Sometimes Love is in a Different Language

I watched Aimee & Jaguar the other day. I've seen it before but for some reason or other, this second viewing was much more affecting. The film, set against the backdrop of a falling Berlin in 1944, tells the story of the beautiful but horribly doomed love affair between the wife of a German soldier (Lily; nicknamed Aimee) and a secretly Jewish secretary working for a Nazi newspaper (Felice; the enigmatic Jaguar). Felice also helps with the Resistance movement - a dangerously precarious life as you can imagine. Exciting times, as she poignantly puts it. She meets the lonely, romance craving, short-sighted housewife Lily at a concert-hall, but it's a brief and impression-less meeting as far as Lily is concerned. Felice however becomes fascinated and as fate would have it, they meet again and become better acquainted - both a little more intrigued by the other, both craving for a chronically absent sense of security. And despite the bombs and the fear, they fall quite helplessly in love.

It's a case of where bombs fall, may love flourish. And despite the impending tragedy, they remain honest human beings who eventually pay the ultimate price for a taste of happiness when happiness was as rare as a food ration card.

The story is beautifully told. It's an affecting tale that's bound to remind us that love comes when it is least expected, or wanted. Juliane Kohler and Maria Schrader, who play Lily and Felice respectively, deliver one of the best performances I have ever seen. In German, no less.

A Good Cause

Recently, I was offered an insight into the good work of Princess Azizah of Pahang who has taken up the often under-looked cause of families who want to be families. She has brought to light the plight of parents who have been unable to conceive through her foundation, the Tengku Azizah Fertility Foundation (TAFF). With the help of this organisation, parents are given the financial and medical aid needed for IVF treatment. 

My mother and I were invited to the TAFF Family Day not too long ago and we were able to witness her kindness and genuine care for these families. It was so touching to see the proud parents with their bundles of joy - their faces radiant with happiness. But the credit really does go to the Princess who was without snobbery and who had given her whole heart into the project. She is aided by able doctors and a dedicated team who believe in her and in the cause. 

I was most impressed by her good work and it really was an eye-opening experience. I do wish the foundation well in all its success.