Singapore Dreaming

Singapore Dreaming takes us on a journey into the up and down lives of a contemporary family living in Singapore. The Luh family is working class and has members of the family caught up in the fast growth of Singapore. Wanting a better life quickly, the Luh’s face the realities of their struggle. Finally big dreams come true when Poh Huat, the father of the family, strikes it rich with the lottery. Soon greed gets the best of everyone and battle lines are drawn for shares of the money. Everything changes when father has a heart attack. Everyone shows their true colors in the event of father’s death. Mourning their loss, their relationships with each other begin to strain when they squabble over who is deserving of the money. The Luh family shows the viewer how money and selfishness can tear up a family.

As we see in the film the Luh family is living in what looks like a large apartment complex. This type of complex is government owned and called public housing. In Singapore the Housing Development Board or HDB is responsible for public housing. Public housing in Singapore is not looked as poverty; in fact it is quite common for Singaporeans, whom are middle class, to live in public housing. Singapore has a large population and little space for its residents. Singapore is about 3.5 times the size of Washington D.C. and has a population of 4.6 million residents. These large public housing compounds enable many people to live in close proximity. According to an HDB website, there are about 86% of Singaporeans that live in HDB housing, compared to 9% in HDB’s inaugural year of 1960. The picture to the left is an actual HDB complex.

Language is an interesting aspect in this film as we hear many different languages being spoken. This is a reflection of a multi-cultural society. In Singapore Dreaming we hear mostly Hokkien, English, and Mandarin. We also here something that sounds like English but sometimes is hard to understand, this language is a Creole called Singlish. English was introduced when Singapore became a British colony. There are little hints in the film that Hokkien is a language that is not traditional to Singapore. For many years the Government tried to push for Mandarin and English. In the past they implemented education guidelines that the schools teach the mother language Mandarin. Hokkien and other languages have declined sense the governmental guidelines were enacted, though Hokkien is still commonly heard on the streets.

In Singapore Dreaming we get a clear look at Taoist funeral practices. There is a great deal of preparation that goes into these funeral services. We see in the film that the Luh family goes into great detail in setting up a paper display of their father’s belongings. This is so the dead can use these things in the other world. A large paper mansion is on display along with a car and even a pool. This is all burned in the culmination of the funeral. In the film we see that the family is holding a wake in large communal area. This is actually at their HDB public housing complex and is there for these types of special occasions so the residents have space to send off the dead. The picture to the left is a similar looking paper house that I saw in the film.

In closing, we see this film with many similarities of our own environment. Money and greed are universal and sometimes people get caught up with the thought of money getting them everything they ever wanted, yet we sometimes forget what we already have. Singapore Dreaming geographically gives us much to grasp. Language, religion and just day to life in the film give us a greater understanding of Singapore.

Rabbit-proof Fence

Rabbit Proof Fence takes us to the continent of Australia. As we see in Rabbit Proof Fence, Australia is a very dry place. It is actually the driest inhabited continent on earth. Australia is arid or semi-arid in ¾ of its land. Also as we see in the movie there are not many elevation changes. Australia is also the most flat continent. Its highest point is Mount Kosciuszko which is 2,228 meters high. The population of Australia is about 20 million people with most of the population centers on the coast.

Rabbit Proof Fence is based on true events which give us a look into the treatment of aboriginal people of Australia. Aboriginal people can be traced back 40,000 years as inhabitants of Australia. In the 17th century exploration by European settlers began. It was in 1770 when Captain James Cook took claim of the area in name of Great Britain. Rabbit Proof Fence takes us to 1931 when there was a special law or aboriginal act that controlled the lives of the Aboriginal people. The goal of the Aboriginal act was to breed out the black race. A man named A.O. Neville was the chief protector of Aborigines and was the legal guardian of every Aborigine in the State of Western Australia and held his position for 25 years. As we see in the movie, the state has the power to take any half-caste child away from their family and then taken to Moore River. It was here the children were taught to be white and was the place where the main character and her sister and cousin escape and make the long journey back to their homeland Jigalong. I can’t even imagine the strain this put on the Aboriginals. This was in fact stealing generations from these people and stealing their identity.

I was wondering while watching, what the true meaning of the film’s title. The title Rabbit-proof Fence was indeed the actual purpose of the fence. The fence was constructed between 1901 and 1907 to keep rabbits out of Western Australia pastoral fields. We learn in the movie there are actually three fences. A map of the fences is posted to the left. The rabbit was introduced to Australia when it came over on the first fleet from Great Britain and was released into the wild in 1859. The rabbits spread like wild fire and had a real negative effect on Australia. Today many native plants and animals are extinct due to the introduction of the rabbit.

Once Were Warriors

Once we were Warriors takes us to Auckland, New Zealand. Auckland is the largest city in New Zealand. It is located on the North Island and has a population of about 1.4 million people. New Zealand is broken up into two islands, the North Island and the South Island. New Zealand is located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean and is 1250 miles southwest of Australia. This movie shows us urban life of an indigenous Māori family in the City of Auckland, New Zealand. Māori is the word that refers to the indigenous people of New Zealand. This film is a graphic look into a Māori family dealing with issues such as alcoholism, domestic violence, and poverty.

There are many social economic issues we see present in this film. Māori’s are depicted as a struggling society. Many examples of poverty are noticeable. Also there are examples of Māori’s belonging to gangs and being involved in criminal mischief. This is actually a big issue in New Zealand. The majority of Māori are a struggling society. Māori account for 14% of the population and yet 50% of the prison population is Māori. Māori also suffer from more alcohol and drug problems than any other group in New Zealand. The Māori also suffer from racism in New Zealand. This film did a good job at bringing these problems to the surface. Along with Jake’s domestic violence issues and his alcoholism we see that he also has a gambling problem. In scenes we see him betting on horse races and he becomes very agitated when being interrupted when watching the race. Horse racing is actually major contributor of New Zealand’s economy. There are actually 59 horse racing locations in New Zealand and the industry alone provides 18,300 full-time jobs. New Zealand generates about 1.4 billion a year from its racing industry. The racing is not where New Zealand stops with its horses. New Zealand has many breeding company which breed top horses for exportation to such areas as Australia and Asia.

In the film we see that some Māori are more connected to their ancestry than others. The family of focus in the film really doesn’t get back to their roots till the end when everything falls apart. Their son Mark “Boogie”, becomes attracted to his ancestry when he is taken from his home and at his boarding school he is introduced to Māori customs. During the film we see many examples of Māori customs. We see many Māori adoring tattoos on their face and body. Tattoos or in Māori language “Moko” are very traditional to the Māori. Tattooing is started in adolescence, usually to celebrate life events. We also see traditional Māori weapons in the film. We see Boogie using a wooden stick to break out windows in his boarding school. This was no ordinary stick; it was what is called a Taiaha. A Taiaha is a traditional weapon of Māori from New Zealand and is about 5 to 6 feet long. The weapon was used in close combat situations. It is pointed on one end and widens out on the other in broaden blade. The Taiaha is not commonly used for combat for today’s generations, though it is still used in traditional dance rituals.

One thing I found interesting with the film was there were a few parts that had American influenced items. In the scene where Nig is being driven to the gang beat in initiation ceremony we here a reference to Michael Jackson. The gang leader lets Nig know that he will not have to pay for his face to get rearranged like Michael Jackson. I thought it was quite a funny line in a movie that had little humor. Also I noticed a few movie posters in Gracie’s room. They were movie posters of Lethal Weapon 3 and White Men Can’t Jump. Both movies came out in 1992 which just a couple years prior to Once Were Warriors debut.

Eat Drink Man Woman

Eat Drink Man Woman takes place in Taipei, Taiwan. Taiwan is an island southeast of mainland China and is north of the Philippines. Taipei is the capital of Taiwan and has the largest population at 2.6 million people. Taipei is a major industrial hub and most of Taiwan's textile factories are found here. In this film we learn about what is different and what we have in common with people of this region. Culturally we see many things that are unique to Taiwan, but we also see that family problems and situations are really universal. We can easy relate to how this family operates. It is just like many families here in the United states. Many families alike may only get together during a dinner maybe once a week and have to deal with issues such as divorces, pregnancies, marriages and death. Usually they all don't happen in such a short period of one another, but this just shows we are very much alike.

As we look at this film and examine the society it is hard to define different social classes. Throughout the film we don't see the poverty that was apparent in Beijing Bicycle. Not to say there is no poverty here but it just wasn't shown. Mostly we see people in the same economic class as Mr. Chu's family. Mr. Chu is a well known chef and his family is well off. They live in a nice house and have nice clothes. Even all of his daughters seem to have a computer in their rooms. Looking at unemployment rankings, Taiwan has a fairly low ranking at 47 compared to the United States 62. Not showing a wide perspective of social classes as a geographic learning tool was probably the only downfall compared with Beijing Bicycle. Though this movie had much more dialogue which gave us a chance to see into their thoughts and understand them better.

I have come up with some advice for anyone that is going to watch this film. Don’t watch on an empty stomach. Food, food and more food. We see many different dishes prepared by Master Chef Chu throughout this movie. Fish, ham, tofu, chicken and crab are just a few of the foods we see. According to a web site I visited, fish is the most popular meat in the country. Of course we see all these foods eaten with the chopstick utensil. The chopstick is believed to be originated in ancient China during the Shang Dynasty in 1600-1100 BC. The chopstick is traditional in use in China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam. I also discovered on the Internet that Taiwan has a conservation effort and is making a push for reusable chopsticks to limit litter.

Athletic activities were highlighted in the film. It seemed like every day at Jia-Jen’s school they were playing volleyball. Volleyball must be a popular sport in Taiwan. Also we see that Mr. Chu enjoys going jogging. During his run we also see others out exercising. Similar to the Beijing Bicycle we see Mr. Chu getting rough massages.

Transportation in this movie was a little different than that of the Beijing Bicycle. There were not near as many bikes in this movie. There seem to be mopeds in their place. Mopeds were abundant on the streets of Taipei in the film. Mopeds are clearly the choice of transportation in Taiwan. Roads are crowded and mopeds are the easiest and fastest way to get around the city. Driving a car through the cities centers can be difficult. To the left I have attached a picture taken from a street in Taiwan. As you can see Mopeds are highly relied on. Also we notice that public transportation is utilized. Taxi's and buses are shown frequently in the film. Mr. Chu has a well off family yet we never see any of them driving their own car. I have attached a link I enjoyed that gives a short overview of Taiwan trasportaion. http://videos.howstuffworks.com/hsw/12547-taiwan-transportation-video.htm

Beijing Bicycle

Beijing is the setting of the movie Beijing Bicycle. Beijing is located in Northeastern China. It is the political, educational, and cultural center of the People’s Republic of China. Its population is around 17.4 million people. This film does a great job at showing the viewer many different things geographically about this region. There are many examples of cultural, environmental, and economical geography in Beijing Bicycle.


Economically we see many different levels of social class. Early in the film it is shown that rural-urban migration is present. Many come from outside farming communities to find work to survive. In the first scene of the film the countrymen are applying for the bike delivery position. You can assume from their nervousness that they may have never applied for a job and quite possible are uneducated. In this film I noticed a distint prejudice attitude toward the country migrators. They seem to be really looked down on. Guei's friend even tell him that, "the trick is, not to let anyone know you're not from here", reffering to their neighborhood. We see the living conditions of this social class in Guei’s neighborhood. These families have their own living areas, but all other areas seem to be communal. The buildings they live in seem to be connected or nearly on top of each other. There are skinny roads that go through these communities and look something of a maze. Water seems to be short supply and faucets are found outside and shared by many neighbors. Even Guei and his friend share a tooth brush in a scene. As Guei starts his new job as a bicycle delivery man he begins to see new luxury style places and you can tell he has never seen anything like them. This is ever so present when Guei does not know how to navigate through a revolving door. As we see Guei working as a bicycle delivery man we realize the bicycle is an important means of transportation in Beijing.


Bicycles are seen in very high numbers in the film. Bicycles are the number one mode of transportation in Beijing in front of cars and public transportation. There are an estimated 10 million bicycles in Beijing. Bicycles actually in the past were relied on more, but automobile usage has increased. It was common site for bicycles to cover the streets from side to side. Now bicycles are restricted to bike lanes which are quite wide. In the film we see that there are actually traffic lights specifically used for cyclist. They look like an ordinary traffic signal but have an image of a bicycle in each light. In the film we also see examples of how bicycles are utilized for many things other than going somewhere. We see people using there bikes as vendors and also we see the bicycle as a mode of moving things. Refrigerators, furniture, and a mattress are seen being moved throughout the city in the film. There are many common areas where citizens’ store there bikes. In the scene where Guei gets arrested for allegedly stealing a bicycle, he is looking through a common bike storage area. Streets are also littered with bike racks filled with many bikes. You could say bicycles are a big part of Beijing’s culture.


Culturally we do see a few things that represent the area. Tai Chi is seen performed in two scenes. Tai Chi is a Chinese exercise technique that uses smooth and slow body movements that relax the body and the mind. Also in a scene at Jian’s school we see basketball courts in the background. Basketball is becoming more and more popular in China. Yao Ming who plays in the NBA was a big part in the spring board of the sport in China. Recently the 2008 summer Olympics were held in Beijing and basketball was one of the more popular events. Many believe that basketball may not be far from becoming the most watched and played sport in China. In the last chase scene in the film you can see a group of older gentlemen gathered around a board game with wooden moving pieces. I am not sure what it was but I think it may have been chess. A Chinese chess board looks much different than our version of chess board. Chess is also a popular sport in China and China places very well in competitions with the rest of the world.


Lastly I wanted to comment on a couple things I found interesting from the film. First I was curious if there was a big problem in Beijing with bicycles being stolen. Turns out it is quite a problem. I found a stat on a web site that stated that in the months leading up to the Olympics that law enforcement had cut bike thefts in half from 4 million to 2 million bikes stolen in a 9 month period. There are actually bike theft gangs. It is so common for your bike to get stolen that most people don’t even report the thefts to the authorities. The government is implementing a plan for bicycle registration numbers to prevent the theft and resale of the bicycles. Another thing I was intrigued by was the seen where Jian is taken in the trees by his girlfriend. She is looking up at the sky at the sun like it is a rare sight. This made sense; they probably rarely get a look at the sun with all the smog in the area. China is the 2nd largest producer of greenhouse emissions in the world and are projected to overtake 1st from the United States. China is industrializing at record pace and air pollution issues will increase. With acid rain and many documented respiratory issues, this will be one of Beijing’s biggest challenges in the years to come.

Veer-Zaara

India sits in south Asia between China and Pakistan and this is where the movie Veer-Zaara takes place. Veer-Zaara is a Bollywood production. Bollywood is the name of the Mumbai-based Hindi language film industry in India. Veer-Zaara is story of forbidden love by a man from India and a woman of Pakistan. During the movie you get the feeling that there is something of a barrier between cultures of the two countries. Not much on the Indian side though. Indians seem to treat their guest very well. Pakistani’s seem to keep a barrier up. We find this out a little more to this toward the end of the movie. In a court scene near the end of the movie, one of the attorneys mentions to the other of bitter war memories of 1947-1965 and 1999. This somewhat pieced my suspicions which grew throughout the movie. Additionally I spent some time with readings on the internet to find that Pakistan and India have been in rivalries for over five decades.

In Veer-Zaara we get to learn not only about border relations, but also what the landscape has to provide and customs of the two countries. I would say that the movie focuses on the Indian culture more, but I find the two countries had many similarities. In the musical scene where Veer shows Zaara his land, we really get a great vision as to what India’s landscape looks like. In one scene I notice a few girls harvesting these orange flowers. I had seen these flowers in other Indian movies in the past and was curious of their significance. The flower is called a Marigold and is used in Hindu religious ceremonies. Another landscape attraction I noticed was the abundance of wheat fields. India is actually the second largest producer of wheat in the world. Approximately 12 percent of the world’s wheat productions come from India. Northern areas of India are covered with wheat fields. Many fields in the movie were also growing sunflowers. India has a national priority in vegetable oil production and their sunflower fields are a main reflection of this market. Not only do we get a grasp of landscape, but also we get an idea of cultural activities of this region.

I had no idea that carnivals and fairs were such a big part of Indian culture. In Veer-Zaara we see Veer and Zaara attending these fairs. India is actually known for its carnivals and festivals. Everyday festivals are celebrated all around the country to celebrate religious passion and respect for life. Fesitals are used to celebrate many different things. They are not only a big draw for locals but are also a big attraction for tourist. Sports were also shown in the film. Veer’s Dad (uncle) is portrayed as a sports fanatic. He is seen playing two different sports. One sport was Cricket and the other sport I was a little unsure of the name. After doing some looking around on the internet I discovered that it was field hockey. It is known as the national sport of India. Field hockey is not the most popular sport. It plays second fiddle to Cricket. Cricket is by far the most popular sport in India. You can go anywhere in the country and Cricket will be played there. India’s are obsessed with the sport. India is usually one of the best teams in the world and actually won the World Cup of Cricket in 1983. The ’83 team is still talked about and much pride is still there for that Championship team. The picture above is the '83 team photo.

I wanted to touch on the hospitality of the Indians in the film. As Veer introduces Zaara to his parents we hear very hospitable quotes that suggest India is a warm place for visitors. One quote was, “In my country a guest is revered as a God”. This really speaks volumes to the hospitality of Indians. Another quote says, “And no matter what land he comes from, he becomes part of the land”. This lets the viewer get an idea that there are no enemies in this land.

Lastly I just wanted to comment on the snack that Veer’s lawyer brings to him in Jail. In the movie the snack was referred to as Ladoos. I discovered a minor significance in the director's choice of snack. A ladoo is an Indian, Pakistani or Bengali sweet. This shows that they though they live in different countries, yet they have much in common. A ladoo is made to celebrate festivals or weddings and are made of flour and various other ingredients, depending on which type you are making and to cap it off it is dipped in sugar syrup.

Veer-Zaara was a wonderful movie that really let the viewer soak in much from this region. There was so much that I could of have written about from the film. It helped that in the film one character was showing another all about their homeland which gave the viewer a chance to learn many different aspects of the region. I would recommend this film to anyone wanting to learn about this region.

Good Bye Lenin!

Good bye Lenin is a movie that takes place in the time period of the breaking down of the Berlin wall. The film does a great job at showing the viewers the different ways of life were on each side of the wall. We watch as the main character Alex and his family deal with the uniting of East and West Germany. One big obstacle for Alex is to convince his mother who was in a coma during the fall of the wall, that it is still up. Her doctor fears that too much excitement could result in a fatal heart attack. Alex’s mother is devoted to East Germany and is an activist for social progress. This is when the movie gets real creative to ensure keeping the secret from Alex’s mother.

As the wall comes down we see the distinct difference in the two sides. Alex ventures off for his first trip to the West and we watch as he walks into a porno shop. A few East Germans, men and women, are gathered around a TV which is showing a naked female rubbing whip cream all over her body. Neither disgusted nor excited the East Germans watch with blank stares on their faces. They are watching something they never even imagined. Changing of person choice is also evident as Alex’s sister Ariane quits studying economic theory and begins to flip burgers at Burger King. Capitalism really floods into East Germany after the fall of the wall. Coca Cola and Burger King are two companies who are shown as examples of capitalism invaded the East. Many of the working class hero’s lost their lost their jobs. Alex’s TV repair company shuts down and he then begins his job as a door to door satellite TV salesman and installer.

As his mother wakes we get to witness Alex transform everything back to his socialist society so his mother will not go into shock. Alex begins to move all the old furniture into the house. Alex goes to lengths to keep it from his mother. East German food is now unavailable and has been taken over by westernized products. This is an obstacle for Alex. He can’t find the products that mother wants so he fills old jars with similar products. Mocca Fix Gold and Spreewald Pickles are a couple of mother’s favorites. Another product that is East German Approved was the Trabant. In the scene when they are trying to get mother to sign over her money the name Trabant comes up. Unsure what it was, I did some research and found out that it was the most common vehicle in East Germany. In Latin Trabant means “fellow traveler”. The name was inspired by the Russian satellite sputnik.

I found Good bye Lenin to be a very informative tool as to grasp how it was for citizens of East Germany when the wall fell. There were many things that I learned from the movie. I had no idea that the German soccer team won the world championship following the fall of the wall. I can’t image how much that helped unite the country. Many times when there is adversity in a country or a institution, it seems that something like sports like can really unite people and bring them together.