Mongol...

Well, I have to say that last week's film, Mongol, was surprisingly interesting. I will admit that when I figured out that the film was about Genghis Khan, I wasn't exactly thrilled about having to watch it. I wasn't all that excited about the subtitles either because I have never really been a huge fan of films with subtitles (not that there is anything wrong with them, I just get a little bit distracted by them sometimes). However, after the first few minutes I was hooked. I thought that this film was absolutely fascinating. Everything in this film felt very authentic, but I tend to focus on things like composition, camera movements, things like that, so the visual aspect of the film stood out right away. I thought the cinematography in this film was stunning. From start to finish, every scene was captured beautifully. Aside from that, the story itself was really interesting. Who would have thought that Genghis Khan had a heart? Based on my own misconceptions and what I had learned about him in the past, I was expecting to see this savage being who destroyed everything and everyone that got in his way. It was pleasantly surprising to see him portrayed in a more humane way (okay, so maybe humane isn't the best word to use to describe him, but you get what I'm trying to say, right?). After watching the film, you kind of feel for him in a way because of all that he had to go through from the time he was a child. You sort of gain a new perspective on why he behaved in the ways he did. It wasn't because he was a monster, he was doing what he thought needed to be done to protect himself and the people he cared about. The film definitely puts a fresh spin on the story of a man that is generally known for being a barbarian, so it was really interesting to see. It makes you think about the fact that sometimes things are not as they seem and reiterates the importance of considering certain issues from different points of view to get the complete story.