The Sapphires

This week’s film was The Sapphires, another music based film. I enjoyed the movie, and the fact that it was based off a true story makes it that much more powerful. For one I had no idea that America would send a singing group to “entertain” the soldiers over in Vietnam. I mean did they do that during the world wars too? It makes me wonder, because America tries to forget the Vietnam war, no one talks about it, and when they do its not pretty. This movie made me think about the Maya Lin video we watched, and how so much controversy is tied to this war. This film held many topics that connected to a lot of the past movies that we have watched.

Besides the Maya Lin video, which went over the topics of the Vietnam Veterans, and the Civil Rights Movement, the movie touched upon the Australian Aboriginals, which we saw in A Rabbit-Proof Fence. There was also the topic of music, that we saw in Once, and knowing a “distinguishing sound” of music, which I connected to The Songcatcher. And then there was the topic of the acceptance of family, which was portrayed in Billy Elliot and La Mission. The Sapphires, as a group, were extremely brave women. I don’t understand why they would have volunteered to go to a war-ridden country to sing to soldiers that are not even from their country and who are still fighting for equality back home. I don’t see how thirty dollars a week is worth risking catching a tropical disease or getting blown up.

All and all, this film held the every topic and many issues that we covered once before. The women in this film have displayed what it means to be strong when no one else is, what it means to be brave when you are terrified, and what it means to love when you have been hurt before. I enjoyed this film, and can see why Julie’s son wanted to make a movie about his invincible mother.