Gubra was phenomenal. That's my opinion. I'm entitled to it!

I loved the movie, the underlying messages and the...there's a word I'm looking for...cinematography? See what happens when one does not watch the Academy Awards obsessively?

But I did wonder if Yasmin was trying to show what life is really like or what she hopes it could be. Especially where the town holy man (imam) is so loving, loves all animals (even dogs), treats everyone (even prostitutes) with respect and kindness and is not ashamed to show that he loves his wife. I especially loved the scene where Alan (the Chinese guy) is praying in church while the imam's wife is saying her prayers and Alan's parents are saying their Buddhist prayers. Why? Because they were all saying the same thing. It's such a nice blatant yet soft way to say that we are all the same, our religions aim for the same good things. So why do we bicker about religion so much?

I may be wrong but that's my interpretation of the movie. Above all, I love the feeing of love throughout the movie. Love between friends, between siblings, between blood relations and non-blood relations. I especially love the stark reality that I usually linked to the fact that nobody who has ever loved will think about getting dressed or wearing make-up when someone you love dearly is dying. Nobody cares if they're wearing pajamas or if their fears are logical when they think the person they love is suffering or dying. At the end of the day, it should never be how you look. It should always be about what you are and how you love and how you care.

On the other end of the spectrum, I've been following a Malay drama series on TV3 called Natasha. The storyline is pretty basic, the villains are shallow and the victim is a little gullible but sadly, it does show what the general Malay society considers a good drama. I started watching it because there was nothing else to watch. I've been dissed for watching but I watched anyway. I always believe in giving others the benefit of the doubt until they make it impossible to sympathise or empathise with them.

But tonight was Natasha's last episode. After months of being convinced she is a jinx, the heroine, Natasha (don't tell me you never guessed) finally wins the day. But the writer's idea of retribution was that the evil aunt went insane and the evil cousin actually felt hardship. A classic how-the-mighty-have-fallen scenario. A little too perfect, I think. If it were me (and I am not perfect in any way), if I have been verbally and physically and psychologically abused for years and told I'm a jinx and I come into a lot of money later, I would so throw it into my evil aunt and cousin's faces. And watch them grovel. Maybe once they've suffered, I just might forgive them and help them. But that's just me.

Heck, I haven't even forgiven my 'best friend' for being stupid and ungrateful and calling me a 'past' friend. I never realised friendship had a timeline until she said it. And she calls herself a lawyer. Which reminds me of how Mac Taylor in CSI:NY is incredulous at the stupidity of educated men. I'd change his line to educated women. Bah!

Anyway, I've digressed. But I realised tonight that society likes to watch bad things happen. Then we like to watch bad things happen to bad people. Movies like Gubra gets criticised and censored. Why? For no reason other than they show love and affection. And people wonder why the rate of abuse and pshychological and social problems and divorce is on the rise.

For me, Yasmin's movies have shown what life is really like, what it can be and how it should be shown. I love her work and I'll continue to love her work. I've always cried at her commercials and I laughed when I recognised one of them in a scene in Gubra. She is better than those mainstream directors and I think they know it which is why they're feeling threatened. I would like to meet her one day because it takes guts to stand for your principles. If I can be half as strong as she is or half the visionary she is, I'd consider myself very lucky!