Must see movie- Blood Diamond

Gosh is this the best movie I have seen this year? I think so. Fancy seeing the best movie of the year on the LAST DAY of 2006! Haha.

The movie is set in 1999, Sierra Leone. It was an unstable and chaotic period of time. Here in Singapore, the lack of natural resources gives us a lot of limitations. But in Africa, being rich in such resources might not be a good thing after all. Where there is money, there is greed; where there is greed, there is evil; where there is evil, there is bloodshed. And this is how the whole issue about conflict diamonds began...

Ponder factor: Leonardo DiCaprio vs Jennifer Connelly
The two of them are very different persons. Leonardo's Danny Archer is a white African, and also a very mercenary businessman. Growing up in a time of war, he believed that the world has become ugly. He feels that there is no hope. People kill each other to survive. That is a fact that cannot be changed. To him, money is the most important, and he cannot care about anything else. On the other hand, Jennnifer's Maddy Bowen is an idealist journalist, who wants to bring an end to the world's suffering. The believes of the two of them are on two extreme ends, but one common trait brought them together- courage, perseverance. And then, they start to influence each other on their worldly views. But who is right, who is wrong? I am not sure. I am more towards Bowen's side though, because she is the kind who brings us the hope. Hehe

The Performance:
Hounson, Connelly and DiCaprio all did an AMAZING job. I love the latter the most. I totally love his African accent, so cute, and so convincing!

What to do as a consumer?
First, you have to WATCH THE MOVIE, and learn about some things you never knew. That is the whole point of producing this movie- to raise awareness. When you are looking at a beautiful diamond necklace on a display shelf, have you ever wondered what kind of price have been paid behind producing it? The second thing to do is to INSIST that the diamond you buy is 'conflict-free'. But how do you insist actually? If the smugglers mix the dirty diamond with the other diamond, there is nothing we can do. To me, just don't buy diamond at all is the best solution. What is the point of wearing a piece of stone in the first place?

Favourite quotes
Archer: Sometimes I really wonder if God will ever forgive us for doing all these to our own people. And then, I look around at what's happening, and I realised, God has left us a long time ago.
When Archer said this, I wanted to cry...

If you haven't watched this movie, watch it now!