ARgh! Erg. It's a movie about a boy who blames his parents for his short-comings in life. And as flat as these parental units were, I can almost see why he blamed them. So, he has a therapist follow him around and try to improve his emotional outlook on life. Non-hilarity ensues.

Look, I realize that trying to find out where you belong in the world is a challenge, especially today when there are so many options, but if I have to hear or watch another bunch of whiney, pathetic, I-deserve-more-than-this children complain about how they don't seem to automatically have big screen TVs on their walls when everyone else does, I may have to hurt someone. I'm so sick of the latest generation complaining that it's not their fault, where's my computer and their parents just going along with it. 

You don't deserve a new computer, or a cell phone, or even to watch the TV that your parents own. Those are all privileges. So get your lazy ass off the sofa and go get a job that you hate but pays the bills until you can find something you don't hate that still pays the bills. Learn to live without. Previous generations did and turned out just fine. So will you.

The best part about this film was that the director was cute an had a lovely English accent. He also had quite the following after the show from all his fans who loved the movie, it spoke to them. They all need to get jobs too. 

This film is remarkably similar to Wake, although more believably done. My thought is that conservative American producers would have found many of The Friend's situations too subtle. Wake seems much more contrived in comparison. But then, The Friend is a Swiss film, Der Freund, not an American film. Unfortunately, they both end the same way. At least in The Friend, though, it seems slightly more plausible.

This film thoroughly explores the adage "everything has a price.” It also explores what happens when you renege on a deal with the creator. Mihram finds goods for people, for a fee. To his wife's dismay, most of the proceeds get spent on gambling and alcohol.

Mihram promises the creator he'll give up those vices if he can succeed at one last big job. Then he can avoid being sucked into the local gang and start a legitimate business-selling mobile phones.

The Market is a sad, funny tale of a sad man just trying to get by in the poverty and corruption of Kazakhstan and Turkey. I really appreciate this view into what I hope are the lives of normal people of another country from my own. This is an excellent film.

The crowd of press at the Wake cast and crew photo op.

The description listed for Wake in the Cinequest guide was for a film in a parallel universe. This film was much more interesting. Carys is broken emotionally. She attends the funerals of strangers in an attempt to fix herself. The most unlikely of events happen and she falls in love with the grieving fiancé. Unfortunately, the love is based on lies, on both sides.

Spiraling misunderstandings are common for romantic comedy films. After seeing enough of those films, most situations are anticipated, but these were mostly fun to watch. There was one twist I didn't expect, although I probably should have. I felt the ending didn't quite fit the circumstances, but it could have been much worse.