Imaginal Journal
Imagination is Medicine
Soul is the First Immigrant
“We are all los inmigrantes, the Soul is The First Immigrant: The Soul cannot be held back by any imaginary boundary drawn against it; not by mountain ranges, not by rivers, nor by human scorn. The Soul, goes everywhere, like an old woman in her right mind, going anywhere she wishes, saying whatever she wants, bending to mend whatever is within her reach. Wherever she goes, the Soul brings new life.”
Spirit of the Beehive
El espiritu de la colmena, a Spanish film from 1973.
This is actually the film I watched on my first movie date with my husband. He chose the film because it was Spanish and I was living in Madrid at the time and thought I would enjoy it. The first time I watched it, it was so subtle and dense that it took a while for it to settle in my consciousness. Over time, it’s magic and spell over me has grown profoundly.
I am captivated by Ana’s innocence, curiosity and embrace of the monster (Frankenstein) which is so poignant and a stunningly accurate portrayal of childhood perception. I find her older sister Isabel’s behavior, slightly more tuned into the knowledge of the adult world, so interesting as she takes on a role of mischief, wickedness and manipulation. And there this interesting dynamic with the parents, in which you see the weight of the world on their shoulders. They seem so wrapped up in their minds even though they deeply care about their children.
Something about it reminds me of my childhood summers in Mexico. I can remember my Papa keeping bees. I remember the smell of wood and the beeswax, in my Papa’s workshop and what its like to feel like a child so small and curious, believing everyone else has it worked out except you.
Bright Star / An Education
Here I muse over two period dramas that struck me on the pains of young adult love and growth ❤️
This Jane Campion film, Bright Star, is so beautiful. I admired Franny's character for her conviction and the ways in which Keats makes her a believer in the beauty of love. My favorite scene is when Franny collects dozens of butterflies and lets them loose in her room because Keats writes in a letter how he wishes they lived but three blissful days together, free as butterflies, than a lifetime of painful separation. I remember reading Keats in high school and feeling that his sensitivity resonated so deeply with me. It was so satisfying to see this portrayal of him, to understand his muse and the poetic context for inspiration, despite or perhaps because of the tragedy and illness that shadowed his short life.
Oh how I envied the costume design on this film, An Education. I adored the 1960's chic wardrobe. Jenny's character is bridging to the adult world by dating an older guy, as the boys her age start to pale in comparison. Shifting from the banal family/school paradigm to coming alive to a world of with color, the schoolgirl idealization inevitably is a fantasy.
My favorite scene was when her father opens up to her regarding his own shortcomings and the pressure he had been placing on her because of his own fears to be in the world. A charming coming-of-age story.
Answer From Within
“One of the lies would make it out that nothing Ever presents itself before us twice. Where would we be at last if that were so? Our very life depends on everything’s Recurring till we answer from within”
Becoming a Chair
When this film, Tokyo! by French director Michel Gondry first premiered locally, I was having a hard day at my former job and to add to the challenge, I got into an argument with my spouse. I decided to go this film on my own as a bold act to seek inspiration. as I had long regarded films by this director such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I was deeply moved by the main character's search for her own worth, as the film took a strange turn into the surreal and absurd. She became a chair. I thought to myself well, at least to become a chair is to have a noble and useful function. I started walking towards the exit of the theater feeling therapized in a good way when I bumped into a man walking in. It was the director himself to my surprise. I had no idea there was a special Q &A at the end, so I promptly returned to my seat to take in more insight on this strange plight of transformation. To this day, I still feel the metaphor rings true and love how the magical realism genere can jolt us into deeper truths.