Travel is a common source of the theme of movie. However, these three movies have special stories with travel. They seem like just a travel movie, but there are something interesting and moving. While you watch these movies, you can feel the true meaning of life following their travel. Let’s begin the travel through movie.
Travel to Discover the Real Life
-Summer of Kikujiro (1999)
It is summer and nine-year old Masao has no one to play with. With soccer practice suspended and his friends away at the beach, living alone with his grandmother seems even less fun. By chance, Masao discovers the address and photo of the mother he has never met. But with little money and even less sense of direction, he needs help. A friend of his grandmother volunteers her husband, Kikujiro to accompany the boy on his quest. Kikujiro hardly seems an ideal companion for anyone, let alone for a boy as sensitive as the sullen Masao. Brash, loudmouthed and always on the lookout for easy money, the irresponsible Kikujiro doesn't even appear to be overly fond of children. The first stop for the unlikely pair is the cycle races, where Kikujiro gambles away the boy's travel money. In order to continue their journey, the two are forced to try to hitch rides, which they do with varying degrees of success. Along the way, they encounter a number of colorful characters, including a juggling woman, a traveling writer, and two friendly bikers. Ultimately, the two of them end up at a destination that neither of them could have imagined.
(http://www.sonypictures.com/classics/kikujiro)
VIEWPOINT
*Director, Takeshi Kitano
In Summer of Kikujiro, director Takeshi Kitano changed his movie style. The biggest change was that he created a ‘Road movie.’ The characters are different, too. In this movie, yakuza and police officers are missing, while a child and kind people are the main character. Also, there are no Kitano-style violent scenes. Summer of Kikujiro was exhibited at the 52nd Cannes Film Festival. Kitano himself played Kikujiro in this movie, and his character’s name is in fact his father’s name.
*Child’s Point of View
This movie depicts the story of a child trying to find his mother but it doesn’t see the world from a child’s point of view. The boy knows well that he was discarded by his mother, and he doesn’t get deceived by Kikujiro into thinking that they found the wrong house and that’s why his mother is not there. The child just recognizes the absence of his mother without forgetting or neglecting the reality that he confronts. He is adapted to the world in this way.
(http://jojofilm.egloos.com/)
Journey to make life different
-The Motorcycle Diaries(2004)
Before the world called him
Before the world recognized his worth
The Journey that made his life different
Based on a true life story, The Motorcycle Diaries started as a determined plan by Ernesto Che Guevara and his friend, Alberto Granado. ‘Che’ was young, 23 years old, and a medical student with bright prospects, while Alberto was a biochemistry student. They loved to travel with each other and decided to go on a road trip across Latin America. The journey continued through Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia, and Venezuela from December 1951 to July 1952. Although they were excited and inspired at first, the reality was not that easy. Through experiencing many adventures and some troubles, they realized gradually that the reality was too different from what they had expected. During their trip, the two youngsters had awakened to reality and their calling toward the society belonging to them.
“My time on the road helped make my whole life different.”
- Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara
VIEWPOINT
*His Motorcycle : Ponderosa
“Ponderosa” means a material measure. Because they were sons of wealthy families, they didn’t know what reality was exactly. With the loss of their motorcycle, Ponderosa, they walked the land directly on foot and they were thus able to come face to face with the real world.
*Alberto Granado
Alberto is not just a friend to Che. He is both a like-minded person and brother. By sharing a lot of communication with Alberto about reality, Che grew into a leader of society and Latin America, realizing the actuality. Not only for Che, but also for Alberto, the relationship with one another was special.
Odd Brothers’ Valuable Experience
- The Darjeeling Limited (2007)
Three brothers, Francis, Peter and Jack meet after one year’s separation to deliver some important news to their mother who lives in a convent in the Himalayas, India. But there is another purpose also; the eldest brother hopes the three of them will become closer than before by traveling together. However, it is difficult to be intimate because all of them are of low mental age even though their bodies are those of adult men. Finally, their traveling reaches a case of kill or cure which is caused by jealousy, lies, and tale-telling.
Moreover, they are expelled from the train because of making problems such as having an affair with a member of the train crew, and bringing a venomous snake on board, which is banned. However, from this time, they start to cut their teeth. When they see children falling into a river, they throw themselves in to save the children. Also, they participate to the end in the funeral service for a boy who died. The three heroes are people who never find the meaning of life, but they start to get an idea about it during their trip through India.
VIEWPOINT
* Train
This movie’s main stage is the ‘Train,’ the Darjeeling Limited of the title. The three brothers move by riding the train, have their episodes on the train and live on the train. Why did the director choose the train as the main setting of the movie? It is because the train is the most suitable space in which both story and place are changed. To depict more varied stories in a more lively fashion, director Wes Anderson chose the ‘Train.’
* Short Movie
The notable feature of this movie is that there are two parts in one movie. Before the main movie (part 2) starts, you can see a 12-minute short film called ‘Hotel Chevalier’ which is about an episode between the youngest brother Jack and his girlfriend in a hotel of the same name. Also, there is a special appearance by Natalie Portman, who is a famous Israeli-American actress, as Jack’s girlfriend.
