Rating : 9/10
Release Date : December, 2011
Time : 80 minutes
Director & Writer : Roman Polanski; Co-writer : Yasmina Reza (based on her own play ‘Le Dieu du carnage’); Music : Alexandre Desplat
Starring : Jodie Foster, Christoph Waltz, Kate Winslett, John C Reilly
Bitingly funny, savagely witty and explosively real. Contains projectile vomiting, spoilt suits, a dodgy Apple Cobbler, a maligned medicine, a damaged Art magazine and a violated mobile phone. Despite its title, there is no violence in the film, in fact, its about 2 sets of parents trying to amicably resolve a minor playground incident involving their young kids.
Jodie Foster is uptight, loves being in control, has very rigidly defined ideas of whats right and wrong. Her husband, John Reilly (has a business in hardware / bathroom fittings), is the complete opposite, chilled out, believes there is too much talk and theory going on and is happiest when relaxing with a special whiskey he is fond of and when not around hamsters.
Christoph Waltz is the most fascinating character, probably morally the most suspect, entirely self-obsessed, having a work crisis (he’s a lawyer for a pharma company), would rather be elsewhere but keeps staying back for coffee, some snacks and later whiskey. His wife, Kate Winslett is probably the person with the most nuances – she plays a suffering wife, a concerned mother, an animal activist (worried about the hamster) and later a person who takes charge…
There is a mirror held up in front of us for those who like to observe, introspect and done so with subtlety, finesse and a brilliant sense of humour. For a change, its not about love, romance or sex. Just a scathing, superb commentary on where our society is heading. Just loved it !
PS : The film was shot in a single location, in real time, without breaks and I think that does make a difference…
Had seen d Indian play in theatre God of Carnage.. today downloaded & saw d movie too... Reminds me of a real lifetime tooth incident which I happened to experience years ago at Jaiselmer with both sets of parents missing. Single handedly managed d show.
ReplyDeleteThen we had gone to Ranthambore & Jim Corbett too. Both d times were lucky & spotted d tiger.. in it's full glory..& many rare variety of animals.. at Corbett we were so close to d herd of wild elephants..it was a close call. Thrilling..never miss an opportunity to b close to nature. Prefer to classroom teaching..children can learn a lot when outdoors.. soon another one...
ReplyDeleteChildren- they crept right into yr soul... Magical. Their sunny disposition brings a ray of sunshine in my life. Mixed bag... They are like little elfs hopping around d class. Girls in particular are so spunky.. They've taught me more than I've taught them, about life & patience & courage... I love working with kids, which to me is a big kick. Content with my spartan existence. Keeps my motherly warmth alive.. miss having a daughter of my own..............
ReplyDeleteHave u heard d name of Dushwa National Park? It's close to d Nepal border.. strictly for nature lovers.. grasslands, marshes & rosewood forests, barking deer, species of birds, endangered species... elephant safari, tiger sightings & stay in d middle of a forest.. you have yr senses suffused by fragrant grass.. wake up to watch a stupendous sunrise over an unforgettable horizon.. as a kid had gone a couple of times, then d fascination was to visit Nepal for a day for shopping! We used to get those "foreign" erasers..& other girlie trinklets..how our prespective changes with time..
ReplyDeleteIt is one of d few remaining examples of a highly productive Terai ecosystem... You know, what's d best part, when on an educational excursion.. combing the hair of little girls, simply love it, but one thing I still haven't been able to learn is, tie d patka of d sardar boys, that too is a skill, am so clumsy at.. have to learn a lot...
ReplyDeleteHaving been written off as totally un-teachable at school. I was told that my brain was like a sieve & that everything that went in fell out d other side.. I would think up ways to escape that world.. & end up with fairytales, dark woods of my imagination... today I can relate to these tiny feet that traipse out with a spring in their step. I urge parents to listen to their children, so they can share in moments where they find absolute joy. It is so imp.that we nurture d 'gold dust' in our little heads while we still have it. Don't give it up to televisions & computers... Am passionate about telling stories.. there is no right or wrong way to tell a story, stories have souls, if u allow yrself to get to d emotional core of yr story, everything else will follow,.. kids sit up & listen.. stories are d ability to dream, which is unmistakabaly d most imp.thing a child can have... d trick is to let d story go, do not dilute d story, & never overthink yr stories.. Stories sh. travel & sh.have d ability to influence so many scattered & diverse children in such profoundly different yet similar ways...
ReplyDeleteD tiger dwells in d realm of mysticism, & there are two types of seekers. Those who are granted a darshan & those who aren't. D former don't catch merely a glimpse; they get a full frontal command performance. They also consider it their pious duty to rub their anointed status into d marshal-denied..
ReplyDeleteOh, to be half as wonderful as my child thought I was when he was small, & only half as stupid as my teenager now thinks I am !
ReplyDeleteConnecting with my children brings me such joy-I'm much more focused on my emotional growth now. I used to avoid relationships because I thought they were a distraction. But now I'm in one, & I love my fondness for animals, nature, my travels, my life... Maybe those feelings would be different if I hadn't met This Man, though. Because when you achieve what you've always wanted, it's a little easier to move on... I want to be as impactful as I can. As a teacher, you have a responsibility to make someone better, or to make them realize that they can do whatever it is that they want to do..& I don't take that responsibility lightly.....
ReplyDeleteGratitude is most beautiful when it is expressed & not just when it is felt. It makes me positive, happy & optimistic,helps to see the bright side of life..teaches the art of appreciation.... Isn't it the very basis of the law of attraction? To share your joy & happiness with others, ..... It should be an attitude to life, which we show to others..
ReplyDeleteFact File : Number of times lions mate in a day - 50 !!
ReplyDeleteAnother term gets over...by the end of the session we tend to get so attached to most of them. . We've to maintain a dossier of ever child. All children are special not different. You can't create a perfect world for them.. Parents have situations their children have to adjust to, siblings, divorces, deaths, moves, financial problems. The main thing is to keep our eye on our goals for the children. The school Is only as strong as the people who lead it & you want those people to be young & strong & filled with new ideas... Need some fresh ideas so I don't get stale...
ReplyDeleteChildren absolutely need parental involvement, love, care, time & attention. People should work normal hours, go home at a decent time, play with kids, enjoy family & friends, inculcate the habit of reading at a young age, help them to write their thoughts (actual notebook & an actual pen : in the tech world, this is like carrying a stone tablet & chisel) daydream, clear their heads & refresh themselves. Working from home might actually be more productive for some.. .... Children are my role models..happy & thriving... they all want to be heard... a child can cry one moment & run off to play the next.. I wish I were strong enough to ignore what others say/do not say, but experience tells me I often can't.. But the upside of painful knowledge is so much greater than downside of blissful ignorance...
ReplyDeleteYou can deal with a child with special needs but at times it's so difficult to tackle troublesome parents.. their ward can't even write his own name, spell the letters, unable to read, can't go beyond single digit numbers & parents expect drastic results within a fortnight from me !! I mean were they sleeping last 3 years. Ahhhhhhh grrrrrrrr. Fifty of them in a class & each parent wants personal attention.. "my child Is v sensitive..(aren't they all !!) doesn't eat or drink anything before coming to school..(my problem!!) watches a lot of cartoon.." (the moment a baby is born you throw expensive gadgets at them, inculcate wrong habits !! all of a sudden it dawned on them that watching excess TV is bad) & I am supposed to guide help & solve all their problems !!
ReplyDeleteWrote few words on the board today, while explaining the grammar concept : Subject and Predicate... One boy sorted out the words and framed the sentence (i love this kid)... "The cow is milking the milkman"....ho ho ho ha ha ha !!
ReplyDeleteSometime back during the inauguration of our renovated basket ball court, there was a friendly match between the teachers and senior students. Being gifted with above average height, my name was recommended.. Was the only one to be able to dunk twice !! (We were given 5 chances each) But had to answer a question too... Name the sports person who retired after 21 years of coaching. I said to myself, 'aaj to gayee'.. Keeping my fingers crossed answered, Am not 100% sure but is it Alex Fergusomething.. To my surprise, it was correct and won 2 chocolates :)
ReplyDeleteSo many of our school children just seem unmotivated to learn. We bring technology, special education, amusement, field trips and many other improvements in the way we teach and little seems to make a difference.
ReplyDeleteSo many of our school children just seem unmotivated to learn.. Mechanical metro machines !! I feel privileged to be born in a generation where gadgets aren't the only source of entertainment.. They have to be coaxed to read story books, go out in the open and play.. Playgrounds remain empty, with yoga n laughter clubs and walking tracks taking away all the space..(Can't really put the blame on anyone)... Schools have turned into money minting business houses... The child has to enroll for the Academy !.. Be it cricket, swimming, golf, skating, teakwondo... And each parent wants their offspring to be a master of the game. Such academies are mushrooming even at pre-nursery level. Imagine a summer hobby course for a less than 2 year old.. (They aren't even toilet trained by then..) Why do parents produce kids if they can't raise them well. They just want the child out of the house..drawing class, kathak class, karate session..the list goes on and on. If that's not enough, have you heard of a 4 year old being sent for tuitions !! (Future IITians...)... Things are changing at an alarming pace..
ReplyDeleteTale-spinner, today while narrating one of the tales from The Thousand and One Nights : Sindbad : Reminded me of you... His name means Lord of the Indus River and just like you Sindbad went on seven voyages around the world... Dear, Wish you many more..
ReplyDeleteWant to ask sooo many questions.. (I am no longer the person I used to be..) .... ..... What is your favourite holiday destination ? What has been the highlight of your career so far ? What has been your biggest challenge so far ? Do you have a preferred relaxing ritual ? What's your current state of mind ? What's next ???
ReplyDeleteDon't you think bachcho ka bachpana khatam hota ja raha hai ? 7 to 8 years have Facebook accounts ! At the tender age when they are supposed to be playing with toys....clicking selfies !! Children are losing the ability to read emotions as these digital devices are destroying their face to face social skills. Obsessed with gadgets...spend hours with them. You can't learn non-verbal emotional cues from a screen in a way you can learn it from face-to-face communication.... High time analysis is done : pros and cons of using them..
ReplyDeleteHere is the latest : school shuts textbooks, boots tablets !!! Beginning of a revolution -- Agreed, bags are heavy and can cause back problem and shoulder aches but is it not 'elitisation' of education ? Technological change is welcome but not at primary level.. If it does happen the challenge will be to ensure that students' writing skills are not affected.. Tablets can never really replace textbooks.. With the new International IB curriculum we need to go beyond textbooks, the intellect
ReplyDeleteOops ! That went by mistake..
ReplyDeleteHere is the latest : school shuts textbooks, boots tablets !!! Beginning of a revolution -- Agreed, bags are heavy and can cause back problem and shoulder aches but is it not 'elitisation' of education ? Technological change is welcome, it has improved the teaching-learning process as everything can be visually explained... But tablets at primary level ?? If it does happen the challenge will be to ensure that students' writing skills are not affected.. Tablets can never really replace textbooks.. With the new International IB curriculum we need to go beyond textbooks, the intellectuals might argue.. Children are not in the habit of writing any longer. One word answers, objective type-multiple type questionnaire.. Zamaana badal gaya hai aur hamee bhi zamaane ke saath badalna hoga..
ReplyDeleteBy the time students reach the middle school, many develop a kind of fobia for Maths.. Perenially paranoid about the subject.. There is an organic connection between Maths and Music. Both require abstract thinking. Both are about structure, patterns, abstractions and about connecting with nature - the rhythmic movement of the tides, of our breath, or that there being exactly the same number of petals in daisies sprinkled across a field, which also corresponds to the Fibonacci (reminds me of something He said...)numbers in Mathematics.. Is is a tigermom fantasy come true, if my old students do well in the subject,( on their own, without tutions.). Why do our schools classify Maths in the core curriculum and Music as 'extra-curricular' ? Maths, music, the study of daisies - they all have to somehow filter into our classrooms and imagination.. Don't you agree ??
ReplyDeleteIt's like karma, is it not ? You work hard, you are diligent, you do whatever you are told to do, uphold the values of the school, display it's prescribed behaviour and yet, bad things continue to happen to you, for reasons you cannot make sense of or have control over.. Life is just one unending stream of extenuating circumstances.... Focussing on resolving others' challenges rather than my own, the despair fled..though temporarily.. When I have my interview with God, our conversation will focus on the children whose self-esteem I was able to strengthen, whose faith I was able to reinforce and whose discomfort I was able to assuage. . Does everything happen for a cause ? Exhausticated...
ReplyDeleteRest of the variables keep on increasing - strength of the class from 40 to 46 to 50 as of now. Syllabus changed annually (improve the standard !!)...working hours increased to almost 42 hours per week..+ stay back during school functions.. But only a slight, negligible raise in salary. Expenses keep on mounting.. Earlier after doing the afternoon bus duty we could come back home, but now it's mandatory to report back for bio metric swipe... Things are really getting tough, too much work related stress and pressure.. With 20% EWS students teaching is difficult and challenging... Some of them have a blank look.... .... Being a part of the system, last 15 years, but how to bring about that change.. Children these days are reluctant to take up sports as a career despite the facilities and opportunities, their life revolves around scoring marks; they don't have any time to play. Half the kids don't have hand-eye coordination, barely pursue hobbies or interests..lost the value for money.. PSP generation...
ReplyDeleteMy Thoughts : On Growing Up :: The school days of telling tales and biting nails are gone, but in my mind, I know it will go on and on... Coming from a cosy family of four siblings.. I was my dad's favorite one.. Always protected.. (My love for animals, plants, morning walk and yoga comes from him...). Coming from the forces background, he was a very strict disciplinarian and set high standards for conduct, behavior, eloquence, manners and honesty. At times I was scared but he is my best guru n guide. At the dining table he would shout, "Girls, no slurping on the soup and bring the spoon to your mouth and not your mouth to the spoon." Not a morsel of food would be wasted. He would insist that we eat with fork, knife n spoon. Cold drinks was a strict no-no... All these dressing-downs sounded dreadful those days but today I feel the ideals of our youth that we learnt, is still ever my guide... .... ..... ..... It was the watershed year of my life, transition period from the cosiness of a sweet home to the very formal upbringing and grooming atmosphere of The Convent. The metamorphosis into a young lady groomed with grace and dignity.. The farewell of class 10 - young ladies - all of us dressed in sarees for the first time. It was joy and excitement of a different kind. Class 11 was the biggest hit, the boards were over and everything seemed super cool. Morning assemblies were full of excitement with buddies who always described the new rage Aamir Khan of QSQT - most of us were heart broken when we came to know that 'he is married' ... Fauji was another much talked about serial .. I, in my husky voice used to tease the girls 'I say chaps....' They were a bunch of giggly school girls, much gossip, untold secrets, incessant laughter and bonhomie.. Athletics, badminton, basketball, Hindi songs during endless rounds of Antakshari and dumb shards kept us going.. Samantha Fox, George Micheal, Madonna songs played non-stop.. We invented our own dance steps during our trip to Jaipur Agra Fatehpur Sikri.. Memory of Rambagh Palace still remain with me.. Farewell to school and passing out from class 12 was such a poignant moment. Leaving behind so many fun filled moments of school days....never to come back again... ..... Salutations to all my teachers who brought out the best in me..
ReplyDeleteP.S. never had thought of writing..but managed to pen these lines..
ReplyDeleteWatching The Guardian : This type of training should be made mandatory at Senior Secondary level. Will definitely bring about the much required discipline...
ReplyDeleteYesterday in my class I had an eerrie sound coming while teaching. Despite looking everywhere, nothing to be found. Finally, I gave up teaching, snooped around to find, one student locked up in the class cupboard !! He was sitting there purposely to give special effects, as the topic was on 'Magic' ... Students have the ability to answer without reading and understanding the concept being discussed. Attention span is less. Get restless and bored. I've to keep on changing the methodology.. They have the ability to sleep, eat and do all kind of socializing during the class. They can even enlighten us on many more uses of cellphones. More than 85% of them know about these latest apps. Are on Whatsapp group to note down the absent work.. And what the hell is this candy crush ? Sheer waste of time.. the entire family is glued to the screen.. Isn't it harmful for the eyes..obsessive compulsive disorder...find it frustrating sometimes..
ReplyDeleteBut for sure lifestyles are a lot more stressful than before. People have forgotten to relax and enjoy the small pleasures of life. Our kids still more under pressure to perform, to cope up with peers, cope up with information and exposure boom. Life in big cities is sprinting and chasing ambitions... No time for small joys. We have forgotten them in this race...
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't get any better than this : They are wonderful children. Touchwood...and his greatest joy is spending what he likes to call quality time with them. His weekends are totally devoted to his children. He barbecues for them, plays with them, takes them to movies and ball games and helps them with their homework, discusses current affairs (G.K.) with them. He repaires their bicycles and toys. Takes them on picnics. Travels around, enjoying the world...role model for all families..
ReplyDeleteIn the eye of the hurricane, trying to bring order out of chaos...preparation days for the 30th Annual day: Everyone was screaming and gesticulating wildly, and the noise level was painful....everything was falling apart. Catastrophe : The main ballet dancer was ill, there was no replacement for her. Tragedy : The speaker system was not working. Disaster : The properties (backdrop) wasn't ready. Emergency : Major argument within the Art Dept and they were far behind schedule. Calamity : The dresses were not yet ready... In other words, everything was normal.. .... ..... All's Well That Ends Well.. My name was printed in the credits as Director..ha ha. The theme was Enchanting Dolls..the endeavour was to convey that in this age of globalisation, nations though divided by frontiers, share the same spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbkam that binds them together..
ReplyDeleteTrips and excursions teach children a lot, incredible life skills - hard work, dedication, optimism, the importance of caring for other children...
ReplyDeleteNow i get it, no wonder, no reviews... And i thought you are abroad, professor....
ReplyDeleteWish could get guidance from you...
ReplyDeleteSomething is lacking.. There is scope for improvement... Can't figure out...
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