The terror attacks which took place in France
and Nigeria last week were triggered by hatred. It is extremely difficult to
counteract the effects of hatred, which cannot be justified or understood in
any way. As I´ve mentioned before, films help us to get a better understanding
of our reality: the problems and the challenges that we face in our everyday
lives are reflected on the big screen and very often, this is achieved by means
of humour. In this respect, a French film comes to my mind: Serial (Bad) Weddings (“Qu'est-ce qu'on a fait au Bon Dieu?”),
one of the most successful comedy films in the recent history of French cinema.
Serial (Bad) Weddings makes use of
humour to describe the new and complex relationships of French families as a
result of a multicultural society where people from different nationalities, religions
and traditions live together, which is not easy at times. However, the film
shows us that humour and willingness lead to not only mutual understanding but
also to respect and even love. Humour as a way of overcoming prejudices and
misconceptions is the formula that this French film recommends even if it´s
only a comedy which merely aspires to make us have a good time for a short while.
Have you
ever watched a film which has helped you to learn more about a different
culture or society? In which way do films help us to become familiar with the
traditions, customs, problems and challenges of other countries?
