Last night I attended the official opening of the Durban
International Film festival’s French Focus with a screening of Michael Haneke’s
Love –Amour; a story about a married couple in their eighties, who, after Anne
has a stroke, are faced with the trying reality of living through the perennial
struggles of each day.
The gradual decline of Anne’s health is portrayed in painful
perfection as her crippling demise pierces your empathetic heart. You watch as her merciful husband George
becomes her sole care taker, seeing to her every mundane demand, both physically
and emotionally.
What was inspiring to see was that despite Anne’s constant
needs and pleading cries, the couple continued to share an inexplicable love,
enduring an unbreakable bond and understanding that persisted in and amongst
the flagrant misery.
This blatant love was not the only imprint made in the
hearts of the viewers, but also the blinding realisation of the sometimes
unkind truth of aging. The stark contrast as you grow old rests somewhere in
between the plethora of memories that once formed the landscape to your full
life, and the resentful levy you are sometimes forced to pay for that life.
In addition to the heart felt story, a testament to the
phenomenal cinematography of this film can be supported by the tendency to get
lost in the visuals rather than reading the English subtitles. That being said, the authentic dialogue
between the two protagonists exuded a raw precision with intervals of charming
wit.
A true eye opener that although leaves you emotionally
shuffled, is told in a way that brings moments of distinct clarity.
I woke up this morning with the intention of total and utter
self-deserved relaxation. Not just physical relaxation, but mental rest
too. Today, I thought, I would let the world address its own ordeals and endeavour
to engage in all and anything that called for a complete state of inertia and cognitive
harmony.
So I greeted the morning with glee and rose to make myself
some scrumptious chocolate chip and banana syrup flapjacks; accompanied of
course by a steaming cup of not your average Joe. I proceeded to begin reading a book, which
after only 2 pages, was forced to surrender to my somewhat lingering lethargic
state and decided to close my lids for one more round of shut eye. I lay their comfortably anticipating a sedative
REM cycle to guide me gently to another place. I thought to myself, I will not entertain a
single thought that surfaces and instead blatantly ignore said thoughts with
total and obnoxious disregard. I managed to achieve this goal for approximately
7 ½ minutes, until one such idea was able to astutely out manoeuvre my carefully
crafted plan. I politely greeted it with absolutely no intention of inviting
any further conversation, until its agenda cleverly over powered any will or mental
strength I could contest.
The thought had given birth, and it was simple. The people
in this world are weird. Not an esoteric concept to dissect on this Sunday
morning, just a plain and clear observation. I shall elaborate.
There are certain expectations and common norms that should
or once did connect us. There was an underlying decency and mutual intuition
that was unspoken. Not outright noticed, but still there, like buttons on a
coat. Buttons which lately serve no purpose.
There seems to be a rather dismissive approach adopted by
people today to practice any care or consideration for others around them. We
have become so conditioned by a capitalist and individualistic paradigm, that
certain core gestures that in respect should be considered common place, have
slowly started to disintegrate.
What happened to things like saying thank you, not with today’s
instant messaging but with a phone call or a small gift delivered in person?
What happened to honouring our commitments and sticking to plans made? Has life
become that busy and schedules that erratic that respecting another person’s
time is no priority? Or have we instead become that complaisant with last
minute let downs that in turn we no longer respect ourselves? What about thinking in advance, so that others
are considered, or even caring about the past and the pieces your behaviour has
left behind. We are too selfishly
engrossed in our “own today” which we somewhere along the line have forgotten does
not only belong to us.
What happened to boys asking for girl’s phone numbers and
then using them to CALL their subject of interest instead of hiding behind
social and instant networks of thumb wars? What happened to taking pride in the
impressions you made on others? Instead we squabble about with a “take it or
leave it” attitude, which in essence has its place, however should not be used
to mask ones lack of esteem to interact with reverence to those and what is going on
around them. There is a balance needed here, and that line of balance is sadly
being dispensed in a way that is tainting our social fabric.
What I’m trying to say bluntly, is that things have gotten
weird. People have gotten weirder. And the only conclusion I can draw is that our
isolated existences, ironically in an era of abundant social connectivity, have
somewhat started to unstitch the once collective structure we knew as the norm,
neglecting a very prudent principle called consideration. We are entering a new era of “norms” which are
being written as we speak. Perhaps it is this transition period that is
provoking an unwanted anxiety, which naturally, the generation to come should accept
with ease. Or… perhaps I should revert
to my initial plan of relaxation and let this one live another day.
