It begins with an old bearded Tom Hanks sitting by a fire delivering a truly astounding monologue,
"Lonesome night. Babbits bawlin', wind bitin' t'bone. Wind like this carries voices, ancestry howlin' at'cha, screaming their stories, all their voices tied up in't'one. And out there's you know who spyin' from the dark... Old Georgie and me crossed paths more times'n I'm comfy mem'ryn. After I'm died no tellin' what that fangy devil won't try to do to me... Listen close and let me yarn you 'bout the first time we met eye to eye..."
The monologue tells you what you need to know about the movie. It tells you that this movie is not one that you watch while having a heated argument about whether or not Beyonce lip synced the American National Anthem, it's the sort that demands your attention from the start.
It is quite possibly the best movie I have ever seen, and undoubtedly the best movie of the current decade. Once it's begun it assumes the form of some great crusade. It surges through you like a bursting rapid and connects dots that you didn't know could be connected. The feeling is quite profound. It is the perfect combination of a eureka moment and another moment of intense sadness. Upon completion, you'll be left with the most overwhelming feeling. You will not understand how they managed to turn it out as one movie when it was truly 6 connected only by dialogue, recurring characters and a truly remarkable sound track. It is a grand sweeping effort. Even if you disagree with me about its quality, I am sure that you will agree that it is the best value for money that one can ever hope to gain from a film.
I cannot believe that it was completely snubbed at the Oscars. As I was watching it, I knew that I would see it again and even now as I watch it again, I know that I'll definitely see it a third time. I'll keep watching it until I have understood all that there is to be understood about it.
Happy Days,
Afam
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