The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Monday, November 5, 2012
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Monday, November 5, 2012
FILM REVIEW
Empathy foi
Palestinian-Israeli Palestinian from the West Bank.
In an ironic instance of unity
conflict captured in between the two factions, these
boys were mistakenly switched
switched-at-birth tale at birth during a hospital evacu-
ation. Seventeen years later, their
By NATALIE GADBOIS parents make this life-altering
Daily Arts Writer discovery while sitting side-by-
side in the hospital where it all
The Arab-Israeli conflict began, the fathers both shocked
brings a volatile and jumbled and stoic, the mothers bonding
mix of emotions, identities over the emotional significance
and assump- of it all.
tions, and is **** This is the defining moment
often - difficult of the film - these mothers sit-
to compre- The Other ting together, silently unified in
hend. Thank- their mirrored losses and gains.
fully, you don't The film is never bogged down
have to fully At the by political or racial opposition,
understand Michigan but instead finds its cohesive
the conflict to . strength in how Orith Silberg
be emotion- Cohen Media (Emmanuelle Devos, "Bachelor
ally invested Group Days are Over") and Leila Al
in "The Other Bezaaz (Areen Omari, "Laila's
Son," a moving French film by Birthday") handle the heavy
director Lorraine Levy ("Un issues at hand. Their sons have
divorce de chien"). The film is not just lost their place within
really about the bonds of fam- their own families, but within
ily, the crushing confusion that their religion, their ethnicity and
comes with identity loss and the their social standing.
length to which unconditional Dehbi and Sitruk deftly por-
love stretches. It's thoughtful tray this identity crisis between.
and universally heart-wrench- two of the most conflicted identi-
ing, no matter your political ties in the world with grace and
standing. believability. In a heartbreaking
At the heart of "The Other scene, Joseph asks his mother
Son" are two young men who live with frantic tears in his eyes if he
just miles apart but in entirely is still Jewish. Yacine valiantly
different worlds - Joseph Silberg struggles to stay connected to his
(the luminous Jules Sitruk, "Mon older brother, an ardent Palestin-
pere est femme de menage") is ian who can't justify his brother's
a 17-year-old sheltered musi- newly discovered place in their
cian living with his upper-class divisive society.
Jewish family in Tel Aviv, while While the movie does not focus
Yacine Al Bezaaz (Mehdi Dehbi, on political debate, it's always
"Le sac de farine") is an ambitious present and on point. Joseph
r the 'Other'
"... Yeah, I'm not really looking forward to the Bris."
and his. family are wealthy and
privileged, and he spends his
time much like an American
teen would - by listening to
Bob Dylan on the beach with his
friends. They are the fortunate
ones, while the Al Bazaaz fam-
ily lives under a constant state
of mild oppression. Yacine and
his family have never known this
privilege and freedom, and this
angers and isolates his brother
and father, who both oppose
meeting Joseph at all.
These groups have been con-
ditioned to fear and hate each
other, and overcoming that and
recognizing their similarities is
the film's basis. The nearly silent
interactions between these fami-
lies are poignant because they
make you realize once again how
great the tension is, how little
they really have to talk about and
yet how hard they try to over-
come this.
The film doesn't reduce the
conflict to Israeli vs. Palestinian
or Jewish vs. Muslim. Yes, those
are key identities, but the focus is
other identities these characters
share - Joseph and his biologi-
cal father are both musicians, the
two younger sisters love the same
dolls, Yacine and Joseph bond
over girls 'and joints. At times
it almost seems too easy how
quickly the characters bond and
forgive, but the conflict is always
an undercurrent even as they are
singing "Kumbaya" around the
campfire. The acting makes up
for this flaw, because each actor
both embodies their character
and shows the deep inner tur-
moil they feel with this unfath-
omable change, and the script
has a cohesive, realistic flow that
makes their situation so much
more relatable.
"The Other Son" is a stunning
portrayal of family life when it is
tested to its breaking point, and
at the same time a thought-pro-
voking look at what really defines
who we are.
FILM NOTEBOOK,
Bittersweet legacy of Disney films
By NATALIE GADBOIS
Daily Arts Writer
At age eight, I spent three
hours locked in my bathroom
attempting to dye my hair red
with Kool-Aid so I could be just
like Ariel. I admittedly couldn't
rock the seashell bra (what eight-
year-old -can?) and my Singing
voice was less than impressive.
But I thought that if I at least had'
the hair, I would be able to swim
swiftly through the ocean, save
my family from evil sea witch-
es and marry my own dashing
Prince Eric. If only life were so
simple.
Twenty years ago, budding
millennials only a few years older
than myself were introduced to a
whole new world with the release
of "Aladdin." We were ushered
in the golden age of Disney that
lasted throughout the '90s, just as
our impressions of the world were
slowly coalescing. In Disney mov-
ies like "Beauty and the Beast,"
"The Lion King" and, of course,
"The Little Mermaid," good
defeats evil, hard work usually
pays off, the bad guys are univer-
sally ugly and the heroes always
have great hair.
The world of Disney is black
and white - uniform in its sim-
plicity - and much of our gen-
eration grew up revering these
one-dimensional storylines and
characters.While children's mov-
ies are rarely applicable to real
life, as children of the modern
Disney era we were inundated
with these ideas of simplicity that
are no longer compatible with an
increasingly complex world.
We live in a world of instant
gratification, in which informa-
tion, skills and distractions are
constantly available. Disney char-
acters were always single-minded
in their goals - and that's why
they achieved them (that and a
dose of magic, of course). We can't
work like that because success
now links to multitasking, effi-
ciency and trying desperately to
beat the competition. Rarely are
accomplishments as simple and
gratifying as winning over Pride
Rock or overcoming a witch's
curse.
Our generation faces some
great hardships, and the lessons
we learned from Disney have
never been less applicable. Hard
work does not necessarily guar-
antee success - and definitely
doesn't guarantee happiness. It's
impossible to classify people into
groups of "good" and "bad," and
people are never uniform in their
actions. To my surprise, relation-
ships don't occur with a swoon
and a binding kiss, but require
patience and compromise.
Growing up in this Disney
dreamland, I was utterly unpre-
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TV/NEW MEDIA COLUMN
A eulogy or
Animals'
riends: It is with great ed presence as Washington's
sadness that I inform you powerhouse.
of a terrible casualty suf- It's almost like a work of politi-
n the world of television. cal fan fiction: There's an openly
ould think I'd be used to gay U.S. Supreme Court justice
ow: . (played fabulously by Vanessa
n of a Redgrave) and Elaine's son T.J. is
on can- a drug addict who still struggles
on for with the tumultuous way in
man which he was forced out of the
closet asa teenager in the White
some- House. Furthermoe, his twin
've brother Dougconstantly blurs
ealing KAYLA the line between his family and
nce UPADHYAYA professional lives as the right-
s and hand man to his mother.
"and Outside of being an impres-
nething that will forever sive and smart series, "Politi-
ue. For network executives cal Animals" is a rarity: It's
network executives (by a television show that truly
I mean they will always be loves powerful women. Elaine's
rst). perspective as a woman and.
s of "Political Animals" asmother shapes the show's
xactly what I'm talking voice, driving its themes and
On Friday, USA offi- developments. It's an addict-
Iropped the soapy politi- ing, sexy seriesewith plenty to
ma that garnered instant say about current affairs, the
on this summer. The American political atmosphere
ncement shouldn't be all and modern journalism (fun
rprising. After all, USA fact: "Animals" more accurately
ed us. They branded the and deftly captures a newsroom
s a "limited series event," than Sorkin's "Newsroom"), but
ng the more commonly creator Greg Berlanti also has
rm "miniseries," so expec- aslot to say about the women of
for a second seasonshould Washington - women who are
een cautious. sometimes relegated to support-
ow into the mix that the ing roles in political dramas.
never pulled in big num- Most importantly, it's a show
especially compared to that could have all-too-easily
more established content pitted its women against each
there's really no reason I other. Carla Gugino's Susan Berg
have gasped upon receiv- is a spin on Maureen Dowd,
'xt from my friend about who rose to fame by covering
w's demise. Bill Clinton's scandals. Susan
similarly benefited from writ-
ing aboutElaine's ex-husband,
eshould j s former President Bud Ham-
just mond (whose saltyvulgarity is
run USA.. so perfectly delivered by Ciaro
Hinds, with the help of a faux
Southern accent) and his fre-
quent philaidering.
yet, gasp I did. Because no Susan isn't Elaine's enemy
how expected; it's always though, and Gugino made it clear
ng to hear when a show to Berlanti early on that she had
o much potential and so no interest in simply portraying
o give is ripped away from a woman vs. woman dynamic.
ion entirely. While the downright crazy
itical Animals" premiered cliffhanger of the last episode is
a shift toward female-led probably what has most fans reel-
al narratives on television. ing in its immediate aftermath,
now, we had "The West the loss of these two incredibly
"'The Wire" and "Battle- well-written female characters
lactica" as paradigms of and their complex relationship is
ally driven dramas. But the worst part about "Animals"'s
the past year, new series early exit.
opped up that tell the tales But alas, all of my praise and
ics and power through the geeking out can't bring the series
women. back. The best I can hope for
re was the unapologetic, right now is that the series gets
IBO sitcom "Veep," which lots of attention come awards
ed Vice President Selina season, something thatwould
(Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and have boosted viewership had
sfunctional staff; ABC's USA not pulled the plug (I want
al," a serialized thriller . USA to regret all of their life
:g Kerry Washington as choices, basically).
Pope, who runs a Wash- I also hope that other series
crisis management firm; - partiularly of a political
e Emmy award-winning - nature - learn lessons from "Ani-
novie "Game Change" mals" on how to write powerful
:he 2008 Republican women and how to challenge or
ential ticket that focused complicate the persistent por-
y on Julianne Moore's trayal of ambitious women as
ation of Sarah Palin. justbitches. The writers nobly
rr "Political Animals," attempt to reclaim the label,
hinges so critically on the with a line so perfect that it gets
sat its center. It's no secret repeated in the pilot: "Never call
gourney Weaver's Elaine a bitch a 'bitch.' Us bitches hate
h is a stand-in for Hillary that."
n, and the show offers an While "Veep" and "Scandal"
, made-for-TV take on have female leads, neither is
n's story. As a former first more vocal about the intricacies
laine leaves her cheat- of beinga woman in Washing-
band, runs for president, ton than "Animals." I miss you
er party's nomination and already, show. But Susan and
es the secretary of state. Elaine, I especially mourn-for.
familiar? "You know, I am just sick of it
the series is much more all," Elaine tells Doug. "I'm sick
cheap dramatization of to death of the bullshit. The egos
ary Clinton's journey: It's and the men. Iam sick of the
ctive family soap and an men."
ation of the intersection Me too, girl. Me too.
"What do you mean we forgot the fifth of November?l"
paredt
ies now
ofthe<
percep
cated
face to
Ai
How
entirel
have s
like, b
ful for
to hold
optimi
Disney
to be an adult. These mov- the most important quality and
uact as a constant reminder perseverance is rewarding, even
chasm between my Disney if your goal is ultimately unmet.
tion of life and the compli- "Aladdin" proved that money
and.dissatisfying world we and status aren't the most signifi-
day. cant qualities a person can have.
"Beauty and the Beast" showed
little girls like myself that it was
ninated life OK to be a reader, to be nerdy, to
place importance on intellect.
lessons. "The Little Mermaid" taught that
it's normal to feel different or out
of place at times.
Yes, if it weren't for Disney;
vever, Disney was not I would probably be better pre-
y useless. Yes, it may not pared to tackle this competitive
hown us what real life is world without unrealistic expla-
ut I'm in some ways grate- nations. But as a generation, we
that because we were able can still see the magic in every-
I on to our innocence and day life - which is probably what
sm for a little bit longer. we need more than anything else
taught us that kindness is right now.
CITY OF ANN ARBUFR PARK MAINTENANCE
AND CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS MILLAGE ,RENEWAL
ANN ARBOR CITY CHARTER AMENDMENT AUTHORIZING TAX
FOR PARK MAINTENANCE AND CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS.
Shall the Charter be amended to authorize a tax up to 1.10 mills for park maintenance and capital
improvements for 2013 through 2018 to replace the previously authorized tax for park maintenance
and capital improvements for 2007 through 2012, which will raise in the first year of the levy the
estimated total revenue of $5,052,000.
tions and politics. The
h family has problems like
else, but their conflicts
plified by their spotlight-
Upadhyaya is sick of-men
and their egos. To sympathize,
e-mail kaylau@umich.edu.
o Yes
o No
On Thursday, Aug. 9, City Council voted unanimously to place on the Tuesday, Nov. 6 ballot a
renewal of the city's parks maintenance and capital improvements millage at the rate of 1.1 mills.
City council also voted unanimously to reaffirm the current policies for the Administration of the
Park Maintenance and Capital Improvements Millage. Between 60% and 80% of the annual millage
funds support city park maintenance activities. Park maintenance activities include forestry and
horticulture, natural area preservation, park operations, park equipment repairs, and recreation
facility maintenance. Between 20% and 40% of the annual millage funds are designated for City
park capital improvements in the following areas: active parks; forestry and horticulture; historic
preservation; neighborhood parks and urban plazas; pathways, trails, boardwalks, greenways
and the Huron River watershed; recreation facilities; and park equipment acquisitions. This millage
renewal proposes 1.10 mills and estimates total revenue in the first year of the millage of $5,052,000.
The estimated annual cost to a household in the first year of the millage renewal, based on a mean
taxable value of $108,600 is expected to be $119.46, or slightly less than $10 per month. The current
cost to a household for the expiring millage based on a mean taxable value of $108,600 is $119.13.
Please visit http://ww.a2 r/p for additional information, fact sheets,
FAQ's, administrative policies; and millage project status tables.
Pieks& r Cetio
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