Sep 19 2012

In the Past

Published by under MORE

At first glance, More seems like a depressing film, yet viewers come out with a life lesson. I watched as the inventor looked out onto the city with wistful, longing eyes, and the only ray of light he sees zooms into children playing together. It seems that he’s nostalgic for his past, his childhood, and that’s the only light he can see in his black-and-white world. I think it’s a sad reality of many people in society who look for happiness elsewhere, outside, when in fact, happiness is something that people must create for themselves with what they have,  inside. The inventor is not happy with the way his life is but he looks to the wrong places to find happiness. He tries to manufacture happiness in a “Happy Product” but ultimately learns that it’s impossible; happiness cannot be bought, with even an infinite amount of money.

Maddame Tutli Putli (Photo Credit below)

As I was watching the film Maddame Tutli Putli, I thought the character was dreaming, or more accurately, having a nightmare, and that she’d wake up at the end. I realized that it’s not a dream though. All the while that she’s on the train she acts very cautiously and warily, as if trying to confront the evil that might get to her first. Her eyes are full of emotion and display her feelings  in a very life-like manner. It seems like she’s running away from something big, perhaps her former life and the different traumatic aspects of it. Her journey on the train is symbolic of her journey to her new life. The many suitcases she carries resemble the heavy burden she bears, with the stresses and the troubles from her past. She is trying to leave her past but the memories keep coming back and plaguing her. The viewer travels the adventure with her.

In More and Maddame Tutli Putli, both characters refer back to former times during their life. However, there are opposite reasons in each. In More, the inventor looks back longingly at his past, with a desire to go back to it. In Maddame Tutli Putli, the character tries to avoid her past and run away from it.

(Photo Credit: http://tiff.net/blogs/archivedimages/Canadian%20Film
%20Programmes%20Blog/Shorts/Madame%20Tutli-Putli%2003.jpg)

3 responses so far




3 Responses to “In the Past”

  1.   # Thomas Seuberton 19 Sep 2012 at 11:07 pm

    Have you ever read “The Namesake” by Jhumpa Lahiri? I thought it was interesting how you made point of the train being a symbol in itself. In Lahiri’s novel trains play a very important role– one character has a near death experience, while another meets a romantic interest on a train. I guess we are all rolling on “the train of life,” as is Madame Tutli-Putli.

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  2.   # jtraubeon 21 Sep 2012 at 1:06 am

    I did read it, great book! That’s an interesting observation and I like how you connected those two. In “The Namesake,” it seems like the whole book is a journey on the train, as the main events in the book happen as a result of something having to do with a train. Yes, I think life is similar to a train ride: we’re all on the journey with different stops along the way, traveling to new stages all the time…

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  3.   # nomibrodieon 23 Oct 2012 at 3:18 pm

    I like the way you compare these 2 short films. I couldn’t find a connection on my own, but not it couldnt be more obvious! one runs from the past while the other wishes he could go back. LOOOVE it.

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