B
It's really two films in one. The first film is about a young boy who
gets stranded on a deserted island with a wild black stallion. Over time
he gains the trust of the horse and they develop a unique and powerful
bond. The second story is of Alec and "the Black" after they have been
rescued. They fall under the tutelage of an ex-jockey and horse trainer
who realizes the amazing strength and speed of the Black and trains them
both, horse and rider. What starts as a curious experiment to tame the
Black to the saddle and bridle turns into a plot to try to get this
amazing stallion into a race with two of the fastest horses on the
racing circuit. The first "film" is definitely the best and most
striking. There is no dialogue, just sound and music and the
unbelievably beautiful visuals of boy and horse bonding over
sand and sea. So different from traditional films and stories, it is
both breathtaking and magical.
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This film was quite a departure from writer/director Deepa Mehta's usual
work, which tends toward serious drama with no musical numbers. The
story is of a wealthy Canadian Indian family whose eldest son promised
on his father's death bed to marry. His mother wants him to marry a
traditional Indian girl and holds his sister's impending wedding over
his head. If he does not find a suitable girl to marry, then his
sister's wedding will be postponed until he does. He meets a forward
woman in a bar who confesses that she likes Bollywood films and looks
close enough to Indian to be convincing. A plan is hatched that she will
play the part of his girlfriend/fiancee, for a price, until his sister
is safely married. From there surprises follow, boundaries are blurred,
lives are changed, and questions are raised. The film is both an homage
to the Bollywood musical and a playful parody of it.
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