Óculos (2007)

I like eccentric characters -- but these are too unlikable and pretentious. "Merci exercises" and "twighlighting" but no straight answers from any of them, ugh. These were not simple people going about their simple lives -- "The Zen Diary" did it so much better.

Nothing is ever explained -- why is is so cool to ride on the lady's tricycle that even the student who has just arrived knows about it? Does the school teacher ever teach? Why does the guest house owner not remove the wheel of the tricycle when he checks for punctures in the tire? (That last one hurt to watch.) And what about that other hotel? Nothing is connected, even though it seems to want to be until the last minute. This is not simplicity, this is faked depth.

It did have its surreal moments, with the hotel where guests worked on the vegetable fields or how the woman pulled her heavy suitcase along the sandy beach -- but these moments were far and inbetween.

I don't really have anything else to say, the film deeply annoyed me. *And* it bored me to tears.

If you want to see a cool film set on an Okinawan island, go watch "Nabbie's Love".

Edit to add: This film has won the Manfred Salzberger priye at the 2008 Berlinale and was a nominee for the "World Cinema - Dramatic" categegory of the Sundance festival, so there are certainly people who think the film is excellent. And as you can see from Elisheva's comment below, there are viewers who like the film. Please don't follow other opinions, make up your own.

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