Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Program 29: The String

The String is a Tunisian romance that features hot men and exotic locations, with a relatable storyline about coming out to family members. Leave comments and tell us what you thought!

35 comments:

  1. I liked The String, but it had quite a few unanswered questions along the way. Frankly I was a little put off by the lead character being portrayed more as someone with "mental issues", since it seemed to tie that and his sexuality together in a few places. The implication there was not subtle in some cases.

    I was also not impressed with how the differing class levels were glossed over. Beyond the minor rant early in the film, it was (like the string) a lightly touched on, but always present issue.

    Overall, I was happy to watch it, but it's not inspiring enough for me to encourage others to watch it, outside of it being part of a larger line up, or of interest because of it's regional setting.

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  2. From the ballots:
    A very open, live-and-let-live film from a culture perceived to be very closed and homophobic.

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  3. From the ballots:
    Good. But ... we never have a complete explanation of the string. Was it supposed to mean Malik's attachment to his family?

    Also, his mother appears to have accepted, or tolerated, Malik's and Bilal's relationship. But in her conversation with Wafa, she talks about sin and herself going to hell. She does want Wafa to stay, but it seems rather severe.

    The civil marriage, or arrangement if you want to call it that, is a sell out by Malik and Bilal. As much as they love each other, they still let themselves be dominated by Malik's mother and their society.

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  4. From the ballots:
    Mature people working through their issues -- how refreshing!

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  5. From the ballots:
    Good but a little strange.

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  6. From the ballots:
    Well-written!

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  7. From the ballots:
    Good movie but I don't have enough culture to understand the subtext.

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  8. From the ballots:
    Good movie. For the Arabic world, I suppose it is progressive, but so ... cliched. It's all a facade - pretend for the child in a decadent colonial world.

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  9. From the ballots:
    Pleasant. I liked it.

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  10. From the ballots:
    Liked the movie even though the plot, i thought, was weak and the film moved kind of slowly.

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  11. From the ballots:
    Very nice film. Could have watched longer!

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  12. From the ballots:
    An odd film. "Loose Strings" could be a more fitting title. Didn't understand the Mother/Son issue, the servant to house member issue, maid servant to wait on ex-servant, lesbian marriage, the jump to 7 years later at the end ... not too cohesive of a film.

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  13. From the ballots:
    Good and interesting storyline.

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  14. From the ballots:
    Another great movie and romance at ImageOut this year!

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  15. From the ballots:
    Excellent. I so appreciate the international films!

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  16. From the ballots:
    Clever script.
    Positive.
    Cute.

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  17. From the ballots:
    I don't even like movies with subtitles and I LOVED this movie!

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  18. From the ballots:
    Only movie so far that gave me a hard-on. [smiley face]

    (P.S. I did not go to TWISTED LOVE.)

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  19. From the ballots:
    Excellent and very enjoyable!

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  20. From the ballots:
    Excellent mainstream film -- this should play at the Little Theatre!

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  21. From the ballots:
    Sensuous and beautiful!

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  22. From the ballots:
    It is good to see Claudia Cardinale again, after all of these years. The film had a nice sense of humanity, with everyone becoming amicable over time. I liked that.

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  23. From the ballots:
    Awesome film! Merci.

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  24. From the ballots:
    W O W

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  25. From the ballots:
    Excellent. Rich and appealing.

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  26. From the ballots:
    Good story. Nice ending.

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  27. From the ballots:
    This film seemed so genuine -- not contrived or caricature. OY VEY was funny ... THE STRING was real.

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  28. From the ballots:
    Excellent film with strong supporting characters!

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  29. From the ballots:
    Excellent. Enjoyable and informative!

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  30. From the ballots:
    Wonderfully engaging. This should have been an Opening Night film. Charming, educating, diverse. Music was so perfect also.

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  31. From the ballots:
    Excellent. Glad to see some more Arabic-based films.

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  32. From the ballots:
    Salim Kechiouche is EXCELLENT!

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  33. From the ballots:
    Love this movie! It shows the world's changing not just in the USA but in many parts of the world, as well. Even in Tunisia.

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  34. From the ballots:
    Liked exotic setting.
    Liked change of mind, happy ending after suffering.
    Like French.
    EXCELLENT!

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  35. From the ballots:
    Excellent. The film showed unusual commonalities that built a new family when the differences might have fractured it.

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