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Reviews
The Cheer Ambassadors (2011)
A story that moves you more than you might expect
The Cheer Ambassadors turns into a much more compelling tale than at first glance you might expect. Thai cheerleading team goes to world championships - where's the story in that? But as the film fills you in on the limited history of cheerleading in Thailand, you start to realize how unlikely it is that the Bangkok University cheer team would get anywhere near world championships.
Additionally, this documentary connects you with the people involved, making the story a much more personal one. You see characters who defy expectations, defy stereotypes, and who push themselves much further than seems possible. Midway through the film, you find yourself asking whether excellence requires a manic personality. The answers arrives, leaving you emotionally shattered, picking up the pieces even as the BU team struggles to do the same.
Whether you are interested in cheerleading or not, if you are interested in how people exceeding expectations - especially their own expectations - and achieving excellence, you will find this well-made documentary engaging and even inspiring.
Berbagi Suami (2006)
Feminist and yet different than you might expect
Nia Dinata's sophomore feature weaves together three independent stories, each a woman who finds herself the wife of a husband who has multiple wives. The stories are tied together in clever ways that are reminiscent in a way of the movie "Sliding Doors".
So what would you expect from a female director/screenwriter on the topic of polygamy? While taking an anti-polygamy view, the film will challenge you because it does not come across as clear-cut as you might expect.
Instead, we see these three women struggle with conflicts between personal identity and identity through family, self-respect and religious conviction, and independence and security.
Well-acted and tightly written, this is a film worth seeking out if only because it is so different.