesse add to its appeal ….

A Cerebral n Sensitive Flick on Student Prostitution

One in three university students in Germany would resort to prostitution or other sex works as a means to finance his /her education.In France, the statistics is no less alarming. (29%)Hundreds of recent studies and surveys have revealed beyond doubt that student prostitution is not just an open secret but a common phenomenon in most of the ' developed' European countries with a supposedly massive student support system.....Based on a Memoir by a 19-year-old language student , ‘Student Services’(French,2010) is a harrowing tale of student prostitution in Europe. Laura D, a 19-year-old student of Spanish and Italian, details in her memoir, Mes Chères Etudes, how she had virtually no other option but to take to prostitution at the age of 18 when she could not afford her rent, books, or food, despite a part-time telesales job. Her parents – lower middle class people earning just above the minimum wage - could not support her, but their jobs meant she did not qualify for financial aid. ‘Student Services’ challenges the much hyped contention that student prostitution is mainly synonymous with happy hookers, glacial belles de jour and tragic victims..... It rather brings to light the two real culprits behind the tragedy-----abject poverty and a hollow and dysfunctional student support system. ...A flick that centres round student prostitution, ‘Student Services’ is natural replete with an exorbitant dose of erotic stuff.....!But be sure here is a flick that will never entice you to salivate over the Lolita-esque potential . ..! The top-notch performance of the lead would amaze you.. If you are a connoisseur of cinema, do not forget to discern the film’s creative cinematography...

Heimliche Liebe - Der Schüler und die Postbotin..

Joe is just 17 and a sensitive, talented , promising high school student and potentially successful pianist. He bumps into Rosemarie who not only shows him the art of love but also turns his world topsy-turvy ....He runs into her for the first time during a family holiday , but is too shy to get close to a woman who is 37 n senior enough to be his mother. After he finds her back in Berlin, he overcomes his shyness and wants to experience with her his “first time”. Rosemarie responds initially with reluctance. But soon she realises Joe’s ardent passion for her is so sweet --even if the boy is still a novice..... School, future and his music no longer fascinate Joe as he is in a frantic scramble after Rosemarie. No, this does not seem mere infatuation.....On the other hand, the pressure from parents and teachers is mounting alarmingly on Joe, and Rosemary’s future vision too does not seem to be in concordance with his wishes ..... Well, u might be under the impression here is just another “ A Short Film about Love”, or its frail Indian counterpart “Ek Chotti Si Love Story”......Yes, Heimliche Liebe - Der Schüler und die Postbotin(Secret Love_ The Schoolboy and the Mailwoman) is redolent of Kieslowsky’s masterpiece , but far inferior to the classic in every aspect...This German film ,however , spectacularly breaks away from Kieslowsy's.

Those who got tantalized by Kieslowsky’ erotica will find enough of that in the film to satiate themselves....! Also superb performances n deft directorial touch should not let u down.