FANTASY QUADRUPLE BILL: FABLES (2012, Sina Wittayawiroj) + THE
FOSTER BOY (2011, Markus Imboden) + MV: DÉSENCHANTÉE -- Mylène Farmer (1991, Laurent
Boutonnat) + ELECTRA, MY LOVE (1974, Miklós Jancsó)
Inspired by the article "FANTASY DOUBLE FEATURES OF 2012"
in Mubi website, Wiwat Lertwiwatwongsa asks us to write something like the
article, but by linking a Thai short film we saw in 2012 to any film.
As for me, I would like to screen FABLES (2012, Sina Wittayawiroj,
animation, Thailand, A+30) with the music video DÉSENCHANTÉE (1991, Laurent
Boutonnat, France, A+30), and the films THE FOSTER BOY (2011, Markus Imboden,
Switzerland, A+30) and ELECTRA, MY LOVE (1974, Miklós Jancsó, Hungary, A+30),
because these four films show "tyranny" very powerfully and
effectively.
I can't remember exactly the details in FABLES. If I remember it
correctly, FABLES show a man who is ordered by a very powerful person "to
turn blind" and "sing the song" that the powerful person orders.
The protagonist must keep on walking blindly, even if this walking in blindness
makes he step on dog shit, kill other people, and fall into a dark abyss. In
the end we also see that this man is not alone, there are other people who
follow his path into the abyss, too.
The state of oppression that the man in FABLES lives in reminds me
of THE FOSTER BOY, DESÉNCHANTÉE, and ELECTRA, MY LOVE. In THE FOSTER BOY, which
is adapted from some true stories, an orphaned young boy and a poor young girl
are forced to live with the foster parents. The foster parents are not pure
evil. They are human beings who mostly treat their foster children like shit.
And whenever the foster children try to raise their voices, the foster parents
constantly remind the children that they should be grateful for the parents for
providing them shelters, food, and other things. The foster parents has an
adult son who is lustful and uses violence on women, but the society and the
mother turns a blind eye to it. A female teacher in the village tries to help
the foster children, but no one helps her, including the priest and civil
servants.
You can watch DÉSENCHANTÉE here:
ELECTRA, MY LOVE also deals with tyranny and oppression. This is my
favorite quote from the film:
" I, Electra, am speaking
Truth speaks and the law
Cursed be every tyrant
And blessed be every man who resists tyranny
Blessed be every man whom a tyrant destroys
I, Electra, who doesn't forget
While one person lives who doesn't forget
No one can forget
You have no power over me
Because Electra tortured is Electra
Electra dead is Electra
You have no power over me
Because I am justice
Though I know I can't kill you, I wait and don't forget
Every man you killed lives on in me
Once upon a time there lived in the faraway orient a wonderful bird. Brighter than the sun, more dazzling than the rainbow, lovelier than a jewel, for it was born of man's eternal dreams. Its father was liberty, its mother happiness. Wherever the bird flew, the heavy clouds parted, the sun shone, rainbows glistened in the sky, suffering abated, the oppressed stood tall, the weary gained strength, the poor grew angry. On it flew, westward, and people's faith grew stronger. Their strength increased.
And once landowners and factory workers cease to be, and there is neither bourgeois nor proletarian, rich or poor, oppressor or oppressed. Once there is not too much food for some, and not enough for others, when all may partake equally on the basket of plenty, when all shall sit as equals at justice's table, when the spirit shall shine in every window, then, and only then shall man live a life worthy of him, one of liberty, joy, peace. Yet the firebird shall still fly here above us, and still perish every day, to be reborn even more wondrous the day after. Blessed be your name, revolution."
Truth speaks and the law
Cursed be every tyrant
And blessed be every man who resists tyranny
Blessed be every man whom a tyrant destroys
I, Electra, who doesn't forget
While one person lives who doesn't forget
No one can forget
You have no power over me
Because Electra tortured is Electra
Electra dead is Electra
You have no power over me
Because I am justice
Though I know I can't kill you, I wait and don't forget
Every man you killed lives on in me
Once upon a time there lived in the faraway orient a wonderful bird. Brighter than the sun, more dazzling than the rainbow, lovelier than a jewel, for it was born of man's eternal dreams. Its father was liberty, its mother happiness. Wherever the bird flew, the heavy clouds parted, the sun shone, rainbows glistened in the sky, suffering abated, the oppressed stood tall, the weary gained strength, the poor grew angry. On it flew, westward, and people's faith grew stronger. Their strength increased.
And once landowners and factory workers cease to be, and there is neither bourgeois nor proletarian, rich or poor, oppressor or oppressed. Once there is not too much food for some, and not enough for others, when all may partake equally on the basket of plenty, when all shall sit as equals at justice's table, when the spirit shall shine in every window, then, and only then shall man live a life worthy of him, one of liberty, joy, peace. Yet the firebird shall still fly here above us, and still perish every day, to be reborn even more wondrous the day after. Blessed be your name, revolution."
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