Evan Kwok

One of the most important movies of our time. I was really moved as the movie got you to empathise with how it would feel if trafficking occured to your loved ones. It's a pressing but taboo and ignored issue yet it's a 150bn dollar a year business as well second only to the drug trade. It's especially wrong as the crimes are occurring against innocent children and people in vulnerable positions. How one uses their power tells me more about their character. If you wouldn't want it done to yourself then you shouldn't do it to others. There are likely powerful people across all industries who engage in trafficking for economic or sexual reasons which is why a movie with such a critical issue is receiving political backlash. As this movie is an ideological threat in many ways they resort to the same strategies they have in jast 3 years, including defamation by trying to connect it with QAnon, attacking the character of both Tims & stalling it's distribution. What's presented is a key issue, it's a certain story. No, not all trafficking is through kidnap nor are they all children but it's prevalence is shocking. There's apparently controversy as Tim has expressed that ritual abuse of children does occur, sometimes through genital mutilation and display, other times through sacrifice and blood drinking for the apparent euphoric effects of increased adrenaline in the blood of scared children. Aka adrenochrome. It may or may not exist but it is a possibility that you can not discount. It's probably more likely than not that it does given its referencing in popular culture and use in innuendo. I know disgusting and sick but never underestimate the capacity for evil and good at the same time. This movie has depth, intensity and heart. If you truly want to understand a person, look at their behaviour over time. What he was willing to go through, the intelligence he used to get the conviction and set up the arrest scenario, the way he adapted to the situations, the look in his eye, I thought his performance was incredible. Intense, hardened, resilient, kind but powerful. I thought the pacing was great, the music was moving, the story of the two children was heartwrenching and relatable and the exclusion of graphic exploitation scenes was respectful. It touched a nerve and it made me think how would I feel if it happened to my daughter or a loved one. A bold, powerful, daring movie with a strong and clear message. It doesn't feel like we watched the same movie, I was moved to moments of tears. Best to go in to this without any expectations. Just feel.

It made me reflect on what it means to be human, to be alive. This is the speech I would give at the opening ceremony of the liberated Libria. Sacred In Sense. Don't forget to; Slowly sniff the scarlet rose, eyes closed. Ahhhh. Salivate as the salty, spicy, sour, bittersweet umami paints pictures on your palette. Mmmm. Slowly stroke the sinuous silks & sandy silts, skin on skin, breathe within. Stare at hues of violet blues & pomegranate rouge. Grassy knolls of orange blossom. Look up! The psychedelic swirl of cerulean blues & crimson cushions. Sway to the songbirds hymn, that sweet soul whistle in the morning wind. Stand in the stillness of the motion. Still, in the chaos of commotion. Savour the moments that memories are made of, one wave at a time. As past, present, future collide. For now is the time. What truly moves you? What makes you feel alive? What transcends you from time? Sensoria! The sacred synchronicity of the senses. The sensory euphoria of the soul. The communion with the divine. The Ode to Omni. Awareness of alive.

Wasn't a fan, American military propaganda at it's finest. The acting was good but I was not invested in the characters. The struggle between ego and morality wasn't developed enough. The internal psychological struggle of Oppenheimer in realising the impact of his creation would have been much more interesting to explore rather than the way he was backstabbed. Cinematography, acting, music, dialogue & atmosphere was good but I didn't find it emotionally riveting as it felt too much like propaganda. The glorification of the military industrial complex. I wanted to be inside Oppenheimers brilliant but conflicted & devastated mind more. They forwent the true tragedy of the human impact that nuclear warfare has. They mentioned the death tolls in Japan and there was the skin melting off from the American audience but it felt like it was trying to tell a good story rather than be a deep psychological insight in to the mind of Oppenheimer. Little empathy for the Japanese experience. What I was hoping for was an insight into how one of the most brilliant minds of our times, well aware of the devastating impact that nuclear weapons can have on the world, intellectually and morally justifies his involvement & then their inevitable development. With any high technology it can be a double edged sword, used to empower or enslave. Perhaps Oppenheimer believed in the development of nuclear fission as a fossil free, clean energy source. It is doubtful that the only application he could think of was an atomic bomb, but then again he was well aware of who he was commissioned by. Instead we get a one dimensional story. The last part of the movie was focused on the faux hearing, political backstabbing and how he was treated. To me it didn't live up to its potential & I was counting down the time. Technically decent it just wasn't believable & I wasn't moved. If you like war movies then you might like it. If you want a deep philosophical, psychological thriller, a deep insight in to the human condition, this isn't it. Maybe I should have watched Barbie instead.