6th January 2024

For every debit, there IS a credit!

philippanestie Culture film

Unfortunately, I’ve been ill over the whole festive period. A very disappointing time, including missing out on a trip back home. Alas, it was not meant to be, and I was just stuck in bed with more than sniffles so not much fun at all. Tired from reading, I decided to work through some DVDs that I’d picked up previously from various charity shops. (I just knew they would come in useful at some point). Firstly I watched ‘Paris, Je T’aime’, a compilation of 18 short films by renowned filmmakers and actors. What could be more suitable? All based in Paris and revolving around the word ‘love’ with many bittersweet stories, certainly no Mills and Boon ‘sweep you off your’ feet romance, which I was truely grateful for. It was more realistic and messy, just like real life. I loved them all apart from the Wes Craven/Elijah Wood segment, I’m just not into or interested in vampires. However, overall, it was an excellent collection and interpretation of not only love, but also Paris itself.

On viewing the various scenes, I started to reminisce about my past visits, the locations coming alive for me, such as Pigalle and Sacré Coeur. It was refreshing and life affirming (which I’m generally not…sorry…) but brings me to the next film I watched, ‘Christie Malry’s Own Double Entry’, starring Nick Moran. A film I did want to see but missed when it came out in the early 2000s. Now this was the polar opposite. It wasn’t life-affirming, but denying. Of course there was some black humor, but Christie wants payback for all the wrongs in life, and who doesn’t at times? Via a correspondence course, he learns the art of double-entry bookkeeping (a subject I do know something about due to necessity) and discovers that for every debit there is a credit. He allocates a debit for the transgressions against him and a credit for his payback. All logged neatly in his journal (how suitable). I won’t go into all the things he does (just watch it), but he starts by keying an annoying neighbour’s car to the ultimate of planting a bomb, which literally ‘backfires’. The choice of watching these back to back was not deliberate, I was just struck by the contrast between the two. I certainly was glad to finally see them both, but the effect was not what I expected, and it did give me some food for thought…especially the everyday things we all take for granted. I’m guilty of this, as I’m sure many are for not celebrating and rejoicing in the small pleasures. So I definitely will be (or will at least make a greater effort to). New Year , new thoughts, and all ‘that’…