louisecardinal

The story is one of our age, one of disappearing jobs, forced intermingling of different cultures, and what it means to learn and expand in our world view. Because others have told the outline of the story, I won't redo that here, but rather focus on why I so completely enjoyed the film. I too saw it at the Toronto Film Festival, sitting in the first row because I was in the "rush" line. It speaks to the warm, human, and entirely charming story that I was able to actually stay with it from the perspective being practically underneath the huge screen, looking up, making sure my eyes were looking through the right part of my glasses. As a westerner who has traveled, worked, and loved being in India, I found the writing true to life and always seen from a positive angle. Todd's openness and vulnerability contributed to his steep upward learning curve, and was essential to his success there. We too must be open and interested if we want to live in a world that is increasingly global and challenging. I'm not sure how the romantic part of the story will be received in India, should the film get a distributor there, as I have found that most are pretty conservative regarding what they want to see on screen. But I wish the filmmakers all the success, and I hope they make many more films like this one.

Morgan Freeman and Paz Vega are the mismatched pair who get in the car and go about doing errands according to the need of one or the other. Morgan Freeman is superbly human, relating with one and all, while Paz Vega is the edgy cashier behind the "10 Items or Less" check out line, intimidating customers and bored out of her mind. Together they explore, discover, and learn from each other. To do that of course they must be vulnerable, interested in change, and have a sense of humour, all of which they both have. I wish this film was realistic, I wish this type of story happened more often, I wish we didn't have to go to the movies to realize that we can indeed connect with each other even if we come from vastly different backgrounds. The film's message is based in the open heart, and makes us wonder about the possibility of another world where we meet each other from there - a world where peace could be a possibility.