Great Film: Beyond Borders
Sad but as realistic as can be
I didn't even know about this movie until I chanced upon a trailer of
it and then realised it hadn't even made it to the cinemas. I wondered
why so I searched on IMDb, most comments are mixed but I reckoned I
should give the movie a watch but couldn't get hold of the DVD until
now. Only then did I know why it never made it to the box office nor
even near any cinemas in certain countries.
Let's face it - we go to the cinemas to forget our problems and not be
reminded of them which is precisely the reason why movies like these
don't make any money but others do. Most movies about injustice and
persecution always have the good guys win in the end but this movie
doesn't. In fact, we're introduced to the startling reality of the
lives of volunteer workers and what they have to go through with all
their good intentions in place. We are also introduced and/or reminded
of the ugly side of humanity as to why certain countries will never be
able to have peace because people are just too selfish fighting out
their own agendas to spare any thought for another person.
Clive Owen was superb in this movie and whilst I would've liked to see
him paired up with Catherine-Zeta Jones (the original choice for the
female lead), Angelina Jolie was pretty decent as well. It could've
been worst coz the behind-the-scenes commentary said their original
male lead was Kevin Costner. No offence but I don't think he would've
pulled it off. He's too 'The Bodyguard' if you know what I mean.
The love story is just a sub-plot and was so subtly done and there are
no mushy lovey-dovey sequences to make your eyes roll. It's just a
simple story about two people bonded by their common passion but whilst
one chooses to act it out whole-heartedly, the other keeps a silent but
burning fire for it. Now, that's love!
One commentator here said that this movie doesn't do any justice for
the refugees and the victims but I must say that no movie can. Even if
you do visit these places to see for yourself what really goes on, you
have a choice - you can leave whilst these people don't so unless you
are in that exact same position, I think nobody should ever try to
comment about it because it's something I don't think none of us in
developed countries can ever truly understand. Besides, this movie is
about the volunteer workers and what they have to go through and the
love story between the two leads as the backdrop to distract us from
the painful realities depicted in the movie. I don't really agree with
some inaccurate plots in certain movies but I don't know the 110% truth
about this movie so I just accept it and then find out more about it if
I want to. It's something you can't expect from movies anyway coz
movies are not supposed to educate but just to entertain and maybe
enlighten us a little. You want a 100% accurate show, then go watch
National Geographic.
All in all, the filmmakers of Beyond Borders deserve some credit for
trying to tell a story different from the rest of the junk playing in
the cinemas nowadays. Some of you might have felt they didn't really
succeed but I still think they gave it their best shot. Now, you have
to give them at least that!
Cast
- Sarah Jordan played by Angelina Jolie
- Rolly played by John Bourgeois
- Henry Bauford played by Linus Roache
- Nick Callahan played by Clive Owen
- Charlotte Jordan played by Teri Polo
- Elliott Hauser played by Noah Emmerich
- Steiger played by Yorick Van Wageningen
