Flash Movie Review: Life in a Day
It does not always occur to me; only when I am telling someone the significance of an item I am showing them. The things I have purchased to display in my house all have a story. There are a few friends and family members who know the stories behind the items, but they are in the minority. There is a woven basket sitting next to a living room chair. To the naked eye it just looks like a round basket with a lid that was woven with sturdy reeds. Only a couple of people know that I bought this basket when I was in Charleston, South Carolina; at a store where all the items stocked in it were made by disadvantaged women from third world countries. The owner told me she was trying to help show these women that there was a market for their wares, with the possibility of earning a living. Almost every item in my house has some type of history that will get lost when my time here is done. For example I have a filigreed silver wine cup that came from my great, great grandfather; it looks like an oversized thimble. Since I do not have a picture of him, I can only imagine where and what he was doing with this cup since it does not look like your average dinnerware. In a way my house, I guess all of our homes; can be considered a time capsule of our lives on some level. One of the reasons I so enjoy looking at photos is because I get to see friends and family frozen in a particular time. To see what they were doing or how they lived is cool to me. You may get a better understanding why once you see this documentary. THOUSANDS of videos were submitted after the request went out, asking people from around the world to record what they were doing on July 24, 2010. A group of directors that included Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland, State of Mind) and Hiroaki Aikawa (Japan in a Day) took the videos and narrowed them down to create this fascinating montage of what people from all over the world were doing on this particular day. This film festival winner was utterly fascinating. I was mesmerized watching all the different clips; from the mundane to the extraordinary, the idea behind this dramatic documentary I felt was brilliant. The reason being, there are a variety of things we all see on television and social media that can be noteworthy events, usually celebratory or tragic kinds. A fight or hate crime can be shown, but the world is not made up of only these types of occurrences. Seeing what ordinary people were doing in their daily lives, I am a bit sad to say, offered a refreshing perspective from the abundance of violence and politics that tend to be broadcast these days. For me this was a wonderful time capsule of a single day on our planet in July.
3 1/4 stars — DVD
Posted on February 12, 2016, in Documentary and tagged 3 1/4 stars, documentary, drama, film festival winner, hiroaki aikawa, kevin macdonald, time capsule, videos. Bookmark the permalink. 8 Comments.
Certainly an original idea to look at the ordinary. I have often “complained” that the entertainment world does not provide enough “ordinary” life; specifically not near enough “ordinary” heroes who remain ordinary without transforming into something other than, as in “Avatar” as an example. I guess “Mildred Pierce” would probably fill the bill here. I suppose there are a few. Good write-up, esp. the mention of that woven basket… an almost teary moment. Thanks!
Thank you for your comments and kind words. I am glad you connected with the woven basket; the store was amazing to be in.
Life in a Day was an excellent watch. Your post makes me long to dig out old photos and Nick Naks from earlier in life’s journey
Nothing wrong with revisiting the past; thank you for the comments.
I saw this when it was first released and thought it was wonderful. My kids and I actually participated in an off-shoot project the BBC did.
Wow very cool, thanks for telling me.
Mamihlapinatapai is now my favourite word. It was cool watching different perspectives.
Thank you for stopping by to leave your comments; I appreciate it.