La Vie Est Belle - Jamie Hughes

           After watching La Vie Est Belle I felt a sense of joy, which is different from most of the films we have watched in class. For the most part, we have watched films or documentaries about struggles and overcoming them but necessarily in a ‘fun’ or ‘comedic’ way, unlike this film.

            Throughout this film I smiled because it showed how simple it should to be happy, which no-a-days is something that has been lost. Kourou is happy as long as he can sing and enjoy music. Whether he is washing dishes and clothes, or shining shoes, he remains happy; this exemplifies the saying ‘life is rosy’. To me, ‘life is rosey’ means embracing life’s ups and downs and enjoying what is already around you. It’s about breathing in a positive attitude and realizing the good in life opposed to the bad. When I hear the word rosey, I think of being in the cold and having rosey cheeks; in the miserable cold weather, everyone always smiles when they have rosey cheeks. I then think about the old saying ‘take time to small the roses’, meaning allow yourself some time to just enjoy what is around you and stop hustling all the time. I think this is a lesson that more people need to learn in this on-the-go world we live in.

            On the cultural side of things, it was nice to see a film that shed a different light on Africa. Simply from watching or reading the U.S. media outlets, Africa is perceived as a place of need and poverty. Always showing sad starving children as a part of a donation fund or showing small African kids with military weapons are the main imaged depicted in media, which is sad. This film I enjoyed for the fact that it showed Africa as a positive place that is happy and can do things on their own. Even in a town like Kinshasa, where there is a mix of poor and rich, people can find happiness, like Kourou found in music.