Lukas Moodysson's new film "Mammut" or Mammoth will be premiered on Jan. 19th, in the Stockholm cinema Rigoletto. The story, as earlier announced is about the effects of globalisation upon various lives in different countries. This particular film by a very social-oriented Swedish director who has won acclaim for previous films like "Lilja Forever" and "Container" is set in three countries, of which two are in Asia.I worked as the interpreter for the parts shot in Manila, Philippines. I am not at liberty to disclose what the film looks like because I have not seen the whole of it, but based on Moodysson's previous films one can expect an emotionally touching story.
Globalisation has altered many people's lives, social structures, traditions and human relationships. A Time magazine featured the Philippines some weeks ago - for which I wrote a comment in this blog- in an article entitled " A Motherless Generation". The article is factual yet humanised in bringing out the anguish and agony that take place between parents - who worked abroad and children left behind in the care of relatives. Thousands of children are growing up in homes devoid of warmth and parental love, and even if they get the schooling they need for a good future, there will always be that nagging loneliness by parents missing on their children's young years and children not knowing the closeness of a mother's affection.
Globalisation has altered for good the boundaries of the labour market, so that surplus labour in Asia and Africa find way to the nearer places like Hongkong and Japan; to Europe and especially to the Middle East. The Philippines in particular, witnessed as exodus of contract workers to the Middle East in mid-70s at the height of the oil crisis. In those days, the conditions of work especially salaries, were much better than what is offered in the crowded markets today. Stiff in competition due to surplus labour, the salaries that overseas workers receive have dropped to as low as USD100 monthly. How does one support a family back home and one's self with this kind of money?
It is not just the diminution of wages that overseas workers suffer from. Many women are constantly exposed to sexual exploitation, the worst of which is rape - first in the hands of the recruiter, then the employer. In the Middle East, this is a common story among many young girls, some of whom were sent to jail accused of false crime like stealing, but who in reality were raped by their employer who want to discredit the girl victim's story.
Lukas Moodysson's film is not about this particular effect of globalisation. It is something else and I do recommend warmly to all, to see the film because it is very close to the reality of the world we live in.#
