glowbugg ramblings

Under discussion:

The Bridge  (2006)

I take a trip across the Golden Gate Bridge about once every couple of months. I enjoy the beautiful view of the city from the bridge and the sheer magnitude of the structure itself. Now that I have witnessed the death that falls from that bridge on a monthly basis, I no longer enjoy the views it has to offer without thinking, sickly, of the many folks who chose to end their lives from this bridge. I first read about this film in the local paper and made a mental note to check it out if I got the chance. I remember the static this film generated due to the subject matter and the rawness of the footage. I never dreamed that his film would affect me in such a somber and sad way. To actually watch people take their own lives right in the broad daylight with people walking right past them was almost too much to watch. Yet I was unable to look away. I recorded this film for a friend and had her watch it. Now I have ruined the fond memories she had of the bay as well. Very disturbing film, but done in a tactful and respectable manner. Worth a watch. Just once though.   

Under discussion:

The Orphanage  (2007)

I am a fan of DelToro from The Devil's Backbone and Pan's Labyrinth, to The Hellboy films, and I was not disappointed at all. This film was very similar in that there is always a tragedy that befalls a child or children. Maybe this has something to do with Mexican/Spanish folklore. It seems a common thread in many stories I have read. This is by no means a horror film but more of a ghost story. The Devil's Backbone was very much the same in that regard. This film spoke to me as a mother. I could fee the pain and anguish of the parents in the film. It was brutal and beautiful all at the same moment. Maybe it was the PMS talking (or crying as it were), but the end of the film actually brought me to tears. Really, I'm not usually so easily moved.