escola sede: "Take a Minute, take Five!"

Mais um texto da rubrica "Take a Minute, take Five!", desta feita da autoria de Dinis Santos, do 11.º C,  sobre uma sugestão cinematográfica acompanhada de uma reflexão profunda na subcategoria "Fun Corner/Chill out time."

A ver e a refletir.

  Film suggestion - "All Quiet on the Western Front"

Some say that the only constant in human history is warfare. We have seen it several times in our lifespan and we are seeing it now again on full display in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

It is for this reason that I think it's important not to desensitize ourselves to this practice. Many of us enjoy entertainment media like movies, shows and video games that revolve around the concept of War, so it's easy to get the wrong idea of how horrifying this practice truly is.

To help us with this endeavor, I recommend watching "All Quiet on the Western Front". This piece has had many versions since the original book was written by Erich Maria Remarque, a German novelist who wrote about his experiences in World War One, but the version I recommend is Netflix's version that was released on September 29th, 2022.

The movie tells the story of Paul Bäumer who is a young German student. Since the beginning of the first world war, or "The Great War", Paul has heard his teachers, classmates and neighbors talk about the honors and excitements of war. After a passionate speech from one of his teachers he decides to enlist in the army with his whole class.

Most of the movie is spent on the frontlines of the war, which is filled with trenches, mud, rats and disease. During this time we get a glimpse into what war is truly about: carnage and cruelty. The movie shows us what it felt to be there, fighting, with grueling and gory scenes where we witness the effectiveness of weapons like the (at the time) brand-new tanks, flamethrowers and machine guns. As you might have guessed by now, this isn't a cheery movie, so I recommend you go into it expecting a somber, depressing and grim experience because that is what you're going to get from this movie.

Overall, the film will make you reflect, but most importantly, it will tell you a story, not the story of Paul, but the story of war, and it is a terrifying one.

"Only the dead have seen the end of war.” - George Santayana, 1922. 

Dinis Santos, 11.º C

cortesia de enio de Constância Silva, docente de Inglês e colaboradora do CRESCER