Monday, June 9, 2014

Once were warriors

warning, spoilers in this post.

This movie hurt my soul. I first saw it when I was very little...maybe 9 years old. That was probably a mistake since I'm quite sure I got overwhelmed and ultimately so confused by the intensity of it - I didn't know how to emotionally process what I was watching. grown ups tried to hide these kinds of movies from me but I always found a way. I've always been too curious for my own good. human behavior in all it's forms fascinated me! I loved mysteries in particular and was always entertained by a good old 'whodunnit' movie! Alfred Hitchcock movies were my favorites! 'Dinner with Andre'  'Frankie and Johnnie' ugggh boy did I want me some Al Pacino then! that dude was sexy in that movie. still is! lol

'L'ultimo Baccio' is a beautiful Italian movie I highly recommend. 'Sleepers' kept me from sleeping for days. that movie was gut wrenching and painful to watch. I hate seeing people suffer and this movie had plenty of suffering in it. children nonetheless!

Back to  ONCE WERE WARRIORS ..I've seen it a few times since but just thinking of the movie immediately reminds me of that scene where Jake beats his wife then rapes her.
as a kid I remember watching that scene mortified that a man would unleash such rage at a woman...at his wife. while their poor children listened he mercilessly beat their mother into oblivion.
We're talking punches, banging her against the walls, breaking a mirror with her face, kicks to her belly when she fell to the floor...he then rips of her clothes as her throws her on the bed. we get a glimpse of her bloodied face before he rips of his own shirt yelling 'you do AS YOU'RE TOLD' before proceeding to rape her. the dude went berserk on her in that scene and all that...because she refused to cook for his friend. The same friend that would later rape their 13 year old daughter who would kill herself  as a result of the rape. I felt so....sad. so helpless as a kid. This man terrorized his family and somehow the love between them was so strong...you get kinda effed up watching it. The impact war and violence has had on us as people manifests itself in so many ways. To have such violent tendencies towards your own family is the most unnatural thing in the world as it is our instinct to protect our blood. our family.

I'm ready to watch it again. to see what else I can learn from it.




2 comments:

  1. WOW!! No I never saw this movie, domestic violence is an illusive trip, I'll look for it on Demand..reminds of a situation i experienced as a Social Worker years ago in Cambridge,Ma. One of my clients was involved with a street Hustler, who slept in several apartments around Boston, occupied by single mothers, whom he strung along for free shelter ( common behavior ) this one particular client was in love with him (go figure ), I visited her home to redetermine her for eligibility for (AFDC: aid to families with dependent children ) she acted nervous, all doors in the apartment were closed off ( no man is supposed to be present in the home) I was aware of all the signs, but I continued my visit, review and pertinent info. She was later denied food stamps and grant Money, which was a way to draw him, out of the home, on a Friday evening, this guy shows up at my Office, demanding to see me, he pulled a gun on me, threaten to kill me, if i didn't reinstate her, I told him I could not, unless he was prepared to provide for his children, if they were his, or Pay stubs if they weren't, he freaked out..but ended up walking away. later that evening, I was at a Gig,when my (beeper went off..yeah,Pager!! ). My client had been beaten and thrown from a 4th floor window of her apartment, I went to the hospital, she was badly bruised, a broken leg and arm, I recorded this,the police took a statement, she refused a restraining order....by Monday morning, the guy was back in the apartment...I allowed her grant to continue, for her protection and her children, although he was collecting it for himself ( he had many such arrangements)...using it on the street like an investor!!...I never recovered from that...I resigned from that position. A lot of those type stories, led to that decision..too many. Someone always has to die, in domestic violence, before anything is done..even today. Love and War, this is part of the culture of death and dying that plagues the Planet, here in the US it seems even more, with our guns,knives and thirst for violence. I've lived in LA, Boston,Orlando, Atlanta..I find the same madness everywhere, it hurts to see this. As a child I saw my mom struggle because her relationships, and for her needs for companionship. Fear and desire are confusing motivations. I will stop here, as you can see I have lots of stories to tell. Peace

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    1. I can only imagine how much you've seen during your time as a social worker! It breaks my heart to read stories like these. How people can prey on others, especially people that already down and struggling is just deplorable. It's sad that we think love looks so violent and cruel. at most, it's passionate but it's kind and FEELS good. anything outside of that is a perversion of love's true nature and what it's meant to do for you as a person, as a couple, as a family...which is heal you, give you joy, forgive you, liberate you...complete you. That's love's sole purpose in my opinion. Id love to hear more stories from you! perhaps I could post them on my blog and share with others. people could always use eyeopening stories like the one you just shared. x

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