DVD PICK
Movie: 500 Days of Summer
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It's a romantic story of a couple with different beliefs which by the end becomes what the other believes in. Tom Hansen, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, has a strong belief that he would meet his true love and keeps looking for her and it turns out to be Summer Finn, played by Zooey Deschanel, who just doesn't believe in such crap. Tom works in a greeting card company in which Summer joins as a secretary and obviously he falls in love at first sight. Tom and Summer become intimate but Summer doesn't want to get into any kind of binding relationship. Finally Summer breaks up with him and marries another guy soon after that. Summer's explanation for it, the change in her view of life, and how our man gets over it fully, constitutes the climax.
Subtle realities
This is not a story about a slob who gets knocked up or about some cute ideas that you see nowadays in most romantic films but about two real characters who fall in love. It is also filled with beautiful, subtle moments that one could cherish throughout one's life. The movie jumps back and forth with the incidents occurring in the 500 days with Summer repeatedly, makes the picture a little fuzzy, but that's how most of us remember past moments in our life; kind of in a non-linear fashion.
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The director has tried in many ways to break from tradition and be different (of course a romantic, heart-touching love story is itself a cliché but that doesn't count). He starts the movie by narrating that this is not a love story and gives quite exactly the opposite, like an old technique. I can't think of anyone who wouldn't empathise with the characters and enjoy the irony of autumn in the last scene.
Bottomline: It's a must-watch film for everyone.
CRISTOPHER, Final Year, EIE, Madras Institute of Technology