Before you dive into this week's Show and Tell, there is a luscious news that has made its appearance yesterday. Yes folks, two IF bloggers have reported BFPs! Polly@In 2 Me See and S@By the pricking of my thumbs .... something wicked this way comes have clocked POAS heaven. Go congratulate them!
And here we begin this week's show and tell!
Scenario 1:
You are walking on a street and an acquaintance stops by –
Hey there, how are you?
Aww, I am fine! How are you?
I am fine too!
Scenario 2:
At a supermarket, you bump into somebody –
Hey, long time, no see! How are you?
Oh, I am fine! How are you?
Same here!
See the pattern there? We are programmed to usually answer “I am fine” even when what we are going through is contrary to what we are mouthing. That is the fodder for this Show and Tell.
You see, I saw a movie (a long while back), which I did not forget. The movie was – Everybody Says I'm Fine. And its pretext is that no matter what hell runs through the private lives of people, they always declare themselves to be fine to others.
The movie is the story of a trendy hairdresser who has an up-market unisex salon which caters to a motley crowd of a city. But this guy is not just another dude – he has a gift. The hairdresser can read the thoughts of people whose hair he is working upon. The gift has been born out of a terrible tragedy in which the hairdresser loses his entire family. S is tormented and would love to do away with the gift, but he can’t. He faces alternate realities of the same people again and again and at the same time.
He does not like it that he is hit by so much ‘noise’ and intimate details of his clients – often what he comes to know is scandalous and unpalatable. And that is how he realizes that even though most of them have glitz and sparkle on their exterior, their inner core is just an infected apple; that behind smiles, deep pain is hidden; that even have-alls have unfulfilled desires and plotting minds.
He meets several of them – the young dreamy eyed, the burnt out actors, socialites, business tycoons, till he meets this one girl (N). She is the only one whose mind he cannot read and that perplexes him. Anyways, the movie takes its own course and concludes that even though everybody claims to be fine, they actually are not.
I loved the movie, its plot and the net execution. One of the most unforgettable scenes is when S stands at the door of his salon, watching N getting soaked by the rain. N is wearing angel wings, mascara running, her hair pasted to her head, and in that rawness there is something innately sensuous.
The movie was not a commercial success. In fact, it received very critical comments in some circles.
But I loved it. I think a different level of thinking can catch the abstract conceptualization of the movie. I don’t care what these critics have to say about the storyline or editing of the flick, I thought it was superb. It was what the director wanted and got out of it.
Okay, I would be unfair if I said that the movie was completely panned. On one hand this movie’s director won a runner-up John Schlesinger Award for best directorial debut at the 2003 Palm Springs International Film Festival, and on another hand, if you go to the lone user comment on this movie’s IMDB page , you will find a list of what is so bad about this movie.
Catch it…if not for a serious view, at least it is perfect when you are stuck indoors with nothing to do and nowhere to go. And yes, parental guidance advised! I was holding the eighth queue here.
So tell me, how are you?
^WiseGuy^
And here we begin this week's show and tell!
Scenario 1:
You are walking on a street and an acquaintance stops by –
Hey there, how are you?
Aww, I am fine! How are you?
I am fine too!
Scenario 2:
At a supermarket, you bump into somebody –
Hey, long time, no see! How are you?
Oh, I am fine! How are you?
Same here!
See the pattern there? We are programmed to usually answer “I am fine” even when what we are going through is contrary to what we are mouthing. That is the fodder for this Show and Tell.
You see, I saw a movie (a long while back), which I did not forget. The movie was – Everybody Says I'm Fine. And its pretext is that no matter what hell runs through the private lives of people, they always declare themselves to be fine to others.
The movie is the story of a trendy hairdresser who has an up-market unisex salon which caters to a motley crowd of a city. But this guy is not just another dude – he has a gift. The hairdresser can read the thoughts of people whose hair he is working upon. The gift has been born out of a terrible tragedy in which the hairdresser loses his entire family. S is tormented and would love to do away with the gift, but he can’t. He faces alternate realities of the same people again and again and at the same time.
He does not like it that he is hit by so much ‘noise’ and intimate details of his clients – often what he comes to know is scandalous and unpalatable. And that is how he realizes that even though most of them have glitz and sparkle on their exterior, their inner core is just an infected apple; that behind smiles, deep pain is hidden; that even have-alls have unfulfilled desires and plotting minds.
He meets several of them – the young dreamy eyed, the burnt out actors, socialites, business tycoons, till he meets this one girl (N). She is the only one whose mind he cannot read and that perplexes him. Anyways, the movie takes its own course and concludes that even though everybody claims to be fine, they actually are not.
I loved the movie, its plot and the net execution. One of the most unforgettable scenes is when S stands at the door of his salon, watching N getting soaked by the rain. N is wearing angel wings, mascara running, her hair pasted to her head, and in that rawness there is something innately sensuous.
The movie was not a commercial success. In fact, it received very critical comments in some circles.
But I loved it. I think a different level of thinking can catch the abstract conceptualization of the movie. I don’t care what these critics have to say about the storyline or editing of the flick, I thought it was superb. It was what the director wanted and got out of it.
Okay, I would be unfair if I said that the movie was completely panned. On one hand this movie’s director won a runner-up John Schlesinger Award for best directorial debut at the 2003 Palm Springs International Film Festival, and on another hand, if you go to the lone user comment on this movie’s IMDB page , you will find a list of what is so bad about this movie.
Catch it…if not for a serious view, at least it is perfect when you are stuck indoors with nothing to do and nowhere to go. And yes, parental guidance advised! I was holding the eighth queue here.
So tell me, how are you?
^WiseGuy^
I'm fine, how are you?
ReplyDeleteLOL, just kidding.
I love movies like this, the ones that get you thinking.
I'm going to make sure I see it soon.
S X
My usual "sarcastic" answer (that no one gets!!) is "I'm SUPER, thanks for asking!!!" (aka big gay al from south park!). No one's gotten it so far. They just smile and probably think, wow, she's a happy b#tch. Pfft, people.
ReplyDeleteMovie sounds interesting. Is that rahul somebody? he looks so goddamn familiar...
First - is there actually blood on the scissors at ANY point in the movie? Cause - that would x-neigh it for me!!
ReplyDeleteSecond, I actually am fine. Serious - no joke. Today anyway..
Fine...
ReplyDeleteer...now I'm going to be thinking about this every time I'm getting my hair cut.
Sounds like a very interesting flick indeed! I love to see 'artsy' independent films. And as for me, I tend to say exactly how I'm feeling when people ask. I figure they shouldn't have ask if they didn't want to hear the honest truth.
ReplyDeleteI have thought about this too. Fine, fine, fine. I have switched to What's New? And, the answer is always, nothing.
ReplyDeleteWhy do we bother with chit chat?
Oh, I think it's called social skills or something like that. I always avoid people in the supermarket so I don't have to go through the fines and goods and how's the fam?
There was a girl I went to school with who was particularly adamant that no one ever use "I'm fine" as a response that she would actually nag you until you made something up just to get her off your back... I think we are all more than a little cautious to put our real selves out there. But it does sound like an interesting film. I'll have to check it out :)
ReplyDeleteSounds like a fascinating movie.
ReplyDeleteAnd, I am actually doing pretty damned good...except for the fact my house needs serious cleaning.
That movie does sound good!
ReplyDeleteYou are right about all of us and our fine-ness. We all say it, many times a day. I've noticed that when I provide an answer that is not status quo, I am met with strange facial expressions that say, "I didn't really want to know." Guess I am fine. :)
Thank you for the shout out :-)
ReplyDeleteSounds like an interesting movie--I will try to see it. I always hate it when people at work would ask that question, because they are more than casual acquaintances, so do you just say "I'm fine" or do you tell them the truth? I always wavered and said "umm..I'm okay" and if they asked why only okay--then I might tell 'em what's going on.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good film.
ReplyDeleteI was once walking in the street and saw this kid I know. I was still trying to figure out when I'll be close enough to say the "hello, how are you" dialogue, when he started telling me what he was doing. He didn't say hello or ask (without meaning) how I was but just started. And it felt so true and so real, because kids don't need that false 'fine' like us adults.
Funny this comes up after I post about getting my hair done! But then again, my stylist doesn't need to read my thoughts- I tell her (and therefore the entire salon by default) everything that happens in my life anyway.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I'm pretty darn good, by the way. Except for being a little hormonally irritable. :)-
Thanks for the tip -- this sounds like my kind of movie, and I'm going to see if I can get it from the library.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure I'll like it just "fine."
Sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteI guess it depends on who asks. Usually I say fine though.
That looks like a good interesting movie. I'm going to have to hunt it down and watch it.
ReplyDelete