It’s difficult to truly think of others. I’m not saying there is some sort of innate apathy, but there is always a divide between ourselves and the people we should help. We can donate thousands upon thousands of whatever currency, but I can’t imagine, in full capacity, what they suffer. Things are further exacerbated because of the culture we have accepted in most first world countries. I always hear that we’re lucky to live in places like America or any other similar country. We definitely are fortunate. The damning thing is that we haven’t given that peace everywhere else.
Despite any politics or reasons that can be conjured up, there really is no acceptable excuse. Everyone in the world should be able to be as fortunate as we are and some truly decent people work to make that happen. This is the trailer for Noble, the story of children’s rights campaigner Christina Noble.
This film is directed by Stephen Bradley and stars Deirdre O’Kane as Christina Noble. We accompany Christina, a.k.a Mama Tina, on the journey that develops her into the humanitarian she has become. From the loss of her mother to her own dealings with domestic abuse, she has endured many trials before arriving in Saigon, now known as Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. If you read some online articles like this one , you get an idea about her relationship to the disenfranchised Vietnamese kids she helps, which are referred to as “babbies” in the article. She is truly inspirational and knows the threats that exist around her kids like trafficking. Mama Tina is both a mother and protector of the highest degree.
I felt you should have a good idea of the person this movie focuses on. Going into the trailer itself, it is carefully structured to tug at your heart strings. I’m pretty jaded, so seeing things like “The Incredible True Story” sets off alarms. It’s my rule to never just accept any claim of true story because movies, as their rule, edit out the boring parts of life. Grain of salt. Regardless, attention should be paid to the main idea: A woman who has suffered harshly in this life found the strength to help children out of the kindness of her heart.
The most obvious and absolute best thing here is that we have a strong female protagonist. As a child, Christina Noble is taken from her home and put into an orphanage. During her teenage years, we encounter an independent woman working behind a register, earning her pay. She’s trying to live a good life despite the trauma of a broken home. After that phase of her life, she receives an epiphany through a dream of Vietnam. From her perspective, it’s a foreign land with people of a different culture. It’s brave enough that people are willing to travel and see the world to better themselves. She had the sheer courage to travel there and essentially become a mother lion protecting many Vietnamese cubs.
As a film, it will do a good job of developing a sense of distress using the sight of kids hunting garbage bins for food. As I said before, it tugs. A very effective technique it employs is comparison. She grew up understanding what it means to be destitute and helpless. As an audience, you compare her childhood and sympathize with the Vietnamese kids that undergo similar circumstances. Essentially, you see the parallels of her life and the lives she’s looking to save. This builds a deep connection between herself and the kids which feels honest and truly selfless.
Following Mama Tina’s lead, I want to leave you with her own words expressed in the linked article above. “Anytime somebody writes about me they write about Christina Noble’s childhood – la! la! la! – I get sick of it myself, never mind anyone else. What’s really important are the world’s children. And what’s happening to the world’s children.”
Noble comes to U.S shores May 8th 2015. For the full list of release dates, click here.
Tell us your thoughts! We want to know!
(top image source: Destiny Films)
Does content like this matter to you?
Become a Member and support film journalism. Unlock access to all of Film Inquiry`s great articles. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about cinema - get access to our private members Network, give back to independent filmmakers, and more.