Personal Response to the City of Life - Movie Review Example

of the of the Teacher 12 October of Life- A Personal Response The multilingual film of Life set in Dubai does indeed present a thick slice from the life of any modern day metropolitan. One not only gets interested in the movie that presents a multilingual and multiethnic cast, but the very attempt on the part of the director to present life in Dubai from the perspective of an array of characters, each pursuing a dream of one’s own does bring out the variety inherent in human mindset and psychology. It is true that most of the Westerners consider Dubai to be a city marked by affluence, luxury and modernity. For a person who has not visited Dubai, it may get difficult to imagine that like any other bustling Western metropolitan, Dubai also has a side that is sordid, sad and ironic. Hence, simply speaking, City of Life presents a realistic perspective on Dubai, where a few manage to relish a life of abundance and luxury, while many happen to lead a life of drudgery and frustration. A diverse and multiethnic cast in the movie, with characters affiliated to an array of ethnic, cultural and socio-economic background, the viewers can readily empathize with the travails of each specific character, who is trying to seek out a meaning in an urban society that favors material success, conformity and competition. It will be indeed true to say that at a personal level I really identified with the dilemmas faced by many characters in the movie. Though the movie happened to be multilingual, where many characters conversed in Arabic or Hindi, yet at an emotional and human level, they appeared to seek things in life that we all desire to achieve. It is this aspect of the movie that I believe enhanced it universal appeal and interest. For instance, it is indeed interesting to note that the Emirati young man Faisal, who mostly attires in Arab apparels and speaks Arabic, does not differ much from many American young men in the same age group. The dilemmas and issues faced by Faisal do not happen to be much different from the challenges faced by young people in America. Faisal is presented as torn between a desire to lead a life that is fast paced and engaging, and the family pressure to stick to traditions and to embrace a sense of responsibility. He is shown as being tagged to an age group, where the desire for self assertion and freedom contradict with the pressures accompanying growing up. The very fact that he is born in a life of affluence, he is not able to appreciate as to how lucky he is. The scene in the movie when Faisal returns late at night and the next morning he is awaken by his father, to ask him to accompany him to the Friday prayers is indeed so typical. The way Faisal’s father upbraids him for his lack of responsibility and his failure to show ambition and chose a worthwhile and meaningful career, so typically conveys the fact that generation gap happens to be an issue that is pervasive and universal. The other interesting thing that I noticed in City of Life is that the plight of many characters gets highlighted through the contrast it facilitates with the situation of other characters in the movie. For instance on the one side there is Faisal who is simply not able to appreciate the importance of his affluent and rich background, while on the other side there is the Indian cab driver Basu, who is trying so hard to make it in Dubai. I was particularly moved by the sequence in which Basu is dreaming of acting a lead character in an Indian movie, while sleeping in his dingy apartment; when he is awaken by the call of a child asking for his cricket ball that had shattered his window pain. In the subsequent scenes Basu is shown as being insultingly reprimanded by his superior for being late to work. This is so sad an ironic. To me Basu’s situation exemplified the harshness and callousness inherent in the modern day urban life, where the people are forced to end up being trivial caricatures of their actual dreams and aspirations. Basu’s resemblance to an Indian film star in a way trivializes his existence as a simple cab driver, when compared to the success enjoyed by his lookalike film star. I found this quiet sad, depressing and ironic. The other thing that I liked about City of life is that it touched upon an array of issues that typify the modern urban life like premarital sex, abortion and substance abuse. The good thing about the movie is that rather than focusing on these issues as the modern day urban phenomenon, it delves on as to how these issues are intimately linked to the emotional well being of the people and their quest for love and affection. I believe it is this aspect of the movie that makes it so human and understandable. For instance, the way the Romanian flight attendant is rudely treated by an ill mannered passenger in one scene in the movie, makes it so easy to understand her yearning for love and success, being confined to an urban scenario that is so materialistic and emotionally sterile. In that sense, whether it is Faisal, Basu or the Romanian flight attendant, all these characters in City of Life are seeking out a sense of direction and meaning in an urban scenario that ruthlessly embraces cutthroat competition, success and materialism. The very fact that some characters in the movie conversed in Arabic and Hindi, many a times made it difficult for me to grasp the cultural context in which a particular dialogue got delivered. The good thing is that the film has subtitles in English, which helped me make sense of the dialogues delivered in Arabic and Hindi. Still I believe that had I known Arabic or Hindi, this would have enhanced my understanding of the cultural contexts in which varied characters acted and moved. However, the English subtitles correlated with the body language and the emotional expressions of the characters did allow me to follow the movie with a sense of ease and comprehension. Read More