Fernweh From Within The Blanket

-- AMBIKA TANDON

This winter, I found in me manifest an inherent conflict: that of rising from within the comfort of my blanket. What makes for a better holiday, one might ask; sitting encased in the blanket all day, or going out, experiencing new situations and people? Both options had their merit, and I felt the pain of indecisiveness, knowing anew what the renowned Sophie might have felt. I came ultimately to a simple solution, and combined the two. I set out on an adventurous journey across various lands, traversed easily through the confines of my bedroom, and the reader may choose to retrace my steps from within theirs!

• The first destination- none other than the Spanish mainland, taking us across Barcelona, Aviles and Oviedo, with Vicky Christina Barcelona. This romantic comedy-drama brings out the best of director Woody Allen, with spunky actors, sharp, witty dialogue, and a strange twist on the classic love triangle.

USP: The sexy atmosphere pervading the movie, with actor Javier Bardem at his attractive best.

• Next we delve into the cultural hub of Vienna, Austria, with Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise, a romantic drama centering around the protagonists Jesse and Celine, who act as traditional tourists spending the night exploring the city of Vienna. The catch? They had met only a few hours before on a train, and are decidedly never to meet again. Follow the characters as they enact what is purportedly every man’s dream, a romantic night with a Frenchwoman, while they candidly explore each other on the promise of never meeting again.

USP: The minimalist character of the narrative brings into sharp detail the natural and human landscapes therein.

• Onto the North American continent with Wild, Jean-Marc Vallee’s masterpiece. Reese Witherspoon plays Cheryl Strayed, an ambitious woman with an indomitable spirit who sets out on a thousand- mile long trek along the Pacific Crest Trail, along California, Oregon and Washington. The journey is extremely arduous and fraught with difficulty, but for her it is the hike along the path to redemption, and healing a soul which she disintegrated through destructive behavior and pain due to loss of her mother.

USP: Despite being a profoundly communicative movie, it is not in the least preachy or pious.

• Travelling into the neighboring country, with One Week, directed by Michael McGowan, we have as companion Mr. Ben Tyler, played beautifully by Joshua Jackson. The man in question finds himself diagnosed with cancer, which motivates him to motorbike through Toronto, across Canada, Vancouver, documenting his varied experiences with eccentricities and vagaries of both nature and man.

USP: The age-old story of a man racing against time, with the chronologically captured geography through which viewers are taken.

• Coming next to the South American regions of Chile, Peru and Venezuela, with The Motorcycle Diaries, which recounts the adventure of two friends as they traverse these regions. It is based upon the travelogue of the same name. One would expect epiphanies contained therein to be very personal in character, but are radically different in this movie. The characters experience the destitute state of the people around them, as they interact with the economic inequalities manifest in society. This eventually leads to the radicalization of the protagonist, who eventually went onto become a Marxist guerilla commander.

USP: The movie thoroughly nuances the ideological system of the characters, making for a truly interesting watch.

• Closer home, Dasvidaniya makes for a poignant watch. It is centered around the protagonist Amar Kaul, brought to life by Vinay Pathak, a simpleton with minimal ambition, good-natured but lonely. A visit to the doctor reveals, expectedly, his terminal cancer. Thus far, the movie sounds pretty clichéd, doesn’t it? The film, however, excels as a situational comedy, as we are taken through a host of characters as our protagonist travels from Mumbai to Russia to meet a friend, each of which endear themselves to the viewer.

USP: It’s a heart-warming tale about a man learning to live life, peppered with some stellar performances by the actors.

The variety of experiences gained vicariously through these characters was truly enriching, and brought me to but one conclusion, the compulsion to write my own story, ensuring immediate escape from my bedroom.

#travel #thetravellingfoodie