Paradise: Love

John 2024-08-20

Paradise: Love was one of the most unremittingly depressing and soulless movies I've ever seen. While it might have worked as a documentary, it didn't work at all as fiction. I knew the movie was in trouble when in the opening scene, the camera seemed to gawk and leer at a group of Down Syndrome individuals riding bumper cars. This set the tone for the movie; it seemed to operate from the premise the simply portraying misery and dehumanization is in itself art. Not so. There were hardly any real human interactions in the movie, and as a result nothing redemptive about it. Even the sex itself was presented oddly; we saw numerous awkward and unfulfilled moments, but we never saw Teresa enjoy her encounters for even a second. After all, something kept her going back. The movie was so heavy-handed, so focused on exploitation, it couldn't allow even a second of joy to break through. I thought that at the end, the director might offer some uplift by showing Teresa back in Austrian with a new appreciation for her humdrum job and her slacker daughter, but that was way too much to ask. At the movie's end we see her walking on the beach, lonely and morose. A good movie may leave you feeling melancholy, but it always leaves you feeling more human and enriched. This movie was the antithesis of that. As much as I didn't like this movie, I'm sure the Kenyan board of tourism liked it even less!

enkusha____ 2024-08-20

This is a very sad movie. It explores some of the worst sides of human nature, I should say. To begin with, I can sympathize with Theresa, because her longing for love and sex, although she has become too old and fat for Western European men - is after all a natural thing. I feel sorry for her, when the African men only try to suck her out of more and more money, in a completely shameless way. But then Theresa also changes into someone harder, who does not expect love anymore but just seeks sex on her own terms. She is getting ruthless, and in the end - and in the company of her women friends who are the same - she can even treat a very young man, almost a boy, as if he was some kind of animal... By then she has lost me, and I feel an equal disgust against the Western women and the African men, customers and sellers in the sex trade, alike. I have also lost all desire to visit Africa South of Sahara, ever... The photo is very bleak and dark, and it does not seem very professional. But maybe this is intentional - to make it look more like a documentary or a reality show? I think it would have been more entertaining with Hollywood standard on the photo and filming, though. This is not a movie that you should watch if you are already depressed and have doubts about the human race... And absolutely not in the company of children or teenagers, as there is a lot of nudity here and sex showed in an unpleasant way - the opposite of romantic. But if you want to learn something about w

ràchìd pòp 2024-08-20

The first movie of the 'Paradise' trilogy. All the three stories happen in the same time in different locations with different themes. But the protagonists from all the three were a family like two sisters and a daughter. So this movie which unfolds the story of 'Love' of a woman who is mother to a 13 year old. And her journey afar seeking men who make love. Kinda never heard about men called 'sugar mamas' so for me this movie was totally afresh. It chronicles the story of a 50 year old Austrian women Teresa who travels to Kenya seeking sexual pleasure. As she arrived her destination to a seaside resort she begin to explore like what most of the European women come there to seek. She finds her man but as they all are prostitute do they find her an attractive as she's a fat woman from the north. She tumble into a confusion state but sooner she things she got her perfect one. Does it long lost or she slip it away as usual for her typical reasons is the remaining. The movie had a strong * scene all over but not sexual intercourse like reality. If there are no beautiful young women and men that mean it is not belong to an adult movie. Sex is still a sex with any age men and women so I consider it is an adult movie which suits only for selected audience to view. When it comes to the story it was completely different than most of the movie that belongs to male prostitution theme. Much appreciable for the director for his unique approach to tell on the social issues.

user1597547516656 2024-08-20

This is a super film in many respects. Beautifully filmed. Interesting issues. And sensitive approach. But some of the sex scenes were exploitative of the actors, particularly the first and last sex scene (the rest were fine and gave a real sense of what was going on). I thought that it was a terrible irony that the director was making a point about sexual exploitation, when he was in effect sexually exploiting these actors, very tawdry and morally questionable. Otherwise, I would have given the film an 8 or 9. And was tempted to give it a 1 because of this.

Khosatsana ❤ 2024-08-20

I watched this for a very particular reason: last year I began researching conversions to Islam among Westerners. I found that 75% are women between 15-24. That seemed a bit odd to me...then I read a French report on Islamic extremists--most were, surprisingly, women converts! Then I began thinking about cults...the Manson Family...mostly women...Branch Davidians....mostly women....and so on. Then there is the phenomenon of the kidnapped girls, some of whom had the freedom to run away but refused to do so (Elizabeth Smart, et al.). While watching "Beatles: Eight Days a Week," which is mainly about the concerts the Beatles gave, it struck me that virtually the entire audience was young girls, all hysterical. Why???? Then, when thinking one day about Obama's mother (married a Kenyan student when she was very young, then married an Indonesian), I stumbled across this sub-culture of women who search out exotic locales for sex tourism. It's not a new phenomenon, but I'm not sure when it began-- "Heading South," about female sex tourism is supposedly set in 1979. "Bezness as Usual" is set in Tunisia in present day--but it concerns what happened almost 30 years ago--so c. 1986 or so. "Paradise: Love" is present day, so 2012. I am curious when this phenomenon began--when women as well as men began taking sex holidays. Maybe the sexual revolution of the 1960s unleashed something??? What's up with all these women? If anyone has a clue, please answer in FAQ comments. As for "exploitatio

nardi_jo 2024-08-20

Finally some meaningful film on the repertoire! I loved it although I found it a little bit slow, but I still gave it 7 out of 10. Life in reality is slow, so it is natural. So is sex. Natural! That is showing in this film. Everyone needs sex and love! So do fat Austrian women. In Austria they probably would not get any, so they have to travel to Kenya. Kenyan are so poor that it is a way to make some money. It is business! Sex tourism! There is so much of it today all over the world. Sad and funny and heartwarming at the same time. If you want a little bit break from Hollywood, please watch this.

Roje Cfa 2024-08-20

An Austrian woman on holiday in Kenya, is convinced by a fellow country woman to seduce a local boys for the fun of it as they are tasty as an exotic fruit. The hesitant woman eventually gives in and she has a taste of young love. Unaware or perhaps out of naivety that for the local boys, older European women are a good way to supplement their income she spends a bit of time under the illusion that she is loved by an attractive young man. When reality hits, it hurts and this frustrated woman turns her quest from looking for a bit of fun to an odyssey of self-confirmation. Simple, effective and nicely made this is a beautifully visual thesis on holiday romance.

Shiishaa Diallo 2024-08-20

We enter here a paradisaical world with this woman, a middle-aged Austrian who's gone to Kenya on vacation. We enter as she does, strangers, fascinated. There is no transition to this new world, no waiting on airports, no planning for the journey, we are immediately swept as if by the urge to be there. Once there we see as she does, stylized images, arranged symmetries. In the hotel resort there are trivial games, senile safety, control: the Africans are confections to be toyed with and enjoyed, ranges for the eye to roam. The question that looms is is she there for the encounter and surprise or merely looking for images to bring home to a dull life? You'll see this early in the metaphor with the monkey that takes her bait but refuses to be photographed, eluding her. More importantly: are we here on cinematic vacation or to come to an understanding? Out in the streets there is a more palpable tension however; all about baring yourself to be seen and the quest for meaning. I like the subject, the lush Africa, the sexual frankness, the fact that sex and meaning are sublimated in a viewing space between people. So I believe this could have been tremendously powerful stuff in the right hands. Alas the filmmaker is Austrian and this means that we see in the same stark light they bring to everything they do: from logic to politics to music. What does this mean, a stark light ? It means every encounter has to be sooner rather than later exposed as meaningless, because the ultimate p