Caramel (Lebanese: سكر بنات Sukkar banat‎),

Movie: Caramel (Sukkar banat)

Year: 2007

Director: Nadine Labaki

Language: Arabic

Synopsis: Somewhere in Beirut you have this small beauty salon run by these three ladies Layale, Nisrine and Rima. Each one has a problem: Layale is stuck in a dead-end relationship with a married man; Nisrine is no longer a virgin but is set to be married and in her conservative family pre-marital sex is not accepted; Rima is attracted to women; Jamale, a regular customer and wannabe actress, is worried about getting old; Rose, a tailor with a shop next to the salon, is an old woman who had devoted her life to taking care of her mentally unbalanced older sister Lili, but has found her first love. As they share their happiness and their sorrow you find a beautiful support system which leaves you with a warm nice feeling

My Own Take: Chances are very high that you might be mesmerized by the beauty of Nadine Labaki. I surely was. I was trying to search on the net if the movie is semi-autobiographical to understand how the flow of the movie is so very smooth and pleasing. But haven't found anything supporting my view. If you have ever been in a relationship that you knew would never work out, but you were clinging on to it for fear of losing it, you will know what Layale goes through. I know its easy to hear somebody say to you that its a sign of being weak and that you must stop treating yourself like a doormat etc. but when the familiar horn beeps and you see Layale run your heart goes out to her. Or when the cell phone doesnt ring and you see her checking the network you would know what i mean if you have been there. The way the story is told is so subtle and with such minimal antics that it makes you feel good. And the most important fact is that the movie ends on a note of hope :). strongly recommended for a sunday afternoon watch.

High and Low (Japanese: Tengoku to jigoku)

Movie: High and Low (Tengoku to jigoku, literally "Heaven and Hell")
Year: 1963
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Language: Japanese

Synopsis: Kingo Gondo is almost ready to make the final kill to acquire "National Shoes", the company he has seen grow and believes is in wrong hands. The corporate battle is almost in its final stages with Gondo ready to take over the stocks he wants with his life's saving. Everything to the last piece of furniture is at stake in his amazing hilltop mansion overlooking the vicinity. 50 million yen is what he needs to realize his dream. This is when his fate takes a twist. His son is kidnapped and the kidnapper demands a ransom of 30 million yen. In the battle between son and dream his son wins and Gondo is ready to pay the ransom. But wait....before the payment is planned it surfaces that Gondo's chauffeur's son has been kidnapped and not his. The mistake is where the ethical dilemma begins. Blood of an innocent versus dream of a lifetime. To make matters worse there is a trusted associate who back stabs as he sees his mentor falter in the corporate game. He now stands to lose his house, his job and has to save the son of his chauffer. And to make matters worse the kidnapper is a very smart guy who is able to see everything in the house. What continues is a beautiful story of dilemma, hope and basic human values. The end is almost a detective thriller packed with all elements of a chase, shadowing, secret symbols, signs, smoky bars, etc.

My own take: The beauty of this movie is in the dilemma it forces its characters to go through. All major characters are shown torn between whats good for them and what will make them look good to others. I think this movie is an excellent watch in case you enjoy dramatic movies. People who love locales and grand sets this movie will not impress you. The first half of the movie is almost shot in a room the second half also has minimal outdoor shots. I feel I lost out quite a bit because of the translation because in many parts the dialogues were huge and the translation was a small one liner :). But i definitely feel that as a movie its definitely one that can be enjoyed even after 45 years.