January 25, 2008

Atonement : a tale of a tale

I still haven't decided whether it's okay for the audience to know the ending before watching Atonement, the Golden Globe best picture starring Keira Knightly and James McAvoy. Because in this otherwise epic story about a pair of lovers in a war-torn Europe, the twist in the end is the very essence that makes this film transcendent. But the twist can also put off some movie-goers, the same way one's annoyed when his steak turned out differently from what he saw on the menu.

The movie is really, among many things, a one-hour-and-fifty-nine-minute long trailer for Ian McEwan's novel. Because regardless of the questions and messages it tossed to the audience before the credits rolled, the dominant feeling I got was this: go and read the novel.

Despite the suggestion of the movie's title (and the novel it was adapted from), Atonement is surprisingly free of any religious connotations. There were literally few or no symbols of repentance at all, nor common notions of forgiveness and reconciliation. Of course there is a beautiful scene in which British soldiers gathered by a beach-side podium, singing a hymn with great passion; but that was part of a long tracking shot that simply underlined the dehumanizing nature of war. The church, too, appears only once in the entire film--the venue of a wedding which the narrator attends.

In essence, the movie is a very modern, secular take on the notion of atonement. On a superficial level, a person would leave the theater thinking that the moral of the story is this: "Do not lie. Because you will regret it for the rest of your life." But the movie does provide something more than a moral lesson.

In Briony's case, the only route she took to seek atonement was through her writings, yet it's pretty much up to the audience to interpret whether or not her sins had been atoned for. Because even though the elderly Briony clearly regrets the foolish acts she committed when she was thirteen, the biggest tragedy, perhaps, is the fact that she was never able to tell the truth to those whom she had hurt so deeply. The irony was that Briony's choice had determined her sister's and Robbie's fate; but it was fate that ultimately put an end to all her attempts of reconciliation.

Personally, I don't think Atonement presents a very bleak view of life. Instead, it leaves us with the notion that it is okay to not know everything. The brilliance of the story is that, by the time it finally registers in our minds, we're never quite sure whether we've understood the whole picture. Like Briony, we may never know, because we can no longer separate fiction from reality. Our memories fail us; our shame stops us from action.

The encouraging thing is that we still have the chance to share our story while we're alive. How easy it is to present a rosy picture of ourselves to others, but that's an unlikely path to atonement.

Without the brilliant ending, Atonement would be just another love story. But because Ian McEwan broke down the fourth wall and let us in to the heart and mind of a human being--the person we call "author"--the story breathes life into itself and becomes transformed.

There is really nothing more a writer can create other than what is already there. A writer, after all, is still a human being. What he or she can do is to tell a story so well, so clearly, you'd understand the truth beneath.

I recommend this film to anyone who loves literature, because you'll have to look closely in order to discover its message.

January 24, 2008

Gazans in a frenzy


Yes, Israel's blockade on Gaza has sent Gazans "scrambling through the debris at the Rafah crossing," as this picture tells you. What amazes me is that this guy in wheelchair managed to make his way to the BBC frontpage. What is he doing trying to cross into Egypt? Couldn't someone from his family bring back whatever he'd been looking for? Of course, maybe, in very reasonable terms, he just doesn't want to be left behind. Because no one does. Right?

So kudos to his friends/family who carry him across the broken fence. "Long live the Pharaohs!" "I want to see the Pyramids!" Maybe he wasn't exactly thinking that, but I think anyone who makes it across the Egyptian border won't mind a trip around the ancient land.

Bring me there some time, just not over the broken fence.

RIP Heath Ledger


Yesterday I went a full day without touching my computer, so imagine my shock as I navigated to the BBC website this morning and read the news: "Heath Ledger autopsy inconclusive". I could not believe it. As I went from BBC to CNN, I just said to myself over and over again, "Oh my god... Oh my god..."

I think he's the kind of "celebrity person" I admire but never really know much about, like Steve Irwin, or... actually, I can't think of another recent death that meant something to me as his did. It's the kind of disbelief you got when you first heard about the September 11th attack or the tsunami in Indonesia. Strange and disproportionate, you say, but nonetheless there.

A talented and promising actor, Heath Ledger. You will be missed.

Link: BBC News "Heath Ledger autopsy inconclusive"

January 21, 2008

One Heart performs "Days of Elijah"


Seventh-day Adventist Thomson Chinese Church, Singapore
December 22nd, 2007

Except for Hong Qi, who sang the first stanza, all these people on stage are friends of ours when my family and I were living in Singapore. After being away for six years, it feels good to be back and see their talents blossom. Way to go, One Heart!

January 6, 2008

Happy New Year 2008!


Moral: Know when to let go.