RoweReviews
  • Viewing Log / Reviews
  • Search
  • Ramblings
  • Contact Me

Imperial Dreams (2014) - Malik Vitthal

2/14/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Fresh out of prison, Bambi, a 21-year-old, returns to his old stomping grounds in Watts, Los Angeles looking for a fresh start.  While in prison, Bambi took solace in writing about his harsh upbringing and experiences, serving as his escape.  Now out, Bambi wishes to stay on the right path, looking to reconnect with his young son and make a better life for both of them.  Malik Vitthal's Imperial Dreams is a film that doesn't mince words in capturing the hoplessness of inner-city ghettos, but what sets it apart, is the underlying sense of hope and optimism that exists, centered around Bambi, a man desperate to create a better life for his son.  Using Bambi's plight, Imperial Dreams captures the invisible barriers the inner-city lifestyle, showing how difficult it truly is to get out.  Without financial resources it's a constant struggle for Bambi, who is routinely tempted by the promise of "quick and easy" money that exists in the drug trade, most notably by his own uncle who wants his help.  Presenting a genuine depiction of rehabilitation, Imperial Dreams captures the extreme difficulties of this process, from the need to cut oneself off from all friends and family still involved in illegal activies, to the hypocritical system of tangled bureaucracy that seems to hurt as much as it helps.  While a powerful expose of inner city life in its own right, Imperial Dreams is also a poignant father-son story, with Bambi doing as best he can to make sure his son doesn't grow up in the same violence and despair.  Imperial Dreams treats this  relationship with respect, never using the young boy for emotional manipulation, simply letting the relationship unfold organtically, which only makes the film more poigant towards the end.  Thematically, Imperial Dreams tells it how it is but unlike most similar films it doesn't wallow in despair, subverting typical narrative conventions in offering a glimmer of hope.  Imperial Dreams exclaims that rehabilitation and getting out of the ghetto is incredibly tough, admitting the whole system isn't fair, while still arguing it's possible to make oneself better, despite the obstacles.  Bambi is a character who suffers a lot throughout the course of this narrative and when we leave this character his life isn't exactly peachy but what makes Imperial Dreams so poignant is it subtle does capture how it's headed in the right direction, and Bambi can find happiness in that fact.  

Picture
Picture
Picture
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Love of all things cinema brought me here.  

    Archives

    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Viewing Log / Reviews
  • Search
  • Ramblings
  • Contact Me