Nicolas

2026 FIFA World Cup: My Prediction For The Final

Jon The BlogcentricLeave a comment

Before I get into my blog, I would like to thank those who sent messages of support and condolences. The death of a parent is never easy and can be a shock. It will take some time to overcome. Actually there was a period of time when her health was in critical condition that I felt lost and neglected a lot of things that gave me vitality. It was during those days that I learned that writing is one thing that helped bring my vitality back. Back in June, it helped me get a lot of energy back. In talking with my father yesterday, he said it’s not too soon after my mother’s passing to publish a blog. She would want us to live life again. He’s right. Loss is hard but you have to live again.

Can you believe it? We had 102 matches this World Cup so far contested over these past 38 days! It’s crazy that the last World Cup, there were a total of 64 matches. Here, the end of the 64th match still had more Group Stage games to go! The Group Stage was loaded with craziness. First was the invincible play of Mexico, the shocking 6-0 win form Canada against Qatar, small nations like Cabo Verde and Curacao performing better than expected while nations like Turkey, Uruguay, Scotland, Tunisia and South Korea performing below their normal standard and paying the price. There was also the unfairness to Iran where they could play in the United States but had to train in Mexico. Their missed qualification is hugely disputed. There were a lot of calls made during the games that were widely disputed, but that’s common in every World Cup.

Then the Round Of 32: all three host nations won their matches, shocker penalty kick upsets with Paraguay over Germany, Egypt over Australia and Morocco over the Netherlands, and a tight match involving the two highly ranked teams of Portugal vs. Croatia which Portugal won. The Round Of 16 saw all three host nations fall. The fall to the United States was satisfying to their rival Belgium after the intervention of Donald Trump to get the red card of US player Folarin Balogun. In the Round Of 16, there was also the surprise win of Norway over Brazil, Switzerland’s penalty kick win over Colombia, another clash of two Top 10 teams with Spain vs. Portugal which Spain won, and Argentina’s come from behind over Egypt which many have found suspicious (more on that later). The quarterfinals had their own drama with many a tight game and close matches to be decided in added extra time like England’s win over Norway and Argentina’s win over Switzerland which was also controversial. The drama continued in the semifinals as Spain delivered a shocker winner over the more-favored French squad and the always-heated rivalry of England vs. Argentina where Argentina again came from behind. To say these World Cup matches have been packed with drama is an understatement.

THE FINAL: Spain vs Argentina

So here we are. Up until now, the biggest talk of the World Cup Final was to do about a Halftime Show. That would give a 30-minute halftime break which most football fans do not like the idea of all. If you thought the hydration breaks in the middle of each half got on tour nerves, wait until the Halftime Show! Nevertheless the biggest focus should be the play of the game and the contenders. On the subject of the contenders, it’s been 102 matches so far and it was what we needed at this Cup to determine which of the 48 teams are to be the final two to play for the Cup! Interesting note is this will be the first World Cup final since the very first final in 1930 that both teams come from Spanish-language nations! To sum up the two teams briefly, the Final is against reigning World Cup champions and current Copa America champions Argentina and the current European champions Spain. La Roja has only won the World Cup once before and this will only be their second World Cup final ever. La Albiceleste have won the World Cup three times and this will be their seventh World Cup final ever. Only Germany has been in more finals with eight finals each. So what do this year’s two finalists have in store? And who will win it?

SPAIN

Traditionally, Spain has been commonly known as ‘football’s greatest underachievers.’ They would always arrive at the World Cup with a squad full of talent and ability to win due to the players’ combined skill level, but they would frequently fall short as a team. Most of the time, they would find themselves out in the quarterfinals or sooner. The turning point came in 2010. They were the reigning European Champions. Their play was conservative but consistent and they won their first-ever World Cup.

They would repeat as European Champions in 2012 and would win the Confederations Cup in 2013, but it would all fall apart after that. At the 2014 World Cup, they were out in the Group Stage after losing their first two games badly. At both the 2016 Euro and the 2018 World Cup, they were out in the Round Of 16 of both tournaments. They finished in the semifinals of Euro 2020 but would later see World Cup disappointment again with another Round Of 16 finish. After that World Cup, Luis de la Fuente became the new head coach of the team. Before the World Cup, Spain under de la Fuente’s leadership won the 2023 UEFA Nations League Finals and the 2024 Euro.

Here at this World Cup, Spain again showed success. They opened on a lackluster note with a scoreless draw to Cabo Verde, but would rally up in the group play by winning 4-0 to Saudi Arabia and 1-0 to Uruguay. The knockout round was where Spain really shined. They won their Round Of 32 match against Austria 3-0, their tight Round Of 16 match to Portugal with a last-minute goal from Merino, their quarterfinal against Belgium 2-1 and would win their semifinal against France 2-0.

Spain’s play has been very impressive at this World Cup as a result of the teamwork from goalkeeper Unai Simon, strikers Mikel Oyarzabal and Mikel Merino, midfielders Fabian Ruiz and 18 year-old prodigy Lamine Yamal, and defenders like Pedro Porro and Marc Cucurella. Their play has been mostly consistent. However Spain has had a habit in the past of choking at major moments. This team has appeared to be on in terms of performing but they have made mistakes in play and it is possible they can commit an error they won’t be able to rally back on. If they want to win, they need to be dead-on.

ARGENTINA

Argentina and the World Cup almost seems synonymous. It is a bit misleading as they may have won three times but they’re more known for the times they fall short. That was especially exposed when Lionel Messi burst onto the scene. He made his World Cup debut in 2006 at the age of 19 and was nicknamed ‘Messidona.’ A third World Cup was anticipated with the growth of Messi’s career but it became a case where Argentina was putting all the pressure on Messi. Sure they had other competent players but Messi couldn’t be the only one holding the team together. That became evident after they lost the World Cup final in 2014. It was even more evident after their Round Of 16 exit in 2018 and past retirements of Messi from the national team, albeit short-lived retirements.

It was evident Argentina wanted to win the World Cup for the nation and for Messi. After the 2018 World Cup, Lionel Scaloni was hired as head coach. Scaloni and the AFA knew they needed other players that were also at the top of their game. In the years leading up to the 2022 World Cup, they got them. There’s goalkeeper Emi ‘Dibu’ Martinez, defenders Nicolas Tagliafico, Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martinez, midfielders like Leandro Paredes, Alexis Mac Allister and Rodrigo de Paul, and forwards like Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez joining Messi. The combination proved to be a winning success as they first won the 2021 Copa America. At the 2022 World Cup, they lost their opener to Saudi Arabia but made up for it by winning every match after. Even on penalty kicks in their quarterfinal against the Netherlands and the final for the Cup against France! Messi finally got his World Cup.

After Qatar 2022, there was a big question of how the team would be and if Messi would soon retire. As time went on, Messi continued with the team and the team had continued success with winning the Copa America in 2024 and success in qualifying for the World Cup. Along the years, they’ve added new stars to the team like forwards Nicolas Gonzales and Giuliano Simeone, and defender Facundo Medina. Here at the World Cup, they went through the Group Stage effortlessly with wins against Algeria 3-0, Austria 2-0 and Jordan 3-1. In the knockout phase, there was win after win by defeating Cabo Verde 3-2 in added extra time, Egypt 3-2, Switzerland 3-1 in added extra time and England 2-1. Argentina proved themselves ready to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to successfully defend their Cup.

Their wins may have dazzled crowds here at United 2026 but they’ve also garnered suspicion. Even before this World Cup, there has been suspicion that there would be a lot of corruption with FIFA President Giovanni Infantino having ties to Trump. One of the elements of corruption people have sensed is that Argentina has had the officiating in their favor so they can win matches. Many teams have sensed that they received more fouls than average but many teams have also sensed that Argentina is one of the least fouled teams at this Cup, if not the least fouled. The first suspicion started in the Round Of 16 match against Egypt where five of the players received cardings including one red carded while Argentina didn’t get any. Even how the win went from Egypt leading 2-0 after 80 minutes to Argentina scoring three in the remaining time did not sit well. This infuriated the Egyptian coach so much, he delivered an outburst that even got him a yellow card. Further suspicion came after their quarterfinal against Switzerland. Their win was another come-from-behind victory, Lautaro Martinez jumped into the stands and not getting his second yellow card of the match, and Swiss player Embolo got a double-yellow red card. Further investigation noticed the lack of fouls and carding on Argentina. The sense of match fixing from viewers has gotten so tense, some people have even stated on social media FIFA now stands for “Fixing It For Argentina.”

The sense of match fixing is enough to raise my eyebrows and question the legitimacy of the matches. I have seen many a match that looked too staged to be real. The arguments against Argentina seem very convincing. Meanwhile right after the England game, Messi has insisted that no play is scripted and none of the play is fixed. As for how it will affect play in the World Cup final, that is to question. Fixed or not, there’s no question Argentina wants the world to think it’s not fixed. If they win, people will think it was fixed by Infantino. If they lose, people may think they fixed it to make it look like it’s not fixed. The shoutings of such suspicions may or may not affect Argentina’s play but it is possible as the news of the overturned red card definitely affected the American team and may be why they lost to Belgium. Either which way, Argentina will have to play their best in the final and call their shots if they want to settle the score either by victory or defeat.

My Final Prediction: Finals are never easy to predict. Even the surest of the sure can be beat in the end. That’s sport. There’s no such thing as ‘rightfully yours.’ It’s all won. My prediction is I expect Spain to win and the score to be 2-1 in Added Extra Time.

And there you have it! That’s my prediction for the 2026 World Cup Final. It’s thirty-nine eyebrow-raising days in the making in what has become the biggest World Cup ever. But that’s what it all boils down to.

One Final Note: With the recent passing of my mother, I have something to show you. My mother was very creative. Her creativity ranged in making crafts for sale like baker’s clay, sewn kitchenware, fabric jewellery and would also go into quilting. Many years ago, she made me a quilt I still keep on top of my bed. The quilt she made for me were of my favorite things and hobbies at the time which are things I still like. She had the computer for my writing, masks for my love of drama, a camera for my hobby of photography, and play of the World Cup as you can see at the bottom. Thanks Mom for reminding me to let my own creativity come out!

Oscars 2024 Short Films Review: Animation

Jon The Blogcentric1 Comment

Normally each year when they show the reel of the nominated films for Best Animated Short Film, there’s normally enough time in the reel to include one or two films that made the shortlist. This year’s crop of nominees are so long, their combined time length is enough to make for the whole reel! Makes sense. Each film does tell an awful lot in their time. It may be humorous or it may be serious. They all do a great job. Here’s my look at this year’s nominees for Best Animated Short Film:

Beautiful Men (dir. Nicolas Keppens) – Three brothers from Belgium are in a trip to Turkey where all go to get hair transplant operations. One brother Steven finds out at the office only one operation is booked as he forgot to book for all three. He doesn’t know how to tell his other brothers. As time passes, Steven’s insecurities are present and Bart is concerned about a lump in his testicles. The secret does unfold as Steven admits to brother Koen that he only booked one appointment and offers him to be the one since he has lost the most hair. Bart hears it from a sauna and angrily demands that he be the one. A stroke of misfortune, a hotel fire the night before the operation, ends up being the good luck they needed as two men in the hotel that were hospitalized for burns were to have the surgery and leaves open two spots for the other two brothers to take.

This stop-motion animated film deals with the dark them of male insecurities as the three brothers getting the operations are also approaching middle-age. It’s mid-life crisis mixed with the feeling of trying to live up to a masculine standard that set the theme for the story of the brothers and the wait for the surgery. It is true that women face more social pressure, but men aren’t immune either. This is a surprising deep story as the images tell a lot of the moods of depression and tension. That’s why I pick this film as the Most Likely Upsetter for the Oscar.

In The Shadow Of The Cypress (dirs. Shirin Sohani and Hossein Molayemi) – In Iran, a father who is going through PTSD decides to leave the house in a rage. His teenage daughter confronts him, but he hits her. They are unable to reconcile until they notice a whale has beached up and someone has to lead it back to the sea. Each effort they try fails. As the father returns to use his old dilapidated ship, images bring back the painful memories. It reminds him of the night of the storm and the bombing of the ship by the enemy air force that night that killed his wife. It’s then that the father attempts to use his ship to get the whale back to the ocean. It’s in the end result that the two are able to reconcile.

Of the three stories, this is the one with the saddest subject matter. Nevertheless this is a very good story. It uses colors and images to tell a story of heartbreak, of loss and eventual healing. With no dailogue, it sends a message anyone can understand and it tells it well of feelings of failure, hurt and anger. The father’s worst enemy is himself and in the end, it is the daughter and that whale who are the ones who can heal him and make amends.

Magic Candies (dir. Daisuke Nishio) – A lonely boy named Dong Dong goes to a store to get candies. what he gets are some odd-shaped candies the seller calls ‘magic candies.’ The boy first shrugs it off but as he eats the first at home, he notices the couch speaking to him and telling him things. The couch stops talking as the candy melts away. The second candy has his dog talking to him, who stopped playing with Dong Dong as he grew over the years, but still loves him. The third candy gets Dong Dong’s strict father to pay attention to him and get him to understand him better, especially since his mother’s passing. The fourth piece is bubblegum as it helps Dong Dong communicate with his late grandmother and she reassures him she’s happy in the afterlife. The fifth piece allows Ding Dong to communicate with the fallen leaves on the street. The last piece is flavorless and allows him to make a new friend.

This is another charming stop-motion story. There are three stop-motion films nominated in this category this year. This is a charming story of a child whose odd-looking candies are just what he needs to help overcome his shyness and loneliness. By looking at the shapes of the candies, it’s a clue that they’re out to help resolve issues and help Dong Dong overcome his difficulties. It’s a nice story as it is fun to watch. It has a nice mix of comedy and drama. It’s both humorous and touching at the same time.

Wander To Wonder (dir. Nina Gantz) – The story begins with the opening of a 1980’s children’s show called Wander To Wonder which is hosted by creator Uncle Gilly and consists of tiny characters named Mary, Billybud and Fumbleton. Fast forward to the present and we see that Uncle Gilly has died suddenly in his home. The three characters struggle to survive and seek a new normalcy. Mary wants to think the show is still happening and carries on as if she thinks it is, Fumbleton uses his spare time reciting Shakespeare monologues and Billybud plays around with the props. Within time, they run out of food and don’t know what to do, then a fire happens and burns everything, then a potential bird attack. It’s after Fumbleton saves them that they decide to venture out to a life outside the former home.

The third of the three stop-motion films nominated, this is a funny charming story. It’s a story that will surprise you on how something like this can get dark and serious with the creator dead and the little ones trying to save their lives. It makes for an unexpected story and an unexpected drama but in the end, it lead to a happy ending, but not without a disturbing climax. It’s funny and poignant too. This film won the BAFTA for the best British animated short film and the Annie award in the short film category. That’s why I make it my WILL WIN pick.

Yuck! (dir. Loic Espuche) – It’s summertime in France. Leo is out camping with his two siblings and good friend Lucie. They go spying in on all the people at the campground and as they watch any two kiss, they are all disgusted. You can tell by the desire to kiss as their lips glow. They go from place to place seeing the kissing, or attempts to kiss, and they’re disgusted by it all, but Leo takes a fascination with it. One day, he and his friend Lucie are all alone. It’s evident Leo and Lucie have feelings for each other and want to kiss. They go to a place where they hope to be alone. As they’re about to kiss, two friends barge in. They’re disgusted. They start taunting Leo and Lucie. Even calling Leo a pervert. However one night, it’s clear that Leo and Lucie don’t have to let it bother them and…

This is a cute two-dimensional story that will bring anyone back to the days of childhood innocence. We’ve all had that situation of a child’s first feelings of love. We also remember how we were disgusted with kissing when we were kids. This story captures that essence and makes us laugh at those days again. Also, the use of the color pink to symbolize feelings of love, especially in the lips, and the musical score of the film both add to the charm of the story. I can’t help but call it a guilt-free guilty pleasure. That’s why I give this film my Should Win pick.

And there you have it. That’s my look at the five films nominated in the Best Animated Short Film category. Interesting how none of the nominated films for this year are in the 3D computer animation format. Must be the first year in a long time. Better luck next year.

Movie Review – Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse

Jon The Blogcentric1 Comment

Spider-Verse
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse is about a teen who becomes a Spider-Man and becomes part of a ‘Spider-team.’

We’ve seen many live-action films of Spider-Man in this century. This year, we had an animated twist with the Spider-Man story with Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse. The big question is will this story work? Or will it be an insult to Spider-Man fans?

Miles Morales is having the difficulty of going to a special private school, which includes a dorm. He doesn’t want to go to that school, but his police-officer father insists because of his intelligence. After school, Miles visits his uncle Aaron Davis to watch him spray paint graffiti, but is bitten by a radioactive spider. Miles son learns he has superpowers of his own.

Miles goes searching in the same area for the spider, but comes across a particle accelerator built by Wilson Fisk who desires to find the universe where his deceased wife and son are. Soon Peter Parker as Spider-man appears to destroy it, but is confronted by Fisk’s enforcers Green Goblin and Prowler. It’s a losing battle for Spider-Man as he lays dying, but hands Miles the USB drive to disable the accelerator before he dies. While still trying to learn his abilities, Miles damages the USB.

The whole of New York is in mourning over the death of Peter Parker. While at the grave, Miles meets up with Peter B. Parker: a down-and-out Spider-man who’s divorced from his wife. Peter B. had just been dropped out of the accelerator. To get back in, he agrees to train Miles. They soon learn after breaking into Kingpin’s laboratory and confronted by Fisk’s female associate in crime, Peter will die if he doesn’t get back into the accelerator to his universe.

Soon they’re rescued by Gwen Stacy: Miles’ classmate and also part of the universe. Gwen brings them to Peter’s Aunt May, whom Peter thought was dead. May is sheltering other displaced and deteriorating heroes of the Spider-Verse like Spider-Man Noir, Peni Parker and Spider-Ham, the spider bit by a radioactive pig. Miles attempts to help them, but his lack of experience with his new-found powers gives the Spider-Verse members a lack of confidence.

Things get worse for Miles as he learns his uncle Aaron is Prowler. He returns to May’s house, where Peni has the drive prepared, but he is followed by the team of villains of Wilson Fisk. Miles is able to free but is captured by Prowler. When Miles unmasks himself, Aaron is willing to be killed by Fisk rather than kill Miles. Miles’ father makes the conclusion Spider-Man killed Aaron.

The Spider-people retreat to Miles’ dorm and Peter B. webs him up and his mouth, feeling he doesn’t have what it takes to battle Fisk. Miles’ father, thinking that Miles isn’t talking, confesses his feelings for him and tries to make peace. However Miles soon learns he can master his powers.

Miles then goes to Aunt May where he’s able to help the other Spider-people work the accelerator and get back to their universe. However they leave Miles to defeat Fisk, insuring him they believe in him. Miles does face the courage to defeat Fisk, help the Spider-people return to their dimensions, and his team and make peace with his father.

Now one thing few people except die-hard Marvel comics fans knew about was that the Spider-Verse was not a new thing. The Spider-Verse came to be back in 2014. So those who think that this is something new and original, they’re wrong. In fact the Spider-Verse includes a Gwen Stacey. However one will be entertained by the Spider-Verse. This is rare in a movie that we get to see six ‘Spider-beings’ get together and be heroes. However the story does put the focus on one individual: Miles Morales, the new person into the Spider-Verse. It is a shame because we were just starting to get into this Spider-Verse. Nevertheless the movie allows it mostly to be Miles’ story and the other members of the Spider-Verse give Miles his chance to prove himself.

The story is very good as it does have a good beginning, middle and end. It actually had to have more of an extended beginning because it’s not just Miles who is affected by the radioactive spider, but five others too. Also it uses the death of a Peter Parker/Spider-Man set the road up for the story of the Spider-Verse to come. The story is not just about the Spider-Verse or even solely about Miles’ role in it. It’s also about family relations too. Miles has a hard time with his father sending him to a private school he hates. Miles idolizes his uncle Aaron, but would have to soon learn that Miles is The Prowler and keep it a secret from his father. That part of the story adds into the drama. However with this being an animated telling of the Spider-Verse, the story has to have humor in it. There’s no shortage of that here.

As for the animation, the animation is excellent. It’s not just 3D animation, but a mesh of comic-book images that add to the film. The mix of the imagery adds into the story, especially with this being a Marvel comic story.

Kudos to Phil Lord and Rodney Rothman for bringing the Spider-Verse to the big screen and creating a story that’s entertaining but not too confusing with all these Spider-beings. The directing team of Persichetti/Ramsey/Rothman do a great job of making the film work in both the story and its imagery. The vocal talent was very good, but top marks go to Shameik Moore for his performance as Miles Morales. He had the big task of being the voice of the lead and he did an excellent job. Mahershala Ali and Bryan Tyree Henry were both great as the uncle and father, respectively. Hailee Steinfeld was a scene-stealer as Gwen Stacy as was John Mulaney as Peter Porker.

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse was the animated movie we all needed this year in which the only winning animated movies seemed to be sequels. This animated story of a team of ‘Spider-Beings’ all teaming up at once and then doing their own duties did not do any damage to the Spider-Man story at all. Instead it added an entertaining twist. Stan Lee would be proud.

VIFF 2016 Review: Tales Of Two Who Dreamt

Jon The BlogcentricLeave a comment

tales-website
Tales Of Two Who Dreamt document the dreams of a Romani refugee family who dream of immigrating to Canada and hopefully doing a small film.

One thing about the VIFF is that it will show films done by Canadian directors or people close to home. In fact the VIFF credits itself as the film festival that shows the most Canadian films: shorts and feature-length. One example this year of a feature-length Canadian film shown at the VIFF was Tales Of Two Who Dreamt which was a unique documentary.

The film begins with a man, Sandor Laska, telling a story of a boy who turned into bird after a dream. Over time, we the director is planning to make a small film of this story. Even a makeup artists is seen putting a beak on the son Alexander.

What we get is something else. We hear the story of the father and the Laska family. They are refugees living in a tall apartment in Toronto specifically for refugees. They are Romani people from Hungary. They seek refuge in Canada because they are of an oppressed minority and often face discrimination.

As they live in the apartment awaiting approval of their status in Canada, we learn there are many Romani families also seeking refuge. Often they meet together and party together. The children play soccer on the apartment’s field together often with refugee kids from other countries.

Time passes as the family continues to pursue both dreams: the dream of doing the film and the dream of immigrating to Canada. In the end, neither happen. Their immigration case wasn’t approved and they have to return back to Hungary where they really have nothing to return to. The film that was to be made couldn’t be done. The family were deported back before it could be completed.

This film is a good eye opener to the Romani people that seek refuge. They are a people who number in the tens of millions spread across various countries of Europe. They are people whose lifestyle are considered questionable. They are a people who value their cultural roots in music and dance often to the point they neglect working a real job. They live their lives their own way; many of which are illiterate.

The Romanis are seen by the other people in the country as lazy, irresponsible or even the ‘scum of the earth.’ They are often referred to as ‘Bohemians’ or ‘gypsies’: the latter of which they consider to be a slur. They’ve had their discrimination over the decades and centuries. They were even one of the groups of people executed during the holocaust. Discrimination against them still continues today in various European countries. Some countries like Italy have passed anti-Romani laws. Some countries like Hungary let discrimination go freely. You can easily see why a family like the Laskas would try to seek refuge in Canada.

Sometimes when you see the struggle of the Laskas and other Romanis in the apartment as they seek their residency status, you sometimes think this film is about the refugee situation as a whole. What you see the Romanis struggling with is often what you see most refugees struggling with. That tall apartment with nets on the outside put on after the death of a six year-old boy who fell off his 19th floor balcony tells a lot about the place where refugees wait to hear their fates in Canada. At the end, you get thinking that the Laskas didn’t succeed in escaping what they attempted to escape. Sandor talks about how the interpreter didn’t state his case right to the judge and that had to be why his residency status was revoked. Sometimes it makes you sense could the interpreter have an anti-Romani attitude? Did he misinterpret purposefully so that the Laska did fail and then get sent back to Hungary to return to their discrimination? It does get you thinking.

Directors Nicolas Pareda and Andrea Bussmann turn the film into a docudrama. There are times when the film gets ready to film the ‘birdboy’ story, times when they focus on another family who are to be part of the skit, times when they focus on the apartment building as a whole, and times when they focus on the Laskas and their reality. It’s a mix of various shots from family struggles to kids playing to young adults holding a party. The two directors try to piece together the many stories. There are times when scenes are shown with a score of a Romani song sung a capella. There are even times when they include Timea’s scratchy violin-playing as score to a scene in the film. Sometimes it hits, sometimes it misses. There are times when the mixed organization appears to work and then there are times when the film feels disjointed. I think the film aimed to be creative in its documentation during times when it wasn’t supposed to be.

Despite the film’s noticeable imperfections, I would have to say the best thing about this film is that it gave a voice to a people. This was a chance for Romani refugees to tell their story of what they faced and why they came to Canada along with the hopes for their children. The adding in of the ‘birdboy’ story adds color to the film as it is a Romani tale. You can see why the film is called Tales Of Two Who Dreamt. The first dreamer was the ‘birdboy’ and the second dreamer was Sandor Laska. I’ll admit I was disappointed at the end to learn the ‘birdboy’ film was never finished. But it’s something that just happens and you saw why.

Tales Of Two Who Dreamt is a documentary that’s noticeably disjointed in a lot of areas. It is still very valuable as it gives an image of the refugee situation Canada is trying to deal with.