Because I love movies, I will practically watch something that a friend would recommend and tell me that it is a nice movie, in any language, as long as there are subtitles to it, language barrier solved.
I recently watched a Russian movie, on YouTube. Just because I need to watch it so I would be able to understand more the Russian translations I am currently doing as part of my work. And maybe learn Russian along the way.
The movie is called The Irony of Fate, a very nice classic romantic comedy movie, set in old Russia. Being a fan of romantic comedy films, I loved it. I think this is where my other favorite American films like Sleepless in Seattle, You've Got Mail, Serendipity were patterned after. These kind of movies are loved because it's something that makes you feel good after watching it. And it is about love and romance, the universal language.
Purely Russian without a hint of English words , unlike Philippine films that would be almost 50 percent English and 50 percent Filipino, I found it amusing and even developed a liking to the language. But it's different when you understand the language because sometimes the subtitles can mislead the whole essence of the movie. I remember watching a movie in Taiwan, I was surprised the Taiwanese were already laughing yet the dialogue spoken in English wasn't funny. And me and my companion were like, "what the...?" :) And it's hard concentrating on the movie while reading the subtitles.
It's also a good thing that Filipino humor is almost the same kind of humor Russian films have, so I was able to ride on with the exchange of funny dialogues and even the irony of it all. I just can't seem to understand "black humor'.
The movie gave me a different perspective on how I see Russian as a language. It's different when you see it written , which looks complicated, from hearing the words. Especially when the woman (Nadya) was speaking it, it's like a song. She has a very feminine voice and I love how she delivers the lines. I like hearing how the "r" is pronounced, how the r's are rolled. I like the dialogues. Well, they were translated to English. I don't really understand the language, but there are words that are becoming familiar now like no, not, dear one ( the one in the songs).
I particularly loved the lines like..."I'm a surgeon, I'm supposed to make people hurt so they can feel better.." that sort of thing. And how he said he once proposed to a girl but then the thought of her living in his house kept flashing before his eyes, on and off.., it just made me laugh so hard..Commitment issues, I can totally relate.
The plot is also great, and that's why many people loved this movie. But it has a political undertone to it. It was some sort of a " subtle attack" to their government at that time about constructing the buildings with the same designs up to the littlest details like the doorknobs and having the same street names and villages in every city. That would only be the probable reason why a drunk man can think he is in his own house while in reality he was thousand of miles away from his real home, with a little help from fate of course.
The story is about a shy surgeon Zhenya, in his late 30's, obviously with commitment issues and has a fear of proposing marriage, as with every man I know. Finally, he gets to propose and was engaged to be married on New Years Day. But in a sudden twist of fate, after going to his high school friend's ceremonial bath ( in Russia it is their culture that men go to bath houses as a form of socializing, more of like a "sauna bath" here in the Philippines.) And so after a series of toasts for the shyest guy and his bride, they had more than enough drink and they all got drunk. Being drunk and all, his friends forgot which one of them were supposed to go to Leningrad the next day and got him on the plane instead. Because the landscape and the streets were exactly the same in Moscow where he lived and in Leningrad , he thought that he was still in Moscow. A girl named Nadya lives in the exact same address as he had.
Initially, the two had a certain animosity towards each other which eventually changed when they get to know each other more. Since he had nowhere else to go to before his flight back to Moscow, they were stuck with each other. Because their respective partners, Nadya has a boyfriend named Ippolit, and Zhenya's bride-to-be, Galya do not understand and believe what really happened, both ended up losing their partners. Amid all the confusion, they decided to part ways. And that's when Nadya realized that she has to go to Moscow to follow her heart's desire. After all they share the same address.
I used to believe that fate was the one responsible for where and what we become in life. But then as I mature, I sometimes would argue with that and say that we are the ones responsible for what we become in life and fate is the outcome of those decisions. But to make life less complicated, so I can focus on the more important things in life, I leave something for fate to work on like finding my life partner. :)
That or signing up to Match.com. :)
Moral lesson- Vodka, beer and chocolates on an empty stomach don't mix well. It's a lethal combination. :):) I've had my own share of bloopers with vodka and after that incident, I never drank one sip of it. Ever.
Words to ponder on:
The opportunity to find love is ever present. How soon or how late we find it depends on our willingness to go beyond our limits. More importantly, as Aileen Santos, relationship coach said, " Yes God wants the best for your love life, but you have to want it for yourself too. Want it enough to actively take the risks,make the journey and grow into the person ready for love."
So, are you ready for love?
♥
You can watch the movie here:
Enjoy the movie and have a good laugh!
Embedding is disabled so I can't embed it here.
Photos from : kinobuff.com
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