Malcomson

Here is a foreign production that does its bit to undergird and defend the cornerstone values of family. As movies go, it can be viewed at a couple of different levels: one, there is a compelling and authentic storyline that involves families in crisis and, then, there is the whole matter of how one extricates oneself from such trying situations. On these two counts, the filmmaker goes deep into the human and physical landscapes to deal with how people contend with the loss of loved ones, how they stand up to injustice, how they handle their feelings, and how they effect reconciliation and healing in the long-run. To show us how complex and challenging our world is, this film explores the intricacies of multiple relationships that involve adults dealing with adults from different families, adult parents at cross-purposes with their children and, just as important, children confronting children. Though I am not a fan of nice-ending movies, in which all the loose-ends are tied up at the end, the delivery in this one justified it. It underscores the point that adults still lead, by way of positive example, in overcoming the alienating differences between themselves and their children.