Seawater vs Chocolate (a true teen story of film rivalry)

We all look forward to a great film which we are attracted to judging by its poster’s appeal. But in the end, it is all up to us as to what we think of the film depending on how good we find it for even the most popular and well-received films may not be liked by us. When another film comes out following the last one we have seen, we look forward to the next film more than the last one. Yet we tend to compare them and most of the time it is not how similar they are but more how one is better than the other. We may like the film that came before the one we see or vice versa and this sometimes creates what is known as ‘film rivalry’

That has certainly happened in my case. In the year 2005, I saw two films, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Into the Blue, both of which are based on popular stories; Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is the second film to be based on a book of the same name by Roald Dahl while Into the Blue is a remake of a film called ‘The Deep’ which is in turn based on the novel of the same name by Peter Benchley, the author of the book that inspired the film Jaws, another record breaking movie. Yet I would only get to know these facts later in life and I can say, I often thought that without the former, I would not know of the latter but be that as it may, let me tell ye about how I saw both movies and what became my preference in the end.

-          Vikram Wagh

In 2005, when I was 15 years old, I was as I had always been from a young age. I had very few friends and very little care in the world for socializing or meeting people and preferred to watch television, my favourites being Disney Channel, Animal Planet or BBC, channels on Sky Television which represented all my interests and continue to do so to this day. My parents would always try to get me out there although I seemed to show little interest. I cannot say however that I was never interested in making friends. I did try to fit in with groups of people at school although I did not realize that these groups accepted me only to take (all) my food for themselves or to sing for them.

When I heard that the Roald Dahl book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory about a poor boy named Charlie Bucket going on a tour of a chocolate factory run by eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka was going to have a new film version, I recalled the original 1971 film based on the book that went by the name ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’ which I had watched in 2003 on television. I heard that Willy Wonka would this time be played by Johnny Depp who I had first seen in Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean, based on the Disney theme park ride of the same name. I had never read Dahl’s book but I was familiar with it as well as the film inspired by it. While a new version of the film was released in July of the year, in Auckland it would be getting a release in September a few days after my parents’ back-to-back birthdays (my father’s birthday is on the 25^th and my mother’s birthday is on the 26th) which happened during my school holidays of term 3 for Year 10 which I was at that time at Mt Roskill Grammar School. I said I was interested in going when my parents asked me if I wanted to go although in truth I had mixed feelings about it. One day, dad sent me and my brother Rajat for the film at the St Luke’s’ Mall, which is a good place to go since it is not too far and not too near our home and its theatre has great big screens. Since I was not earning at the time, dad purchased our tickets for us and sent us into the theatre. I noticed the film was quite gothic and slightly quirky, was not at all grabbing and even its humour was something I could not relate to since I seemed to find it quite rude and unfair in parts. Probably the only parts that I could touch upon were the kindness in the characters and how Charlie helps Wonka reach out to his estranged father in the film, something not present in the book. Not knowing (at the time) how remakes of films function, I thought it did not do justice to the original film. Having not read the book which inspired both films, I cannot comment on that.

At the end, I left the theatre, thinking that the film was a waste of time. As dad picked me up, I caught sight of a poster that I could not take my eyes off. It showed a man and a woman in swimwear standing in water and looking out onto the horizon. I could not take my eyes of the lead actress (the woman) there was something so pretty about her, something so interesting about her as well. The lead actor (the man) was also a sight to behold. I had to see this movie in any way possible I just did not know how. I always felt that when one goes to watch a film, they do not go on their own and always go with someone. I did not know whom to ask at the time since (as mentioned before) I did not know the meaning or importance of socializing or having friends. The thought of this film continued to stick with me and very soon when the school holidays were over and I reprised my final term for the year, I recall that this film kept resonating in my head, almost to the point where I was distracted from my work though that fortunately never happened thanks to having teacher aides in class due to my disorder, Asperger Syndrome which is a relative of Autism and is on the Autism Spectrum. The only people I recall asking were our new family friends, the Pradhan Family whom we had known early in the year; they were Pradeep Pradhan, his wife Pronoti and their sons Siddharth and Sanat whom I was and still am very close to. I did ask the Pradhan brothers if they would like to come with me and they did show interest but it was my fault that I forgot to get back to them, given my carelessness in not realizing the importance of socializing and friendship.

I especially remember that thoughts of the film were particularly strong on the day I served as an assistant to the Deputy Principal when it came to guiding people around the school and making sure visitors were attended to by reception. I also had to help the DP in retrieving an item he was unable to reach. The next day on Thursday, I went for my Karate lessons. I had just started them early in the year and was now a Yellow Belt. Mum drove me to Three Kings School where the lessons took place each evening and it was raining like anything. I thought mum would come and pick me up or maybe the rain would stop but neither happened so I decided I would walk home. I did not have an umbrella or any raincoat so I decided to try a rather unusual technique which I had learnt after watching the music video to R&B artist Kevin Lyttle’s song ‘Turn Me On’ which depicts him and his friends, both male and female wearing almost nothing and dancing in cold rain in the climax of the video. With this technique, I attempted to tap into the shoes of Lyttle and those people and how they would be approaching something that makes one shiver in cold and embrace it rather than cower from it and started to sing the song as I walked all the way home in the rain. (Today I have come to realize that the phrase 'Turn Me On' does not refer to any awkward or private feeling unless we choose to feel that way; instead it means what keeps us up and active. We probably feel awkward or private because of the way Lyttle has depicted the words in his song but it is all in our hearts what we once again choose to think of the song in a light or dark way and positively light is always good). Once I got home immediately wrapped myself in a towel with my parents’ help and after a good shower, finished my homework and got to doing research on the movie that had been on my mind ever since I saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The lead stars of Into the Blue were Paul Walker and Jessica Alba, neither of whom I had heard of before but it was the latter whom I wanted to see the movie for as she is so beautiful.

Now the beauty of my parents is that they are the kind of people who attempt to share the interests of their children in order to relate better to them. Today both mum and dad share my interests thought at that time it was just mum which inspired dad to do the same later on. Mum joined me later on to have a chat with me as dad was busy with work and Rajat had gone to play rugby. We mainly spoke about facts related to Star Wars which I had recently discovered after watching documentaries related to the original films, Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi and the prequel The Phantom Menace as well as facts related to Star Wars creator George Lucas. I then told mum the main reason why I wanted to go for the film and she found that amusing but nonetheless told me that she would take me for the film. The next day, I went for my counselling sessions at Rainbow House under Kate D’Anvers. Dad then dropped me from there to school. After school, I returned home to meet a few people devoted to helping those people with special needs to learn new skills. I cannot remember their names but I can tell ye that I had met these people before and one skill I am truly grateful to them for having learnt is tying my lace which from a very young age, I had great difficulty doing. They called me in for a session one day and asked me to do the lace on a shoe which was not worn. It was difficult but eventually I succeeded. Today they wanted to see if I could tie the laces of my own shoes and not only for me yet them too, it was a breathtaking victory to see that their efforts had paid off in training me to tie my shoelaces. That night, given that I was not completely savvy in using the Internet except for certain aspects, I checked the newspaper for where Into the Blue was screening and bless my soul, it was playing at St Luke’s Theatres. I told this to mum and dad who told me to look out for where the film was playing and tomorrow being the main weekend (Saturday) they would take me there. The next day, I was in a great amount of anticipation for the movie expecting it to be mainly a romantic one based at the seaside. I recall watching Disney Channel for the day though I cannot remember exactly what I saw. Both dad and mum drove me to the theatre and dad purchased my ticket for me. While we waited since the film had not yet begun, I recall dad and mum telling me that they were not interested in the film and had only come to the theatre last as a family to watch the film ‘Hitch’ starring Will Smith because it was the kind of film that seemed to appeal to them. I could respect their decision not to join me given that this film only seemed to appeal to me while the same could not be said for them.

Soon it was time to go in. I recall the ticket collector resembling a younger version of James Earl Jones, the American actor known to audiences for voicing Darth Vader in Star Wars and Mufasa in Disney’s The Lion King. This man was probably a Pacific islander. Soon I got into the theatre and the screen started although surprisingly there were very few people in the theatre to which I will never understand why that was. Following a commercial for SkyCity cinemas, the cinema of New Zealand, a trailer which had come for the screening of Charlie and the Chocolate factory appeared for the screening of this film too. It was ‘The World’s Fastest Indian’ starring Oscar winner (Sir) Anthony Hopkins, based on the true story of a New Zealander who set a land speed record on his motorcycle (which he called an Indian) in the United States, the film I and the people in the theatre had come for began after a few more trailers. It followed a young couple, Jared and Sam played by Paul Walker and Jessica Alba respectively who enjoy diving or snorkelling in the Bahamas. When they are visited by Jared’s childhood friend (played by Scott Caan) and his girlfriend Amanda (played by Ashley Scott) they stumble upon a wrecked plane carrying drugs during a treasure hunt. One day in order to compensate for extra cash, Bryce and Amanda visit a drug conspirator Primo who takes them to his boss, Reyes and forces Jared to retrieve the remaining drugs from the wrecked plane as it belongs to him. With multiple problems and nowhere to turn to as (unknowingly) some of the local police are corrupt as well, Jared, Sam, Bryce and Amanda struggle to battle their way out of their situation and find out if there is a relation between these drug dealers and Jared’s old boss Derek Bates, a treasure hunter whose men seem to be shadowing Jared from time to time. I really loved the movie and always felt a pang of romantic excitement when watching the (romantic) scenes between Walker and Alba. Probably the only elements of the film that made the audience (myself included) jump were villains turning up unexpectedly, gunshots or shark attacks just to name a few.

After it was over, I came out with a feeling that I had just gone to see a movie which was a genuine entertainer and I could let all the disappointments about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory go. I decided I would own this film when it came out on DVD, something which I did the following year on my 16^th birthday. I eventually came to realize that the film was a romantic-crime thriller based on the film ‘The Deep’ which was in turn based on the novel of the same name by Peter Benchley, the author of the book Jaws which also became a (record-breaking) film. Ironic that the day after the film, I read a book on sharks which spoke of how Jaws as both a book and a movie has harmed the reputation of sharks. It is known that following the publication and release of Jaws in book and film respectively, (Peter) Benchley began to feel responsible for negative attitudes against sharks and became an advocate for these ocean predators raising an awareness that while it was once thought sharks purposely attack people, for food it is now known that sharks (sometimes) mistake people for their food.

Two years after I saw Into the Blue, in 2007, the year I was 17 I discovered that Paradise is a gift when one has the same feelings around the interests they have, the food they eat, the clothes they wear, the friends or family they are with or the places they are in. I had always felt the feeling of Paradise from a young age when I used to listen to the 90s series of songs known as Pure Moods and also when I listened to artists like Vengaboys, Aqua or watched any film to do with Disney. This feeling was especially strong when I went to Singapore for the first time in 1999 at the age of 9 though I did not discover how much I liked it until that year. I decided that seven places would represent my gift of Paradise (which I used to call ‘Singapore Feeling’ at the time though I now know that Singapore may be the king of Paradise yet there is more to Paradise than just that so as a result, the word is hardly used anymore), Singapore, Kenya, Uganda, Namibia, China, Tanzania and Malaysia. Why these ye may ask? Because they all have something to do with the Lion which is my favourite animal and as a result the Lion is a symbol of my gift of Paradise. I would truly encourage everyone to find their gift of Paradise because it can change their life and give them a sense of purpose and direction. It does not have to be similar to mine because your symbol of Paradise may be something different based on your interest and as a result the nation/s that represent your interest. Yet returning to the story, Into the Blue was one of the first films I considered Exotic, meaning part of Paradise.

Having this film as part of my (favourite) Exotic films also brought about a series of wonderful future events, having additionally discovered my gift of Paradise. I left those people who I felt used me for food or entertainment. I made new friends who I love to hang out with and they like me for who I am as much as I do for them. We hang out at bars to have drinks or do karaoke. Some of those friends also recommended me to a theatre group where I have made other friends and it has allowed me to discover my acting ability, something which I used to imitate scenes from films which my family and family friends always praised and suggested trying it out so their words may have been a positive harbinger of joining the theatre which I love to this day. In 2009, when I was 19 I went to Singapore for the first time on my own and discovered why I love it so much, because it means Lion City and I love Lions. After I left Rainbow House’s counselling, I had another counsellor, Colleen Emmens who I am sorry to say was not empathetic which is why I stopped seeing her after some time. Yet in 2013 when I was 23, I met another wonderful counsellor, Dave McMillian. We love working with each other and still do to this day as he is very empathetic and understanding. Much like my gift of Paradise has given me a sense of purpose and direction, so too has he. I also became more open to my parents trying to get me out there to meet people and make friends which was especially so when they sent me to Autism NZ which has social groups for both juniors and seniors who have Asperger or Autism. While the senior group was unfair to me, I have found friends at the junior group which I am a part of to this day. In the end, making Into the Blue one of my favourite films and one of the best films of Paradise has been a harbinger of life-changing events that happened in the future for me. Yet for others when it comes to a choice between Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Into the Blue, they may chose the former or they may chose the latter depending on which film appealed to them more regardless of how their choice may (depending on the circumstances) change their life. It is your choice to decide which the better film is.

The End