The sunflower is a wonderful teacher.  Even before it opens into all of its splendor, it teaches us that

• Beauty is not something that simply splashes out a people.
• It is something that must be developed.
• True beauty grows out of developing and maturing.
• It is based on experience and learning as much as colorful pedals.
• Before we can shine on the outside, we need to create a glow on the inside.

Age esteem is also like the sunflower.  It grows out of  that glow on the inside.

Bonnie Fatio

Some people may say that the new 65 is the new 45.  It isn’t.  The new 65 is the NEW 65! – And this is just one glimpse of what it looks like.

Today’s 65ers are visiting new places, testing new limits, and living exciting adventures like my friend Evie shown here sliding in a Costan Rica rain forest.  Evie is also among those who are constantly seeking unique ways to contribute their talents to society and she volunteers her time in a local shelter.  – A 65er full of Age Esteem!

Bonnie Fatio

Bonnie Fatio, founder of AgeEsteem, will speak at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland on Does Age Matter? on September 7.

Age is important to the work of the WHO.  In 2007 WHO created the Department of Ageing and Life Course (ACL).  ACL focuses on helping people to realize their potential for physical, social, and mental well-being throughout the life course and to participate in society, while providing them with adequate protection, security and care when they need it.

AgeEsteem is aligned with the WHO in its focus to help people to realize their potential.  Age esteem is an essential element to remaining healthy and reaching your potential as you age no matter where on our globe you live.

AT YOUR OWN RISK

Les Petits ruisseaux *1/2 (vo French)   A film about an oldie discovering life after his buddy dies and leaves a collection of funky nude paintings. Pleasant but quickly forgotten.

L’Age de raison *1/2 (vo French) A career woman’s childhood comes back to haunt her in letters arriving from herself as a child. Go figure. If the film were as good as Sophie Marceau, we would have one gorgeous movie.

L’Italien *1/2 (vo French)  Kad Merad is everywhere these days, but is he really that talented or attractive? This repetitive tale of double identity is neither as deep nor as amusing as it wants to be, nor is Merad charismatic enough to carry it.

Insoupçonnable * (vo French)   Two rich brothers; a new girl and her “brother” enter their life; they all live the high life in Geneva. This is supposed to be an elegant thriller; it’s unfortunately only an embarrassing film noir caricature. What is the fine actor, Charles Berling doing here?

Film socialisme –   (vo French)   This is just a collage of badly-filmed banalities masquerading as art and intellect, for Jean-Luc Godard has been riding on his association with the Nouvelle Vague all these years with very little talent. He did have a few novelties in the early 60s (A Bout de Souffle), but few new ideas or emotions since then. Heresy! – I know, but it’s a case of the emperor’s new clothes…

Enter the Void –   If you’re into drugs, psychedelic nightmares or 60s-style abandon, this is your cup of tea. The title says it all – you’ll be entering empty, boring, vulgar garbage. And it’s directed by Gaspar Noé, the man responsible for the ultraviolent, indigestible Irrévérsible. Forget it.

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Why not?

Tournée (On Tour) ** (vo French and English) Desperately trying for a comeback, a failed entrepreneur (Mathieu Amalric – actor and director) brings a troupe of buxom, feminist showgirls from the U.S. over to France. Going from one sleazy joint to another, they begin to get to know each other better. It’s at times touching and gritty, at other times merely depressing and degrading. Shades of Cassavetes.

The Karate Kid **  This franchised film is simplistically obvious and too long and slow, but Jacky Chan is a cutie and Will Smith’s son, Jaden Smith, is a true and striking talent as the new kid on the block – watch him rise.

Crime d’amour *1/2 (vo French)  With Kristin Scott Thomas and Ludivine Sagnier overacting to the hilt, this crime thriller à la All About Eve is entertaining but a bit too slick to be convincing.

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Movies are good for us.  They help to enhance our Age Esteem.

• Movies allow us to dream,
• To visit far away places,
• To meet new people and join in rare experiences.
• Movies tickle our emotions,
• Challenge our listening skills and enlarge our vocabulary.
• They teach us, train us and entertain us.
• They create social occasions for us to catch a film with friends.
• And they keep us up with new trends.

Why not enjoy a good movie today?

WORTH YOUR WHILE

When you’re Strange ***1/2   Narrated by Johnny Depp, this illuminating documentary by Tom DiCillo (the cool director of such films as Johnny Suede and Living in Oblivion) once again opens up the world of the Doors and their charismatic lead singer Jim Morrison, who played so hard with life, music, women and drugs that he was dead by age 27. It’s as though he wanted to reach for immortality through fame cut-short, like Dean, Hendrix and Joplin. Moving and exhilarating.

Copacabana *** (vo French)    Isabelle Huppert often plays cold, twisted characters, but here she is terribly human and simply fun-loving. A caring but basically irresponsible mother who realizes that she has to change to gain back her daughter’s respect, she decides to take a job up in Belgium, selling apartments in a god-forsaken coastal town. Amusing and touching, Huppert is at her most vulnerable in years in this tongue-in-cheek film by Marc Fitoussi.

Frontier Blues *** (vo Farsi)   This languid, strangely poetic film from Iran features various characters living in the northern Turkman region of that country. With very little dialogue, we encounter an uncle who runs a deserted boutique and his weird nephew who loves a donkey. There’s a photographer from Tehran who has come to capture the mood of area through a local musician and his entourage of four kids. And there’s also a young man who works on a poultry farm and is learning English so he can leave to the city, maybe with the pretty girl he desires but has not yet spoken to nor convinced to marry him. Slow, contemplative and quite hypnotic, Babak Jalali’s film pulls you into this lonely, Jim Jarmusch-like universe with gentle humor. But you must have patience to savor it fully.

Knight and Day **1/2   If you like action, thrills and charm, you can’t miss with this wild and funny ride starring Tom Cruise as a super spy on the run and Cameron Diaz as his unwilling but talented sidekick, directed by James Mangold of Walk the Line. Don’t listen to the sour critics who may still be negative about Cruise – the man has talent, presence and charisma. And these two make an exciting pair.

Inception **1/2   “Pure creation” is what Ellen Page’s character calls these illusions of dreams and reality mixed in various layers. Leonardo DiCaprio, playing an expert at invading others’ dreams – whether planting an idea or stealing one – is on a mission to instill a germ of an idea in a magnate’s mind. But he and his crew may have misjudged the many dream levels and the dangers of descending too deeply into this strange limbo of possibilities… Are you following this? Director Christopher Nolan makes smart, intricate films (such as Memento, in which the story goes backwards, or the powerful Dark Knight) but this one is too convoluted for its own good.  It gets lost in mind-bending special effects which serve no purpose but to inflate the director’s ego and often lose the audience in the process. Do we really need the lengthy James Bond-like snow chases and all those blown-up grocery stores or foldable buildings in Paris? Give me clever mind games rather than exaggerated pyrotechnics any day.

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****  Superb    *** Very Good ** Good    *  Mediocre     – Forget it

Do Not Miss These.

The Tree (l’Arbre) ****     When the husband and father of a large, happy family dies suddenly at the base of a huge tree adjoining their home, the tree becomes a symbol of their love and their memory of him. Based in northern Australia, this film by French director Julie Bertuccelli (who made the sublime Since Otar Left and has been assistant director to such greats as K. Kieslowski and Bertrand Tavernier) stars the always moving Charlotte Gainsbourg as the widow, and a slew of brilliant little actors as the children. It’s a must-see, for its depth, simplicity and honest look at love, fidelity and family. It will stay with you for quite awhile.

Toy Story 3 ***1/2   Pixar never fails to enchant the audience with their amazing animation, and they don’t miss this time, when it’s the moment to say goodbye to those boisterous toys that have been keeping Andy company throughout his childhood. But now he’s going off to college and they can’t imagine what will happen to them. This is about friendship, loyalty and growing up, and will have you laughing at Buzz Lightyear’s Spanish interlude yet will surely also bring a tear to your eye. I bet on it.

Benda Bilili ***1/2  (vo French)  Remember Wim Wenders’ Buena Vista Social Club from Cuba? Well this is an African version of that joyous celebration of the power of music to overcome misery. Here is a group of destitute, handicapped musicians – most of them in makeshift wheelchairs – in Kinshasa, Congo, who live for making music and becoming famous, someday. Thanks to Renaud Barret and Florent de la Tullaye, the directors of this astounding documentary, the group records their first album and goes on a European tour. They even had the Cannes film festival rocking this year. With this film, they can now reach the world through their contagious music and enthusiasm. Run to it!

Lola ***1/2  (vo Philippine-Tagalog)  Terribly tragic and so real, here is a tale of two Filipina grandmothers (Lolas) seeking justice, one whose grandson has been killed for his cellphone, and the other whose grandson was the killer. This excellent social commentary, done in almost documentary style by director Brillante Mendoza, is not so much about crime as about the social, economic and cultural structure of that country. The love of family and respect for elders is evident throughout as is the poverty, but also the resilience of these good people. Awe-inspiring.

Tamara Drewe ***   Sharp wit, well-drawn characters (from Posy Simmonds’ illustrated novel), perfect casting and acting, and of course the inimitable touch of Stephen Frears’ direction (My Beautiful Laundrette, Dangerous Liaisons, The Queen) make for joyous entertainment, as the British can do so well. In a small English hamlet, a peaceful writer’s retreat is turned on its head when a transformed and unrestrained Tamara comes back to town. Literary gatherings, teenage crushes, silly dog chasing cows, rock stars and infidelity are on the menu in this delightful, satisfying yarn.

The Switch ***   Here’s a rarity – a convincing romantic comedy – so it’s definitely in the Unmissables section.  Jennifer Aniston and an excellent Jason Bateman have real chemistry, though they’re only friends. She wants to have a baby by artificial insemination; he’s aghast. They meet again years later and they are now a threesome. The directing duo of Josh Gordon and Will Speck ensures crisp, refreshing dialogue and creates good vibes. The little kid will steal your heart and you’ll leave with a big smile on your face. What more would you want?

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Ah! that majestic gift of Mother Nature. – The rose, “La Grande Dame” as the French would say, probably the most feminine of all flowers.

The Rose, a symbol of love, has been around since antiquity.  Its fragrance is euphoric, the petals like velvet and the multitude of colors available are dazzling to the eye.  It is a  component of nearly all perfumes.  Inhaling its fragrance and beauty will lift your spirits and enhance your age esteem.

There is more to the rose than meets the eye. The rose  is very efficient in treating skin conditions:  improving wrinkles, treating eczema and acne and being used as a tonic in rose water to smooth and invigorate the face.  Stress is also alleviated with rose treatments by a massage, in a bath or just by spraying a lovely rose perfume on the body.  It has anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant properties as well.

In the Middle East they use rose essence in puddings and ice cream, and rose petals may be scattered over a lovely salad to give a decorative appearance and may be eaten as well!

However, one must be careful when handling roses.  A prick from a rose thorn may be lethal when it cuts the skin.  Roses can carry a bacteria that is transmitted through the blood stream to the heart, lungs and brain.  Should you ever be pricked by a rose thorn go immediately for medical care if the area becomes red, swollen and seems to spread.  Antibiotics will be given to contain the disease.  This can be avoided by wearing gloves when gardening.

Grandma Nature

Friends at the 50th reunion reinforced studies I have read.  Those who were aging well were not necessarily the most physically fit and healthy.  Instead they were the ones with healthy attitudes.  Cancer, strokes, pain, paralysis and bankruptcy did not hold these healthy attitudes back.  Rather they were the ones we sought out first.  They exuded age esteem.

• We were drawn by their contagious laughter.
• They were genuinely interested in listening to the stories of others.
• They embraced the opportunity to play, to release their inner child.
• Their health was a minor event in their life story which was filled with family, friends,  accomplishments and contributions.
• They dwell on the positives of life.

Bonnie Fatio