Danish Week

I enjoyed the discussion that Wenche brought up in class today. It really brought to light how different life in Scandinavia is from the United States. I found the discussion about how the Danes are measured as the happiest people in the world to be great.

It is interesting to think about how different people measure happiness. Is it by your personal fulfillment, relationships with other people, religious beliefs, faith in government, or lack of stress? Whose responsibility is this happiness? In the US, this measure of happiness is completely left up to the individual. It seems in Denmark however, this individual happiness is the responsibility of the entire population and the government. The sense of security that is a given in Scandinavian countries due to their high taxes and sense of social responsibility has a large role in individual happiness.

Mifune Reaction

I found Mifune to be a very interesting film. However, not in the same way I might appreciate a more typical style movie. The Dogma-95 style film almost made me feel like I was intruding on the lives of these people. It was just so raw and seemed very honest. However the honesty was only so believable. The characters' stories were far fetched and seemed to be exaggerated. I don't believe that the marriage between Claire and Kresten would have ever happened. A relationship based on that many secrets simply does not seem possible. Additionally, why would Claire react the way she did and ask for divorce immediately? You would think that she would at least stick around to hear Kresten's story.

There also were a lot of parts of the story that were left unanswered. Like the prostitute friends that attacked Kresten - what really happened there?

Overall, I did not particularly like the film. The story did not seem to be complete. The Dogma-95 style film was an interesting concept, however, without developing the characters further it was a bit lost.

Reaction to Danish Week

Wow! That was easily the best presentation/speaker we've had yet! One particular topic of interest to me was preventive care, specifically in the realm of public health. It's true, it does make economic sense to invest in taking care of the citizens in your country. A little effort can go a long way in terms of a healthy population. What would happen if we took care of each other more? If we looked out for the standard of living for all, instead of just the wealthy. It is no surprise to me that Demark trumps the rest of the world in happiness, and I'm sure the U.S. is nowhere near the top. To broaden this idea, what would happen if we were preventive in more areas, not just in health? What if we invested in education for all citizens? Something to think about. I really think that many Americans, especially the wealthiest of the country, lack perspective.

After Watching Mifune

I admired the movie very much. In many ways, Mifune is about family, and about how, no matter how hard one tries, it's ultimately impossible to hide - the truth, as they say, will find you out. There are times when Mifune's storyline stretches a little too far but, the strength of many of the film's individual moments makes up for it. This movie is built upon unique characters, evolved relationships, offbeat comedy, and great acting. There is also a lot of emotion.

Much of the film is on the farm and shows how each of the characters fulfills a need in the others. In the end, they come together as a unit. They come to terms with themselves and each other. And, despite Mifune being dramatic, it contains some bizarre comic relief. The prostitute is an amazing actress.

-Dylan

Finland: Music

The Finland Music class I thought was was very interesting. The lecture tied the movie, Mother of Mine, in with the history of Finland, where the children were shipped out of the country during WW2. The lecture then took the movie, and Finnish history and incorporated it into music. You could hear the East, and then the West, battle, triumph, and peace, all in one song. It shows how Finns are very passionate about their history as a country since 1917.

-Dylan

Mother of Mine

What a powerful film.  I can easily say that Mother of Mine told the most intense visual story I have experienced in a long time.  It really hit me when I left class after the first day of viewing and I was still thinking about it on my bike ride home.  I guess what really hit home for me during any WWII film/presentation is that my grandpa was actually apart of it.  While this event seems so far from memory, people still living and, in this case, related to me, were there and actively apart of the events.

Also, I never know about the relocation of Finnish children to Sweden.  In my life there, has always been a heavy focus on the Holocaust of WWII and the effects/consequences of that.  So to be shifted outside of Poland, Germany and the Uk and placed in Scandinavia was eye opening.

The story was incredible sad and heartfelt.  Actually, totally unexpected.  Beyond the obvious story-line and events that took place.  Seeing the methods of transportation and communication used at that time in Scandinavia were elements that I was using to compare Scand to the US at that time.  It appeared that the technologies were very similar in those places.  Seeing the country-side of both Finland and also painted a nice picture of the landscapes in those countries.

I liked how the story was organized.  Starting with Eero as a grown up finally ready to talk to his mother and his mother distant and indifferent.  As the story unfolds, his relationship with his mother changes dramatically in many directions.  This can also be said about his relationship with his other "mother", Signe.  Thought it was interesting how those relationships played off eac other.

In the end, 2-thumps-up in my book.  Definitely a movie I will recommend in the future and an important topic to understand in the history of Finland and Sweden.
       

Finnish Music Response and Social Justice World Rankings

I love the sound of the Finnish language and the fact that the music is so dependent on the natural rythms of the language makes for some really interesting songs.  I especially appreciated the humor of the Finnish people.  Looking to "Land of Sorrowful Songs" as an example, it seems like they choose to laugh about some of the horrible things that humans do as a way of better coping with them.

Scandinavia was also in the news this week and all 5 countries topped a listing of social justice by country in the NY Times.