Girls Without Borders - Change the World

The World a Mere Stage ?

Cinema has entertained and inspired people for over a 100 years. It is a great tool of expression and reaches out to millions. It is said that cinema portrays life and to some extent it is true. Movies show real people, situations and events. Girls without Borders believes that it is important to watch good movies and learn from them. here we provide a list of some movies that we liked...

*Hotel Rwanda (2004)                                                          

Ten years ago some of the worst atrocities in the history of mankind took place in the country of Rwanda--and in an era of high-speed communication and round the clock news, the events went almost unnoticed by the rest of the world. In only three months, one million people were brutally murdered. In the face of these unspeakable actions, inspired by his love for his family, an ordinary man summons extraordinary courage to save the lives of over a thousand helpless refugees, by granting them shelter in the hotel he manages

*Gandhi (1982)                                                                 

This film describes the life and times of Mahatma Gandhi, Indian political leader who managed to free his country from the British rule using peaceful means and thus giving hope and inspiration for generations to come.

*Chariots of Fire (1981)                                                 

The story, told in flashback, of two young British sprinters competing for fame in the 1924 Olympics. Eric, a devout Scottish missionary runs because he knows it must please God. Harold, the son of a newly rich Jew runs to prove his place in Cambridge society. In a warmup 100 meter race, Eric defeats Harold, who hires a pro trainer to prepare him. Eric, whose qualifying heat is scheduled for a Sunday, refuses to run despite pressure from the Olympic committee. A compromise is reached when a nobleman allows Eric to compete in his 400 meter slot. Eric and Harold win their respective races and go on to achieve fame as missionary and businessman/athletic advocate, respectively

* Crash (2005)                                                                      

Several stories interweave during two days in Los Angeles involving a collection of inter-related characters, a black police detective with a drugged out mother and a thieving younger brother, two car thieves who are constantly theorizing on society and race, the distracted district attorney and his irritated and pampered wife, a racist veteran cop (caring for a sick father at home) who disgusts his more idealistic younger partner, a successful black Hollywood director and his wife who must deal with racist cop, a Persian-immigrant father who buys a gun to protect his shop, a Hispanic locksmith and his young daughter who is afraid of bullets, and more.

* Power of One (1992)                                                

The Power of One is an intriguing story of a young English boy named P.K. and his passion for changing the world. Growing up he suffered as the only English boy in an Afrikaans school. Soon orphaned, he was placed in the care of a German national named Professor von Vollensteen (a.k.a. "Doc"), a friend of his grandfather. Doc develops P.K.'s piano talent and P.K. becomes "assistant gardener" in Doc's cactus garden. It is not long after WWII begins that Doc is placed in prison for failure to register with the English government as a foreigner. P.K. makes frequent visits and meets Geel Piet, an inmate, who teaches him to box. Geel Piet spreads the myth of the Rainmaker, the one who brings peace to all of the tribes. P.K. is cast in the light of this myth. After the war P.K. attends an English private school where he continues to box. He meets a young girl, Maria, with whom he falls in love. Her father, Professor Daniel Marais, is a leader of the Nationalist Party of South Africa. The two fight to teach the natives English as P.K.'s popularity grows via the myth. P.K. looses focus until he sees the success of his language school among the tribes. He and Guideon Duma continue the work in hopes of building a better future for Africa.

* Motorcycle Diaries (2004)                                                   

The Motorcycle Diaries is an adaptation of a journal written by Ernesto "Che" Guevara de la Serna when he was 23 years old. He and his friend, Alberto Granado are typical college students who, seeking fun and adventure before graduation, decide to travel across Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia, and Venezuela in order to do their medical residency at a leper colony. Beginning as a buddy/road movie in which Ernesto and Alberto are looking for chicks, fun and adventure before they must grow up and have a more serious life. As is said in the film itself, it's about "two lives running parallel for a while." The two best friends start off with the same goals and aspirations, but by the time the film is over, it's clear what each man's destiny has become.

*The Revolution Must Not be Televised (2003)            

 
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was deposed on April 11, 2002 for a period of no more than two and a half days. While the Irish filmmakers who recorded these events (in the near orbit of Chavez and his administration) clearly have their own political agenda, one cannot help but feel walking out of this film that darker forces from outside their government may have been involved in the failed coup. well, alright, it's us. It's hard to deny the situation's resemblance to a latter day bay-of-pigs. The difference here is that Chavez still seems to enjoy popular support, and seems to nurture free speech, even if he bemoans the private media's criticism of his programs. Would that the privately owned media of Venezuela did not have its' own greedy motivations at heart, of course, as evidenced: first, by the sensationalistic exploiting of a riot scene on the day of the coup, when two peaceful demonstrations ran into each other (very possibly orchestrated by occurrence of sniper fire); second, by the fact that five of the nation's six TV stations are run by the upper class of Venezuela, who became threatened by many things under Chavez's administration. Curious, also, that the thing that seemed to move things toward coup in Caracas that spring was Chavez's stated intent to change the management of the state owned oil company (with the backdrop of Chavez's stated opposition to the more `pro-active' aspects of President Bush's `war on terror'). Not so much a complete expose, but a thought-provoking question raiser of a documentary, that's for sure.

These reviews have been taken from www.imdb.com

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