The Human Stain

I'm watching this movie right now. Should I be ashamed to admit the initial reason for me watching it is Wentworth Miller? (sheepish grin)

The story in a nutshell: a very light skinned black male decides to pass for white. He marries a white woman and ceases all communication with his black family. The big problem I have with the movie is that they never tell us WHY Coleman Silk decides to pass. Was it for love? Was it so his life would be easier? I guess they allude to the latter because we see his father, a trained optician, working as a waiter on Amtrak. Coleman doesn't want that. He wants to be accepted for who he is (which he ironically ISN'T since he doesn't tell people he's black) without out being labeled. Also, why was Coleman so light? It would have been nice if they told us how the family came to be mixed race. (Rape? A taboo consensual relationship from the past?) And the biggest question I had, was Coleman really Jewish? Was his black family Jewish? And why was Kerry Washington only in the movie for a second? Did Coleman actually go back to the record store to talk to her and explain why he was passing? You know, when I saw her name in the credits, I thought there would be some kind of relationship between them. No. Such. Luck.

When I look at Anthony Hopkins, I definitely don't see a black man. And when I look at Wentworth, I don't see a 100% white person. But the movie did make me think about how many other people may be passing. I've seen people who make you do a double take and I do know of a Mexican girl passing for European. But I digress. . .For more about passing, read Nella Larsen's book, appropriately called Passing. I might read the book that the movie is based on because it's possible that the book explains why Coleman was passing. The movie doesn't do a good job of putting the whole picture together. One last thing: was Nicole Kidman's character really necessary? She and Les added a complexity that the story really didn't need since that energy could have been spent dealing with the main storyline. I get that she was the only person Coleman confided in, but why? What was it about her that made him feel safe? And where were they driving when they crashed? And how did Les know they would be on the road at that time? I just have too many questions, lol.

The highlight of the movie was Wentworth. He's nice to look at and his voice is so deep. I need a guy like Wentworth in my life.

Happy New Year!

Wanted: New Camera

My camera is on it's last leg. I have a Fuji FinePix A205 and I bought it because I really needed a digi camera and it was $75 on ebay. It has served it's purpose, but I need a new camera with more. Maybe it's just that I don't know how to use it properly. I've tried reading the manual, but the pics aren't that great unless taken in natural light or with the flash. Lucky for me, it hasn't let me down when I really needed it (i.e. going to Paris or meeting Vogue editor Andre Leon Talley). Any ideas?

The blogger at ramblingcorner.blogspot.com takes amazing photos. I need to find out what camera he uses. Hopefully I can afford it!

2006 is winding down

I'm ready for 2007! I always get antsy towards the end of a year, especially if it hasn't been a stellar year. This year was middle of the road. It started out well. I watched Queen Latifah's Last Holiday and finally got my butt in action and went to France. I had a blast, met a cute stranger at the airport who I didn't get a chance to thank for helping me get to my destination, picked the wrong foods at restaurants, saw the requisite tourist attractions, and fell in love with Paris.

This was also the year that I asserted my independence from the mind control my mother has over me. Not to say anything against her, but she has a lot of irrational fears that she passed on to me. It has been very hard breaking those chains but let's just say going to Paris was NOT encouraged by my family. :)

This is also the year that I decided that I wanted to move to France sooner rather than later (i.e. next year!). The career path that I'm on now won't give me a break for the next 6 years (at least) so I made the executive decision that I wanted to get in a year of travel and fun before I take the plunge and become a working adult with a true profession.

The rest of the year was uneventful. It's a blur actually. I didn't stick to my fitness goals. Bleh. But I DO have a plan for the new year. I know, I know. But I do. Besides, the possibility of going to the land of thin, chic women for a year is enough to inspire anyone to get in shape! Sunday, I'm just going to ring in the New Year's alone. I like using that time as a moment of reflection. I want to get going January 1 for real. No excuses about anything! I don't want to waste a moment not working towards any of the millions of goals that I have. It's just up to me to keep the fire going.

Random shot

Jardin de Tuileries

Bienvenue!

I think it's about time that I started blogging since I'm reading a dozen blogs myself! It's good blog karma, no? Read a blog? Post a blog!

I chose the name "the franco fille" because I love all things french: music, movies, the language, the country, eh hem, the men. . .I just love french culture! I plan to move there in the near and distant future. I recently applied to be a language assistant in France, and I have a 5 month wait before I hear my fate. I will definitely keep you posted on that process!

I'm a professional student (more about that later) and having a love-hate relationship with my career choice. I hit my mid-20s and suddenly realized that I wanted to travel, have international friends, and find the joie de vivre lacking in the U.S. Unfortunately, I am knee-deep in academia. I've decided that if I'm not accepted into the program, I will just have to find a way to spend 2 weeks backpacking in Europe next summer.

This blog will probably be all over the place--like me! I have so many different interests from art to film to fashion to french culture. So, if you're at all interested in ANY of the able, come back! It is my desire to blog daily. (we'll see how long I can keep it up!) I hope you enjoy what you read here. And I LOVE comments! Please lemme know you're reading.