The Buzz...About Books

Ok, so this isn't really a post about books. It is, however, about stories that ignite your love for travel and exploring the world. 

While I most adore snuggling up with a good book, there are some nights that are meant for Netflix or a stack of DVDs (you can skip Netflix in many cases and use Hoopla for free!)

Although there are countless movies out there that will get you dreaming of every corner of the globe, here are just three I've recently seen that may be worth checking out for the wanderer in you.

Copenhagen
Directed by Mark Raso, 2014
Available on-demand on Hoopla or on DVD at select locations

Grand Jury Prize winner, 2014 Florida Film Festival and Gasparilla Film Festival

Set in the titular city in Denmark, this is a thought-provoking and memorable film about growing up and making sense of life. William, an immature 20-something, is on a quest to discover his grandfather's identity and deliver a long-lost letter after his absentee father passes away. William is also, seemingly, on a mission to bed as many cute European girls he can manage, making him kind of a questionable character at the best of times.

When he meets the wildly precocious and no-nonsense Effy, she decides she will play the role of tour guide, translator and life coach as she helps William uncover his Danish ancestry.

As viewers, we are taken along to sentimental spots in the city, embark on epic bike rides, and discover the culture of Denmark through the eyes of both a local and a tourist. I hadn't really considered making a stop in Denmark if I ever did a grand tour of Europe, but after watching Copenhagen, I definitely felt a soft spot growing. A quick disclaimer: there is a somewhat controversial romantic pairing in this movie and some brief frontal nudity, so you might want to put the younger ones to bed before you watch.

Cairo Time
Directed by Ruba Nadda, 2009
Available on DVD – place a hold!

Best Canadian Feature Film, 2009 Toronto International Film Festival

I need to preface this mini-review with this: this is somewhat of a slow movie. There is a lot of gazing longingly at each other and a lot of scenic shots. This is a movie that will make you feel utterly swept up up in the city. After watching, I remember how it made me feel even more focused on visiting Egypt one day, particularly Cairo.

This is an atmospheric film that follows a busy magazine editor (the lovely Patricia Clarkson) as she visits Cairo, in hopes of spending some time with her equally busy husband who works for the UN. Her husband gets caught up with work in Gaza and is unable to spend any real time with her, and enlists his former bodyguard (Alexander Siddig) to keep her company and show her around. Over the course of her time there, she finds herself growing fonder of both the hustle and bustle of Cairo and her quiet, charming companion.

There is never anything illicit or obvious in this film. Rather, it's all about the possibility of new things. This is more about exploring a new city in little bits and re-discovering parts of yourself that had maybe faded over time. 

Clouds of Sils Maria
Directed by Olivier Assayas, 2015
Available on-demand on Hoopla or on DVD at select locations

2015 Louis Delluc Prize winner for Best Film

The clouds in question refer to a particularly beautiful cloud formation at the Maloja Pass, a remote mountain settlement in the Swiss Alps. The clouds move in such a way that they appear to snake their way through the pass, providing a spectacular view for those that can'travel to see it. Unsurprisingly, this sight is nicknamed the Maloja Snake. This is important because it also refers to the name of a play that is pivotal to the movie. Have I lost you at all yet?

Juliette Binoche plays Maria Enders, an internationally acclaimed actress that first rose to fame as a young seductress in Maloja Snake, a play (and film) by now aging playwright, Wilhelm Melchior. When Wilhelm falls ill and suddenly dies, Maria and her loyal American personal assistant, Valentine (Kristen Stewart) travel to his home in the Alps. While in Switzerland, she is approached by a theatre director and invited to star in a new version of Maloja Snake. But, now more than twenty years later, Maria is being offered the role of the older woman, while a new starlet (Chloe Moretz) will be playing her original role. Torn between her loyalty to Wilhelm, her own apprehension about aging, and her complicated relationship with Valentine, Maria must decide what her work really means to her. All this is set against the backdrop of the beautiful Swiss Alps and Zurich, where both Maria and Valentine spend some time. The story within the story is set in Switzerland, and there is a great blend of scenic shots at Sils Maria, as well as the cosmopolitan feel of Zurich.

There are many, many more movies out there that are beautiful representations of lives and stories of places around the world. Have a particularly memorable one? Please share in the comments!