Movie Review: One Day

Everybody loves drama movies. Well, not everybody, I mean every sentimental persons who watch movies. For those of you who know me, you must know that I'm used to watching drama movies (especially comedy-dramas). At the end of last year I happened to read an article on girl magazine about Anne Hathaway, whom will play in a new drama with Jim Sturgess. It was said that she'd play differently in that movie from she usually did. I didn't care too much what the title is, that I forgot about it until I found the movie last week in video store.


It is a story about Emma Morley (Anne Hathaway); an ordinary smart and nerdy girl and Dexter Mayhew (Jim Sturgess); a free-spirited playboy, the two fresh-graduated University of Edinburgh college students who met at the end of their graduation day. They decided to have some fun the night after the graduation, sort of having fun with stranger but they didn't mind and thought of nothing to lose since they were strangers to each other. But eventually, they became best friends ever since, and they had promise each other to meet every year right on their graduation day date, which is July 15th.

The movie continues with scenes on every July 15th, year by year. It tells us on how Emma cope with her early life in London after graduation, how orgy and naughty-person Dexter is, and how they still contacted each other to share their problems (mostly Emma's on their early days) and merely talk with each other. Emma was trying hard to earn a living, to be better in her life with what she got and her miserable low self-esteem of facing life, while Dexter was fooling around being playboy, he didn't give a damn about his future. They grew up, living their own life, while still met once every year and still befriends with each other. They both didn't realize yet that they had kept feelings for each other.

Emma started to gain confidence as she grew up. She found steady job as a teacher (her dream job is to be a writer), and also met a guy and lived together with him. She later found out that she wasn't in love with that guy. Dexter, who was still in the haze of orgy life, got a job as a television programme presenter. His life and his job seemed to be ruined after his mom died. He tried to reach for Emma, but Emma was also busy with her current life. They did met at their July 15th but things didn't worked fine that time, Emma decided to call off their friendship because of what Dexter thoughts about her current job.

Years and years went by, he then got married. Emma felt sad, she started to realize that she had feelings for Dexter, but then she decided to move on. Dexter's marriage apparently not going well, his wife cheated on him. They divorced and Dexter's life became miserable. He tried to reach for Emma again this time, but Emma had just started to find love and new job as a writer. Dexter flew to France to meet Emma, and felt disappointed when he knew that Emma just found a guy. Just when Dexter was about to go, Emma realized who her true love was, it was Dexter. Finally after all those years, after many July 15th(s), they happily got together as a couple.

One ordinary day (I forgot in what year) - that July 15th, to be specific - something terrible happened to both of them. Emma got street accident, she hit by a truck and died. It was a really sad moment for Dexter, his life was ruined and became miserable again. This time he was really broken, as if his life was going nowhere. Good thing he still had his friend (some friends and his ex-wife) and the most important is that he still had his dad, whom he had quarrel with before. He got back on his feet, tried to rise and live his life to the fullest, this time without his true love. He finally understood that eventually he was in love with his very best friend after all this time.


I recommend you to watch this movie. Yes I know it's not happy-ending, but it's still worth to watch. You will find that this movie's far from being a fictitious drama, instead you'll surprise to see the real-life feel of the movie. The plot, the tones and styles, the settings; all great and satisfying. I also adore Hathaway's british accent! She's very talented, she really sounded like a britishwoman. And Sturgess... Lookin ace, man. The first time I watched him was on Across the Universe (Beatles' tribute movie), and he was really great. I would like to rate 9 out of 10 for this movie.

Every drama movie has a lesson. From my point of view, I think this movie told us a lot about love and friendship. Do say your feelings to the people you love immediately, as long as it's still on the right track, well- Do it. You will never know how or where or when you gonna lose them. You will somehow - lose them - one day. And now, while you still got time given by God, go on and say it to the people you love. Mom, dad, friends, or many others. Because sometimes some people were really special to our lifes. They were really right for us, as if they were angels sent to us from God.

Emma and Dexter's friendship is really cool. They kept on contacting each other every year on the same date (every year of their life after their graduation! How cool is that?), as if they had special occasion, the truth is they only used the moment to talk and share with each other. Sharing - is some kind of communication needed in every friendship or relationship. Sharing somehow will built empathy and trust between people, it tightens the bonds between them. Knowing that love is to share, The Beatles once said.

♥ : Film Jadul

di antara seabrek hal-hal favorit, salah satu di antaranya adalah film jaman dulu alias film lawas. sepertinya karna memang dari masih kecil dulu saya udah sering dicekokin sama yang jadul2 (musik, buku, mainan, dsb), jadilah ahirnya saya suka segala sesuatu yang jadul, termasuk film-film jadul.

film jadul? seperti yang kita semua tau (mendingan sekarang nyamain suara dulu kali ya, haha), film jadul yang saya maksud di sini adalah film yang diproduksi dan juga dirilis berpuluh2 tahun yang lalu, antara 30 sampai 70 tahun yang lalu. film jadul yang saya maksud di sini adalah film jadul dari luar negeri, yang umumnya (hampir semua yang saya suka) bergenre romantis alias cerita cinta lalala. haha.

film2 jadul yang selama ini saya tonton biasanya punya ciri2 yang khas, yang umumnya juga dimiliki sama film-film jadul lainnya. biasanya, durasi film jadul bisa dibilang (sangat) agak lama, kalo dibandingkan sama film jaman sekarang yang biasanya cuma sekitar 2-3 jam. film jadul bisa sampe 4-5 jam. dan kenapa lama sekali? saya iseng menarik kesimpulan dari hampir setiap film jadul yang saya tonton, yaitu karna di tengah-tengah film jadul ini biasanya penonton disuguhi oleh konflik2 yang (terkadang) kurang nyambung sama inti jalan ceritanya. biasanya di tengah2 film, jalan ceritanya suka agak bleber, ya meskipun kalo dihubung2kan sih masih nyambung2 juga sama inti jalan cerita. ya kurang lebih mendukung inti cerita. tapi menjelang akhir film, jalan ceritanya kembali lagi ke jalan yang benar. hehe.

seperti yang udah disebut di atas tadi, biasanya film jadul masih banyak yang belum berwarna, alias masih film hitam-putih. tapi umumnya film tahun 1960an ke atas udah banyak yang berwarna, meskipun hasil warna dan ketajaman film masih sangat2 jauh kalo dibandingkan film jaman sekarang. proses perekamannya pun belum digital seperti sekarang, masih manual dengan menggunakan berbagai macam peralatan filming yang saya sendiri juga ngga ngerti.

beberapa di antara film2 jadul bergenre romantic ini masih banyak yang mengangkat tema tentang konflik rakyat jelata - bangsawan/darah biru, ataw lain2nya yang masih nyangkut2 ke status sosial dalam masyarakat. hee.. sebenernya film jaman sekarang juga nyambung2 ke situ sih ya. apalagi sinetron2 indonesia, erat banget kayanya sama tema yang satu ini. tapi, tetep aja, apapun subtema yang diangkat, tema utamanya tetep; it's (mostly) about love.


film jadul romantis biasanya agak lebay. ngga to the point, cenderung didramatisasi. tapi justru (lagi2 subjektif menurut saya) di situ serunya. buat orang melankolis, film jadul romantis mungkin adalah salah satu genre film yang tepat untuk ditonton. "i love you" di film jadul romantis ini bisa dijadiin dialog yang sangaaaat panjang hanya dalam suatu bagian adegan film. menjabarkan "i love you" dengan panjang bangettt hampir di tiap romantic scene yang ada dalam film. dan kalo boleh dibilang, agak gombal juga sedikit. tapi gombalnya film jadul bisa dimaafkan, karna lebih terkesan naif, polos, dan jujur. lagi2 pandangan subjektif saya. hehe.

yang paling saya suka dari film jadul... yep, soundtracks-nya. lagu2 yang umumnya dipake buat jadi soundtrack film jadul biasanya dibuat dengan sangat niat; lagunya panjang, liriknya macem2 (kadang2 lirik lagunya pun jadi berasa kayak dialog! saking panjang dan hebohnya lirik tsb), dan seringkali make orkestra sebagai melodi dari lagu2 tsb. bahkan ngga jarang juga, beberapa film jadul ada yang berjenis film musikal, alias film dan musik diramu menjadi satu.. sebut saja misalnya, yang pastinya udah pada tau; The Sound of Music. keniatan penggunaan musik dalam film ini bisa juga diliat dari beberapa film jadul di mana pemeran utama biasanya dapat banyak porsi nyanyi dalam film, tapi kadang si pemeran utama ini ngga bisa nyanyi (bukan penyanyi), sampe akhirnya dibela2in si pemeran utama ini men-dubbing suara penyanyi aslinya, supaya terlihat bener2 nyanyi di film. sangat niat, dan di sini bisa diliat juga betapa musik berpengaruh besar buat film jaman dulu. romantic movie + oldies + music... what a combination!

kombinasi film + musik ini juga ngga bisa dipisahin sama yang namanya tarian. yup, hampir semua film jadul romantis musikal menggunakan tarian di hampir setiap bagian filmnya, terutama bagian pas ada nyanyi2nya. menyenangkan dan refreshing buat yang menonton pastinya. tarian yang kadang dipake juga lucu dan fresh, para pemeran prianya make jas rapih dan pemeran wanitanya make (long) vintage dress ala Mary Poppins di film Mary Poppins ataw Eliza Doolittle di film My Fair Lady. sering juga menari rame2, dengan pemeran2 pembantu yang ngga secara langsung terlibat dalam inti jalan cerita. misalnya kayak di film My Fair Lady; pemeran utama menari bersama2 sesama pedagang kaki lima dan penjual bunga, ataw di Hello, Dolly!; pemeran-pemeran utama mengajak seisi kota menari bersama dengan latar lagu 'Put On Your Sunday Clothes'. adegan dalam film yang sangat menyenangkan (lagi2 subjektif hehe), coba kalo kehidupan nyata bisa se-fun itu :)

belum banyak film jadul yang pernah saya tonton, mungkin baru 1% dari sekian banyak film jadul yang ada. hehe. film-film yang buat saya sangat2 berkesan ada beberapa, dan ngga semuanya bergenre romantic; Breakfast At Tiffany's, Roman Holiday, Hello, Dolly!, Mary Poppins, My Fair Lady, A Hard Day's Night (karna ada beatles-nya :p hehe), Melody, The Way We Were... tiba2 jadi pengen ngereview satu per satu di sini huehe, next time pengen. hehe. dan sekarang masih dalam tahap hunting film2 jadul bareng keluarga. sulit juga nyari2 film jadul di bandung.. btw di sini banyak banget info dan list A-Z classic movies.

and again... jadul is good.