Saturday, April 17, 2010 Boy A - The Movie Posted by juphelia at 15:29

I just finished a very thought-provoking show called "Boy A". As I need to rush assignments for the weekend, he brought over a disc he borrowed and we watched it in between breaks.

The show is about how a child criminal who was thought to be involved in the murder of a girl when he was only eleven, was released from prison upon his adulthood. His social worker then gave him a new name and a new identity, even finding a job for him and helping him fit back into society.

I wonder if any of you remember this case around fifteen years back, on two ten-year-old boys who kidnapped and killed a toddler? This happened in England. The two boys were put on trial and convicted of murder, hence thrown into jail. But they were released around ten years later upon reaching adulthood.

I wonder what happened to them? I know they were given anonymity and then moved elsewhere. But were they given a second chance? Were people still out for their blood?

When you commit a crime, specifically killing someone, as an adult, you will either be hanged or sentenced to life imprisonment, at least in the local context. But the law gives allowances for underage criminals.

About ten years back we had a case where this guy plotted with a teenager to kill his wife to get her insurance money. The teenager then stabbed his wife to death. The guy thought he could get away but being the mastermind, he was hanged. No compassion was shown to him when the verdict was out.

The teenager, being underage, escaped the death penalty. But because he is of sensible age and knew fully well what he was doing, he was sentenced to jail "to be kept at the President's pleasure", which means he may still have a chance to be released. He is probably still in jail.

If he is ever released, I wonder how society will view him? Should he be given another chance? Society does not take kindly to murderers and rapists. People are relatively more tolerant if you were jailed for a minor crime than a capital offence, especially if you murdered or raped just for kicks.

If the boy was ever released, what then? Would he be able to start life over? In any case, he is no longer a boy. He should be in his early twenties by now. Would he be given a new identity and released under anonymity?

Back to the show, the repented child criminal wanted to start life over. He got along well with his co-workers. He saved a little girl in a car crash. He became a little hero amongst his friends. He found a girlfriend.

Then his identity was blown. As a result, whatever good he had done and however well-liked he was, turned around overnight. He was fired from his job, his friends distanced themselves away and his girlfriend went away.

He felt the stigma of his past would always be there so he decided to go away once and for all. Before that he left messages to everyone telling them goodbye.

If only people are not so judgmental, would it turn out this way? I guess people will always be judgmental, but does it mean no one deserves another chance? Who is totally faultless? I am pretty sure many of us lie and manipulate to get our way, even to the extent of backstabbing.

So who are we to label others as such? It is already hard to survive in society as it is, and even harder for someone with a criminal record. People like us should not make it any harder.

The Men Who Stare At Goats - The Movie Posted by juphelia at 10:49

Imagine you can kill a goat just by staring at it. You can walk through a wall by staring at it. But would that be good? Like what George Clooney's character said in "The Men Who Stare At Goats" after a goat dropped dead in front of him when he stared at it for a while, "What had that goat ever done to me?"

What if you are blessed with psychic powers? Would that be a blessing or a curse? Would you use it in the right way or the left way?

Some people will use their powers to do good (think "X-Men"), some will use it for evil purposes like conquering the world. It is a gift that not many are blessed with, if there are any at all.

At times I wish I have psychic powers myself. It is always very tempting to see what my future is like - whether I would have a good or a bad future. No one can change the past but there is always a chance to fight for a better future.

But then again, do I really want to know? Honestly, I rather not know than to feel depressed if the future is not as beautiful as I would like it to be.

Is it not better to be a normal person than someone who can see the future and live a life of agony? I rather take life as it is -the happiness, sadness, sweetness, bitterness. Because that is what life is all about - no shortcuts and making the most of it!

The Lovely Bones - The Movie Posted by juphelia at 09:42

I managed to watch a few movies the past three weeks but do not have the time to update. These are all overdue but I thought I better do it before I forget everything.

Of all the shows, the one with the most impact is "The Lovely Bones". It tells the story of how a teenage girl was murdered and her spirit rose up into the in-between where she watches on as her murderer got his just deserts and her family broke apart and started to heal.

Which makes me wonder, how do people deal with death? I ever reflected that when a person dies, what he was in life is best seen during his wake. I attended a wake last year on the demise of a friend's father. He was only in his sixties.

But he must have impacted a lot of people when he was alive, because there were many people who went for his wake when they heard about his demise.

Similarly, when I see the number of visitors my grandma has everyday and the number of people who called up asking about her, I know she has impacted a lot of people when she was young, that these same people still show respect to her and teach their children and grandchildren to show the sane respect to her.

I know in the event she passes on (touch wood!), her wake will be full of people in attendance. These people will be those she had impacted, with their children and grandchildren in tow.

When my grandpa passed away, the three day wake at my place was full of people. My parents provided dinner for those visitors and everyday, both my living and dining rooms were full of people. I did not realise it then but now I know my grandpa himself had made an impact on many people in his younger days.

I am ashamed to say I have never made an impact on anyone the way my grandparents did. Maybe when I pass on, no one will notice and I will just die an old, lonely death. But if I ever pass on, I hope to be able to die peacefully when I am still healthy and not become bedridden and be a burden to others.

It is one thing taking care of my grandma and perhaps my parents next time, but I will not want nor expect my younger generation (if any) to do the same thing to me.