The film I was due to watch yesterday - but didn't get around to because of the other films I had to watch - was Jallikattu, in which an Indian village goes berserk after a buffalo gets loose. Hey-ho! On Amazon Prime, this one.
Of course, I didn't get around to it before my Meetup with London Social Detours (LSD), for a talk about Percy Shelley and his wife, Mary.. I managed to be the first on, and we had a nice chat about bad weather while we waited for everyone to join. The talk was interesting, I must say - he'd led an extraordinary life, and our host included a YouTube compilation from some film or other, highlighting his and Mary's relationship. Our host also decided that a recitation of a couple of his poems would be in order, before showing us another video - this time of Mick Jagger reciting Shelley's poetry, back in 1969. She found it amusing. I found her reaction amusing, considering that he did a much better job than she did.. Apart from the mispronunciation of all the foreign or unfamiliar words, someone should really tell her that it's simply incorrect to break at the end of every line, in the absence of punctuation..
The chat afterwards ran on for so long that it grew dark around me, and I had to turn on the light, then change my angle so it wasn't behind me. Lots about Covid - and all the Brits and Americans on the call (so, everyone but me) was dead jealous of Ireland's response, with our severity level system. The lady from Florida who comes to London every winter is still coming.. despite others' warnings about the increased Covid rate in Europe, she enlightened us to the fact that in Florida, it has become illegal to enforce any security measures at all! So, you know, she's safer over this way..
Well, my nightly bout of tv followed, but there was another lull in the schedule, so I finally caught up with Jallikattu tonight. My word, but I've never seen anything quite like this - apart from my brief description above, there really isn't any plot to speak of. The villagers are just waiting for something to set them off, breaking the veneer of civilisation that they've built up. And pretty much the entire film is manic, from beginning to end - brief moments of humour provide a slight distraction. Watch for the final sequence, when the message is made clear - the villagers and the buffalo have more in common than they'd care to admit. I'll say this for the film, it's a real antidote to whatever else might be bothering you..
And so, back to work, I guess. On Saturday, with LSD meeting in the evening again, I'm back to film - next along is Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme - a rap documentary. Amazon Prime again.
And next Sunday, LSD is meeting earlier again! So this time, it's a virtual tour of pathology, plague, & pestilence in old London Town - v topical.
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