Your craziness is now common sense

Movies are made to do more than entertain, many are used to give a view, for however brief period of time, into another world. From flying in space to living in Renaissance England, but rare it is for a movie to tackle as monumental a task as to try to present into three different lives.

We start on the most basic level, the fear that every immigrant must feel when coming to a country with foreign customs, language, money, and their very way of living. Every corner yields something new and scary. How can one not retreat into the protection of themselves when faced with everything alien? To retreat into what they know and crave the company, the surroundings of what they know and are comfortable with. Is this not why Americans visit McDonalds and Starbucks around the world?

This then leads to the follow-up fear. For we humans adapt and change and grow almost on instinct. But how to maintain ones identity in the raging storm of wanting to conform? We as people fill countless pages and electronic bytes on our quest to answer the question of who we are, but can we figure it out before we lose it? We are taught from an early age, through insults and physical injury, to not be the odd one, to fit in. But at what price? Is it ok to be proud of ones heritage even if its not cool and makes you vulnerable? Can you dress differently but talk the same? Can you dress differently, talk differently, but eat the same food? Can you do all three differently and still expect to be accepted? How much are we willing to give up to blend, to fit in, to be comfortable?

But if that wasn’t enough, they then tackled the fear that every parent, regardless of single, couple or ménage, must feel trying to raise a child. Facing a crossroad everyday fearing decisions you make will not just affect your life but have far reaching consequences in your child’s. Is there anything that compares to the fear that every parent must feel, when faced with the possibility of failure? Failure in the most important thing they will ever do in their life, to raise, shape, mold another life. You do live your life for them.

All of this was shown in stark openness in “Spenglish.” May I start with an apology, an apology for every cavalier comment or attitude taken toward someone different for not driving well, or not knowing the language, or just not fitting in with what can be a narrow view of normal. I am not arrogant enough to say I understand what someone feels like to struggle with their own customer, their children, and their life in a foreign place, but I will say I respect it. In so many ways have I seen and experienced so little, to barely be able to appreciate others’. May we all not just tolerate but celebrate our customs and culture as well as our family and heritage.

I find myself awed by the randomness of this evening, for I never intended, nor barely heard of this movie. In fact I even bought a ticket to a very different movie (Finding Neverland). As random chance would have it, I ended up following a small bird into this very well made and different movie. Who knows how this fate works out, but it does. It made for not only an enjoyable evening but indeed a thought provoking one as well.

I highly endorse the movie Spenglish and encourage all to see it with an open mind, a sense of humor, and a willingness to see maybe just a little life through someone else’s eyes.

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On a personal note: I hope I may never lose my wonderment for movies, my perpetual optimism towards life, and the ability to laugh at the absolute worse possible times.