Water Diviner - fairy tale with lessons

I was not planning to see the film. I thought that I had seen enough of war films being brought up on Holocaust based films and literature. I understand that there have been tragedies that nations can not just forget even if many years have passed since the events. War stories have been regurgitated as, of course, there is a lot to process and hopefully learn from. I understand that Gallipoli has been such an event for Australia and I respect it. That does not mean that I wanted to lower my, in recent times, fragile mood. I was not in the market for a depressing story. In fact I was in a need of something uplifting.

I am very glad that a friend gave me a gentle push and I decided to give the film a go. It was mainly for the company of my friend, though, I decided to see the film after all. And here came a big, nice surprise. I really enjoyed the film. In comparison to the holocaust inspired films this was really a light weight event. Fun, sweet, romantic, beautiful scenery took over the deadly serious subjects of war. I loved a lot of this hardly believable story. I needed a fairy tale and I got it. When I think of how the hero of the film, Connor, found locations of his long lost sons, how he managed to get support for his mission from unlikely multinational sources, water divining mysteries, by contrast, seem to be most likely and scientific.  

The film is telling a war story and teaches about its atrocities, about forgiveness, about duality of truth but not always in a solemn way. Some of the “holly” subjects are even slandered and this does not hurt their holiness. Even the love story is highly improbable but so sweet and pleasant to watch that one forgives lack of psychological probability. I did anyhow.

"Everything is in the coffee" - she says as she helps the fate a bit but cheeting

What I find interesting is that Russell Crowe, the film star and the director is to me a quintessential “simple Aussie boy” even if born in New Zealand – a larrikin, tough, no nonsense person who seriously supports South Sydney Rabbitohs – a rugby league team. There is more sensitivity, romanticism and softness to the Aussie boys that I had understood. 

Conor and his cheeky, little  helper 

I reflected on Polish ways of making war inspired films. Sure, there have been comedies related to the war subjects but Water Diviner style is somewhat out of Polish possibilities to make a war film in a similar way. At least, I perceive it that way. I think I leave my national comparisons without further reflections. It could lead to a total confusion of my readers and me.

Bottom line – I recommend the film.

Memories of Christmas

Christmas went by in a way that it was not too exuberant for me. Nice and homely though.  There were no Polish excesses of 12 dishes on my Christmas Eve table this year but my Aussie favourites – oysters, prawns and a blue swimmer crab. Even if I do not follow the lessons of my original catholic upbringing, I still follow the tradition of fasting on Christmas Eve. Fasting in the sense that no meat should be present on the table this special day. In this case, I am more catholic than the Pope. The Christmas Eve fast has been actually abolished some time ago by Vatican. But at my family home there was never any meat this evennig and for some reason it is important to me to keep the tradition.

Even if it was a non event Christmas, I got two presents that I enjoy very much and that have left a mark of Christmas 2014. I am a tea drinker and all accessories related to tea are very important to me. I have many tea pots and special tea cups but I still stop at tea shops and examine any possibilities to add to my collection. My friend recognising the weakness of mine, gave me for Christmas a lovely tea pot and matching mugs. I am enjoying my tea in the new mug while I am writing this post.

Another special gift from another dear friend was a book by John Baxter – The Most Beautiful Walk in the World. John Baxter is an Australian writer who lives in Paris. As it turns out we, John Baxter and I, have at least one thing in common. Love for Paris is the thing. For many years I have been fascinated by France and French and especially Paris. A promise of three years of life in Paris many years ago, made me leave my home country. It turned out to be only eleven moths and the Paris assignment continued, to my chagrin, in Dusseldorf but I had great time in this wonderful city even if at that time I was home sick crazy.

The book about Paris woke up my love and fascination with Paris. It also reminded me of flaneur-ing. I heard first the word flaneur from another friend of mine, who likes the word so much that he is going to camino flaneur-ing in Spain. This is taking the word flaneur to its extreme. So many kilometres of flaneur-ing! I think that this is a great plan, Hans, and I envy you.

So what does it mean to flaneur? It is to wonder the streets without an intent to get somewhere but just to observe what’s around. Diane Johnson, in her book Le Divorce, defines it as "mess[ing] around with no guilty sense of being unoccupied." So maybe Hans will  not  exactly flaneur in Spain as his intention is to get to Santiago de Compostela is clear.

Rain should not stop a real flaneur

After reading the book and under its influence, I took into flaneur-ing in Mosman. My observations include inspecting the neighbouring properties. Checking the architecture, gardens, size of the houses, local pets.... I am wondering if being a flaneur in Mosman does not carry a bit of danger of being misunderstood for a Peepping Tom. Paris is definitely the ideal place to flaneur, but for now Sydney suburbs will have to do for me.

Curiosity and need for detail in observations are important to a flaneur

Flaneur-ing in Mosman made me notice that gardens of the properties are shrinking and the houses expend their living space. This is not a happy observation. Green spaces are shrinking. Mosman Council pay attention!