Go See Blood Diamond!
I went to watch Blood Diamond the other night... What can I say; it wasn't your normal cinema experience.
Usually; I snuggle into my seat with my sweet popcorn and Malteser mix, finishing it within the first 20 minutes of the movie, and then proceed to watch the film, leaving as soon as the final credits appear.
On this night I snuggled into my seat with the same sweet popcorn and Malteeser mix but this time I didn't finish it within the first 20 minutes, in fact I didn't finish it at all. And at the end of the movie I didn't leave as soon as the final credits appeared, I sat there through the whole thing as the poignant title track (Nas - Shine On 'Em) blared out of the speakers.
Apart from a few dodgy accents the film feels very real and the raw emotion leaps off the screen so much so that it will have you pinned to your seat for the duration of the movie. And it is with that raw emotion you will leave the cinema. It’s been reported that women have been removing their jewellery when leaving screenings.
My first reaction was to be ashamed that it took seeing the film to be moved into action. My second thoughts were:
Yes Grillz... I always thought they were stupid, imagine how I feel now. And yes I'm pointing out Hip Hop culture, why? Cause you got to start at home. A rapper makes it from nothing and to commemorate his rise to success he buys diamonds so now his money is used to fund the mass murder of his people in Africa. Even worse: That same rapper probably dedicates bars to his brothers and sisters in the motherland. On top of that, rappers that ain't even making money got ice just to maintain a look, so their funding atrocities back in Africa on credit. GET REAL MAN!!
Even above the miss-education in the rap game is the wider issue of consumerism. Materials are given greater value than life. What would you do for that new **** (fill it in yourself) you want so badly? What would you overlook? Look at these pictures...
They say we have become desensitized to images of suffering, I don't know what do you think?
Nas - Shine On 'Em
www.blooddiamondaction.org
2 comments:
Blood Diamond is a must see! Sometimes it takes a film to put things into perspective and I can safely say that this film put things into perspective for me. I think that we have become a consumerist society giving little or no concern to the plight of the inhabitants of the eastern world. We have adopted an ‘out of sight, out of mind' mentality and because of that we HAVE become de-sensitised. I don’t think that there’s anything wrong with wanting the finer things in life, however one must take some responsibility for their choices. So, if you do decide that you can’t resist that bit of bling, ask questions and make sure that you purchase conflict free diamonds. It’s as simple as that!
For those of you who just want to have a pleasant evening out, Blood Diamond should be placed at the top of your list of go sees. It offers a thought provoking well acted plot. DiCaprio’s performance has generated a lot of buzz, but personally Djimon Hounsou’s (Amistad/ Beauty Shop) strong/ silent (man of few words) performance captured my attention from start to finish.**** four stars!
Honestly, I haven't seen the movie yet...truth be told Im scared! And slightly unwilling because I know that after watching the film, I will tell my friends how deep and thought provoking it was and that would be the end of that...I dont wear Diamonds, I dont live in Africa and im not in politics...in other words I feel powerless, no avenue to make a change?! Its like every other film of its genre we watch, talk, and wait for the next one to watch and talk about...what can we do?! Even those in power cant/wont Oh Akon apparently bought a diamond mine?????????!!!!Does the film reflect all diamond mines in Africa or just Seria leone? What is the point of this anyway, people are going to talk, a few celebrities will gain temporary attention for doing some campaign or the other, politicians will say they discussed it with the country's foreign secretary...and then Denziel/Brad Pitt does a new movie!! (sound familiar?)And yes, because the media is constantly showing us dead bodies and dangerous environments where lives are constantly being lost, it no longer moves/shock us as much. (Whilst we're on the subject of death AND death...whats going on SW LDN)IT'S FUSTRATING!!!
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