Off the top of my head — Initial thoughts on the film “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse”
You should sit with a film after you're done watching it.
Pause for the story.
Let it absorb you.
Let yourself be absorbed by it.
Reflect on it.
You catch a few things while you're watching the movie for the first time, bits and pieces.... moments that deeply affect you emotionally, but many a times you are unable to recall the exact moment or dialogue after the credits roll. "What was the line he said? It was profound. Something to do with...." and POOF! It has vanished from your memory.
And it's okay.
Because this was your first viewing and you're just figuring out where all this is leading to. You're not paying attention to the nuances or details. A thing or two might jump out to you but not everything will stay in your subconscious. Nevertheless pause for a few minutes. Whatever bits have registered with you, you stay with the story you've just witnessed.
I was unwell the day I watched "The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse" for the first time. I was bedridden and unable to do anything except sleep or watch TV. I went into it knowing nothing about the premise, just that it's a story about a boy, a horse, a mole and a fox. Exactly what the title says.
It's a beautifully etched film.
It's a beautifully sketched film.
Made me tear up a couple times. I found myself relating to each one of the four characters. For instance, the Mole who's mostly optimistic and wants to enjoy simple things in life like eating a cake, the Fox when he says he doesn't interact much because he doesn't have anything interesting to say. The Horse when he replies that "asking for help is the bravest thing, it isn't a sign of giving up rather an indication that you are not ready to give up": An important life lesson many fail to grasp.
In one scene the Mole says, "When you do not succeed the first time, eat cake." It simply means when you do not succeed in your pursuit the first time, you can take a break, reflect, treat yourself for trying and then gear up again. Such lovely thoughts expressed in the simplest words. The film with a runtime of 34 minutes is filled with many revelations I'm still reeling on to.
With time on my hand and an entire day of resting and healing, I decided to jump onto another movie immediately after watching The Boy.
But then I stopped.
I couldn't move on from The Boy in a jiffy. He was talking about love, kindness, friendship. Generic words if you ask someone. In a cunning corrupt world of this day and age they might not hold meaning to many. And yet so important. Avoiding conversations, shunning people, distancing myself, being tough worked for me till now because the society at large was bitter towards me. I shouldn't let this behaviour become my character trait though. I could be kind. I should strive to be kind. The world at large might not be, but there's a tiny portion of it, those who are kind and nice, a sliver of humanity helpful and friendly. People you can call home. The story is about finding yourself at the same time helping others to find themselves.
And together we can find home.
Because home isn't just a place, is it?
