Virtulia

I've been enjoying a new experience of late, getting together with friends virtually to watch a film in synch. Rather than being a distraction, the experience has actually created an intense focus on the films we watch and is always followed by an exchange and catch-up which I carry with me into the week to come. 

So far we've traced an international bent. My choice was The White Balloon, a stunning fairy tale-like film set on Iran's new year (which is celebrated at mid-day when sun and moon are in balance). It's a film in which a young girl wants to purchase a goldfish and tries to buy one, surviving the market of snake-charmers and shops in which she is all but invisible, being a girl. It's a wonderful film, and only my second Iranian film after Wadjda. 

The second film we watched was Tampopo ('Dandelion', the name of a widow in search of the perfect ramen recipe), a Japanese foodie-western which again charmed us and had us laughing. I can't believe how warming I've found these films watched with friends from afar.