voice over comparision

Remembrance of things present vs. First lesson in peace

The entire personas of the two films were very different. As aggressive the narrator of “remembrance…” was, the narrator of “first lessons…” was that soft. While one was questioning her early marriage, that she believed ruined her life, the other was giving his daughter answers and was telling her why he did what he did, so that she could be free to take her own stand on the Arab - Israel war.
“Remembrance of things present” comes across as an auto-biography, the childhood of a girl from her own perspective, but as a grown and mature woman, who questions the people who stole her youth from her. It comes across as a rebellion, Chandra Siddan is seen questioning and confronting all her aunties and uncles who arranged and got her married when she was a child of 15. The voice over comes across as a strong character, who states rather than mentions, and takes decisions on her own. Personally, I feel the voice over, by being redundant about the fact that she has been victimized, is trying to gain our sympathy and tries to influence others into agreeing with her viewpoints. The character may be strong initially, but somewhere down the line, tends to loose the point of the film.
“First lessons in peace” is a letter a father writes to his daughter, telling her why she was put in Neveh Shalom, a school of Arabs and Jews, during the war. The father comes across as a compassionate man, who gives his daughter the freedom to choose her stand and path during the Arab- Israel conflict, capturing her thoughts and her dynamic views on the Arabs and the war. He encourages her to feel the same way about Arabs as she feels about Jews, and at times is unsure about his decision of admitting her in a school for both Arabs and Jews and is worried about her safety. The character is somewhat neutral and open, and tries to bring out both sides of the conflict, and tried to show his daughter what Neveh shalom was trying to do, what Neveh shalom stood for- a place where the Arabs and the Jewish could co-exist.