Amanda Palmer - "Vegemite (Black Death)"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJhDV0MMPAs

I cannot hold a man so close that spreads this cancer on his toast
It is the vegemite, my darling, or it's me

Ikigami (2008)

A society injects its children in the age of 6 to 8 years old with a nano-device that in one out of a 1000, explodes when they are between 18 and 24 years old. The selecting process is totally random and its purpose is to force the population to realise the importance and value of life itself. The unfortunate people who will die, are notified 24 hours in advance, during which all their expenses are paid by the government and they can have a wonderful final day with their family and beloved.

The protagonist starts working at the agency that serves people their death notice, and during the course of the film, various situations arise: a simple revenge for humiliation during childhood, a brother, bit of a slum but with a heart of gold, who wants his blind sister to get the cornea of his eyes but has to pull a difficult trick to make sure she doesn't know he will die. A politician, once actively against the procedure but with her "wrong thoughts corrected", actively arguing it is a wonderful way to really enjoy life, until her own son dies. A recently discovered star, singing on television during the last minutes of his life...

The "thought correction" reminds of Orwell's 1984, forcefully changing someone's psyche, though the question remains whether no traces are left...

A wonderful film with gripping moments, for example the scene where the brother, in a happy voice but with tears streaming down his face, tells his sister everything's gonna be well after her surgery. Good score too, though it is nothing fancy or special, it perfectly "suits" the film.

The whole film tends to "feel" very Japanese. This sounds silly, it being a Japanese film and all that, but it really feels like it is made by Japanese for Japanese people. Visually, with many angles and shots that reminded me of anime, story-wise, its pace, its style.

By the way, it was originally a (6-episode?) comic and manga.

Desmona

Belgian band, Desmoda, Desmona.Jacques Brel, Tom Waits, Nina Simone

update, much much later: I think I like it.

Maarten van Roozendaal - "Red mij niet"

Leg een steen onder je kussen
Brand voor mijn part een kaars
Slacht een lam
Maar red mij niet

Zet een rare muts op
Duw briefjes in een muur
Voorspel de toekomst
Maar red mij niet

Laat je baard staan
Ach man, laat je baard staan
Red mij niet