Teen Art Out no 28 by Simona Mihalca

Teen Art Out nr 28 ISSN 2284 – 6549 ISSN–L = 2284 – 6549

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Editor-in-chief: Simona Mihalca Editors: Andreea Albulescu Julia Hamermesz Sorana Cancel Teodora Șeredan Ana-Maria Dorofte Andreea Iulia Popescu Laura Lucia Mihalca Cover design: Cătălin Ispas Design: Cătălin Ispas

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Letter from the editor Sing (to) Me To Hell And Back It is the first issue with a joint theme, but I could not help myself. For this issue I had the pleasure of meeting Delain’s lovely front-woman, Charlotte Wessels, and Sabaton’s powerful singer, Joakim Brodén. I was so excited both for the show and the interview. Two of my favourite bands, two packs of amazing people who put out only the best music and energy. Naturally, I had to do something to honour. Sing To Me is such a special song, one featuring Marco Hietala (Nightwish, Tarot). The first two lyrics can stay with you for a long time:

Happy tears fade fast Sad tears tend to last A few moments ago I stumbled across a quote by Oscar Wilde which was truly food for thought: It is only shallow people who require years to get rid of an emotion. A man who is master of himself can end a sorrow as easily as he can invent a pleasure. I don’t want to be at the mercy of my emotions. I want to use them, to enjoy them, and to dominate them. Now I am at a loss. Because the Delain song is a sad one, that touches every sensitive chord in my being, while the quote resonates with my intellect, with my wanting to be strong and fierce. We romanticize sadness, find it beautiful and redeeming. We forget to notice the signs of it. We live our lives in constant anxiety, constant worry, having less and less time and desire to look to the ones around us, to notice the one who is feeling sad, who is depressed. Please never forget that it’s an illness and it can affect anyone, no matter how cheerful and outgoing he/she may seem to you. And if you are having a hard day, week, year or life, do not forget that there are more reasons to live and to be content, if not happy than anything. There are people who will care about you and guide you from the dark. Now look around at the way your life is, this blood-stained situation, the grey looking parts of it. Draw a line and step over. This is who you are now, this is what you do. Sing a song about yourself, sing your love and feelings, your bravery and resilience, and sing whatever you want. Some people went to hell, but they came back. Simona Mihalca, Editor-in-Chief

Summary Interview Joakim Brodén Charlotte Wessels Alexandra Piscupescu Sing (to) me to Hell and Back Full Hunger Just a loser with a lesser loss The brightest of darkness Visual Key Extremes Just... War Book Review Michael Freeman - Manual de fotografie digitală Brady Purdy - Anne Boleyn, Iubirile lui Henric al VIII-lea M.G.Vassanji – Căntarea asasinului Ideas on Celluloid Birdman

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Interview: Joakim Brodén Sabaton! Sabaton! Sabaton! You will have to excuse me, I am still overly excited about the concert Sabaton had in Bucharest. What an incendiary show from a talented and well-known band that is equally humble and friendly. You can read the joy of playing on their faces, see them enjoy the show. More than that, you can see how grateful they are for the crowd cheering, being touched to the core. Let’s face it, I haven’t heard of many other singers to get goose bumps due to the warm reaction of the public. (Keep in mind this was a small venue, with just over 2000 people). It’s a treat to get to know people like this and I am very thankful to have had the chance to talk with Joakim, the lead singer. In his typical metal 6-pack and sunglasses, he greeted us like we have known each other for ages. He was open and happy to answer, to play into our games and just be true to himself. Let’s see what we found out!

Simona Mihalca: First of all, welcome to Romania! We cannot tell you how happy we are to see you again! Joakim Brodén: Thank you, thank you. It’s really good to be back. S.M.: There’s quite a big group of Romanian fans here. The first question, this is my own curiosity, what made you think about doing the special edition T-shirt for Bucharest? J.B.: I think it’s a good memory for everyone. We do it in some countries, in certain places, and I think it’s a nice memory, instead of just having a tour shirt where all the dates are printed on the back. We have those, of course, as well, but we thought that it’s a nice souvenir. I remember myself going to concerts and if a band had something like that, that was the one I wanted. S.M.: We asked our readers if they had anything they wanted to ask and we felt like we had to ask this one: do you really “resist and bite”? J.B.: (laughs) Well, yes, I do, actually. I do resist and I do bite.

But I’m normally a very nice person so it takes a very long time for me to actually bite.

S.M.: “Heroes” is close to its first year. Have your opinions on it, either musically or ideologically, changed now, after playing it so many times? J.B.: No, I like it. It’s a nice, fast, long heavy metal album. I would say “Carolus Rex”, the one before, was a little slower, more and epic and symphonic maybe, while “Heroes” is straight-on heavy metal. There is not a single song I hate yet. Maybe in ten years you can ask me again, maybe I’ll hate some. (smiles) S.M.: I’m asking because there are people who say “oh, I wish we hadn’t done this, it’s too hard to play live” and such. J.B.: We still haven’t done any songs that we couldn’t play live. We can certainly play any song we ever did. On the other hand, if I look back on our career, there are some songs that are not so good, so they shouldn’t be played live. (laughs)

S.M.: We know the album focuses on brave and amazing¬ individuals, with inspiring stories. What is your opinion on this famous quote by Stalin: “The death of one man is a tragedy. The death of millions is a statistic”. J.B.: Unfortunately, I guess it’s true, because you can’t really relate to a number, you can only relate to a name or a face. So, unfortunately, I guess it’s kind of true. It’s one of the reasons we decided to go the way we did with “Heroes”, to focus on the individual or the small group instead of the big picture. Unfortunately, it is as he said. S.M.: Obviously, this is not your case, but do you believe some people see only the glory in wars, the strategies, the big personalities and the political event on a global scale, while forgetting about the pain it causes? J.B.: I think so, yes, mainly I think it’s because some people seem to have a romanticized version of war. I haven’t seen it myself, obviously – first, being Swedish, we were always neutral – but I’ve met enough army veterans from everywhere from Afghani-

stan today to Iraq, to Vietnam, to people who’ve fought in World War II. It’s unfortunate that people still have a romanticized version of warfare. Anyone who signs up to be a soldier will be disillusioned very quickly.

S.M.: Do you ever censor yourself? Have you ever written anything and decided it was too harsh? J.B.: No, I like to be on the edge. Not to provoke for the sake of provoking, but if a song is about a heavy subject or a controversial person – we still do it. I mean, we have a song about how Adolph Hitler came to power in Germany called “Rise of Evil”, we did that in 2006. Many promoters and record labels were very worried, but with heavy metal fans it’s never a problem, they’re usually much smarter than they’re given credit for. It’s always the establishment, the promoter, the record label, all these people who go like “oh no, you can’t sing about Adolph Hitler”. Well, we sing about World War II. How can we not sing about Adolph Hitler?

stan today Iraq, ever to Vietnam, S.M.: Haveto you considto people who’ve in World ered writing moviefought soundtracks? War II. It’s Would youunfortunate like that? that people stillJ.B.: have a romanticized version That would be very fun, of warfare. Anyone up actually. I have quitewho a fewsigns orchesto bepieces a soldier will belying disillusioned tral of music around, very quickly. both in my head and on my computer so one day yes, I hope so. S.M.: Do you ever censor yourS.M.: If you were towritten write a book self? Have you ever anyabout how would you name thing yourself, and decided it was too it? harsh? J.B.: No, Oh.I like “A book with very J.B.: to be on theaedge. boring half”, Ifor guess. Not tofirst provoke the (laughs) sake of I don’t know how it, provoking, but if aI would song isname about I know it wouldn’t be much abut heavy subject or a controversial fun in –the beginning because person we still do it. I mean, we when aI grew as a kid, wasn’t have songup, about howit Adolph so badcame as totomake a good story Hitler power in Germany out of “Rise it, butof itEvil”, wasn’t called we so did good that either. alright upbringin 2006.Fortunate, Many promoters and reing, I don’t think of intercordso labels were verymuch worried, but est until it’s we are in withwould heavyhappen metal fans never my late teens – earlyusually twenties. a problem, they’re much smarter than they’re given credit What isthe your idea of fun? If for. S.M.: It’s always establishment, given a chance to skip work for a day, the promoter, the record label, how would you spend the entire day? all these people who go like “oh J.B.: Hmm. That could be very no, you can’t sing about Adolph different, but I would probably Hitler”. Well, we sing about World something very passive or very War II. How can we not sing about active, depending on how I felt. I Adolph Hitler? would just be at home – maybe sleep, watch some TV or play the piano, that could be one day; or

sleep, watch some TV or play the piano, that could be one day; or be out, in the mountains, climbing, doing stuff like that. S.M.: I like people who have sleep on top of their priorities! J.B.: Oh yeah! (laughs) S.M.: What’s the most dangerous or adventurous thing you have ever done? J.B.: It’s not really dangerous, but it’s certainly adventurous: jumping bungee jumps, stuff like that. But it’s not that dangerous, I mean it’s more dangerous to cross the street in London, statistically. S.M.: What are the places you visited on your tours and left the biggest impact on you? J.B.: Biggest impact… There are so many places it’s hard to choose from. I can’t really say that there is one that stands out, but rather ten or fifteen. (thinking hard) S.M.: Maybe tell us some of those. J.B.: (still thinking) Yeah, yeah. Certainly one of them is Australia. Very different. We played there in early 2013, so it’s two years ago now. The difference of everything – the world is upside down there.

now. The difference of everything – the world is upside down there. S.M.: And everything wants to kill you! J.B.: Yeah, pretty much! Except the kangaroos. No, we didn’t see any spiders, I was expecting spiders, snakes everywhere but we didn’t see any of that. We went there in January, so it’s summer for them, not winter. Just brilliant. We took a road trip, I think a thousand kilometer road trip, and on the way, in the evenings, we would see wild kangaroos jumping along the road and then you’re staying in the night and see two eagle eyes in the tree and go like “what the fuck is that?!”. And then there’s small koala bears eating there (imitates one). That made an impact because it’s so different than what I’m used to.

S.M.: What do you think makes a great leader, both in the past as a commander and maybe now as a manager? J.B.: Oh. I have no idea. There are many ways of leadership and what makes a great leader. Is it what he achieved or is it what people thought about him? I

think there’s not one style of a great leader, there are different ways of getting things done. In way, somebody who is a very good boss for his employees or his troops doesn’t have to be the best general. On the other hand, nobody likes an asshole (laughs), so I guess it has to be something in between. But, at least the ones who are usually in command in most respects, as I’ve learned from military history, are the ones who are really hard but also very fair. In a sense, I agree with that.

S.M.: This is something we asked Pär a while ago, but we want to know what your view is. How do you think the world would look now, had Germany won World War II? J.B.: Oh. I would be speaking German as a native language (laughs). Other than that… I would be speaking German, obviously there would be less Jewish people alive, maybe my mother wouldn’t have been born, she’s from the Czech Republic and according to Nazi ideology she would be “sub-human”… So, yeah, I wouldn’t exist, probably. Or at least she wouldn’t have met my

father. S.M.: Do you believe that, in times of war, people were justified to support either side? For instance, in Romania, in World War I, there were two opposing sides, one that wanted to join forces with Germany, the vaterland of our king, and others wanted to join forces with France, whose culture was very widespread in Europe. J.B.: Yeah, yeah, it’s totally difficult, you can never judge anyone with the facts you have today on the decisions they made then. What people forget is most places in the civilized world now, maybe they don’t have total freedom of speech or freedom of press, but you can almost always find out the truth, I’m quite sure. Even the people of North Korea know they didn’t land a man on the moon, or on the sun, where they said, these things are crazy. But in 1939 or in the 30’s, 40’s, even earlier, as you said – World War I – what you knew was what was in the magazine, or what people told you. And then in World War II, the radio had come. So, in a sense, you couldn’t make a fair judgment. I’m quite sure that the young men who went into Poland on the 1st of September 1939 were told by Adolph Hit-

ler, through the use of Goebbels, that Germany had been attacked by the Poles. What do you think they felt? They wanted to go in and kill every Polish person because they think they attacked them. Propaganda is a powerful instrument and I think it’s really hard to judge somebody from 70 (or, in the case of World War I, 100 years) in the past knowing what you know today without thinking what the information or data that they had was. S.M.: What is your view on the current socio-political state of Europe and the world? Do you ever fear the start of a new global war? J.B.: I don’t know, that would be politics, I don’t like political or religious propaganda. Ask me again in ten years and I’ll tell you how it went! What’s going on today is in a sense politics, it will be history in a time. War is a consequence of, usually, failing politics, but I’m not too interested actually. I’m not too worried either, starting a war today is a PR disaster, because everybody will know who started it. S.M.: Maybe in Romania people are worried about the Ukraine crisis because they’re right on our frontier,

it’s close to home, it can happen. J.B.: Yeah, yeah, of course, I know what you mean. S.M.: Lastly, what makes for a good show for you and what do you expect to happen in Bucharest tonight? J.B.: Lots of fun! I wish we could play this in the summer, outdoors, that would have been really fun. But other than that, I expect a lot of fun, we have a… tank with us on stage, a real tank, and then we’ve got a little bit of everything: we’ve got some mechanized stuff that will appear later in the show. It’s the first time we are in Romania with full stage production. So, all in! (thumbs up) S.M.: Especially the tank! J.B.: Yeah! (laughs)

Special thanks to Simona Tudor and George Arion for the interview.

Interview: Charlotte Wessels I have to start by telling you a bit about Charlotte, the lovely lead singer of Delain and telling you that I am and will be a fangirl. She has the voice, the looks and the personality you could ever wish for in the front lady of a symphonic metal band. While for the first too I let you decide for yourself, I have to say that she is by far the friendliest and nicest singer I met. She has a smile that lights up the room and a spring in her step. Could you expecting anything less from the girl with the cotton candy-colured hair? All jokes aside, how could I miss the chance to see her when she came to Bucharest? Exactly, I could not. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what we talked about

Simona Mihalca: “The Human Contradiction” is close its first year. Did your opinions on it, either musically or ideologically, changed now, after playing it and listening to it so many times, than before it was released? Charlotte Wessels: Not so much. Actually, we have played many songs live, but some of them we haven’t even played live yet, so we still have a lot of headline tours to come. There are songs waiting to get their live debut. So we still have a long way to go with these songs and I am happy that a lot of them are fresh. We do have some songs that are hard to translate to a live situation because we use the orchestra, lots of different vocal styles. But for us it’s an incentive to hope for a situation where we can actually have those guest performances with us on stage and to have the opportunity to do those performances with full force. We have 5 records to choose from now, so if there’s one song that we can’t play live we don’t end up with a hole in our setlist. S.M: What was the think that totally surprised you about this album?

C.W: We recorder it in record time. We spend 2 or 3 times more on our previous records and they were not necessarily more successful. What I take from this is that if we just take the music that comes to us and don’t second-guess it too much, work with that and follow our instincts, than that’s alright. I really feel that this record in the way that it has been received so far so positively is a confirmation of our insticts. S.M: You have always been straight forward and outspoken about a large quantity of subjects but do you ever write songs that later on you consider too heavy or too sharp? Do you censor yourself? C.W: I have doubted a couple of thing whether I should write about them. Even our sad songs do have a spark in them somewhere. I think Scarlett was one of the songs where I was in doubt, as it is a depressing song actually, and for me that’s the feeling where it comes from. I had a moment when I thought whether it is good to mark such a negative emotion. And then I said yes, because when I look at myself and at the my music I listen to when-

ever I feel down, sometimes the really sad songs can make you feel you better, because they confirm that feeling and that you are not alone feeling like this. So, I had doubts about that one, because I thought it was too dark. Of course, it’s not in comparison with what some bands do, but I try to compare only with my own feelings and not with what other people are doing. Another song was Tell Me, Mechanist. It’s not like the song is telling anyone what they should do, but it’s about hits philosophical conversation between these two guys about whether animals feel pain. I had some doubts in putting it out there, because of course, if you talk about animals and their ability to feel pain, it is kind of a statement about the practices we do like eating meat and dairy. I have not been eating meet for 3 years now and at the moment it’s not going too well. I cheat sometimes. S.M: Was that inspiration from Alissa? C.W: *laughs* Actually, that song was written before I met her. But now that you talk about it, this was the one tour when it was

really easy for me to be vegan, because she put a lot of vegetables on the rider and she could always tell me, because she’s been vegan forever, that’s where you get vegan doughnuts or vegan this and vegan that. Back then it was really easy. Now I have a bit of a hard time, but if anybody asks, I’d say it’s a lot easier than everybody thinks. So, this is why I doubted the song, because you don’t want to become too preachy, but the song is merely a statement.

S.M: How do you define success? When did you or will you reach it? C.W: I think success is when you are very content with what you are doing. I do not necessarily measure it in album sales or how many people come to your gigs, even though it basically says a lot about what you are doing. For me, the feeling of success is much more, for example, when you finish writing a song and you really like how it turned out or when you record a song and you hit that note perfectly and you listen back to it like “F**k yes!”. These moments of success are more worthy, because if you sell enough records

or enough tickets, that is a realC.W: Not as much as people ly nice feeling of security, as you will think, I guess. might lose the opportunity to do what you do. The real success S.M: Speaking of girly things, comes from the reward of creat- how do you handle having to live ing something off a couple of suitcases for weeks at a time? S.M: Our readers wanted to C.W: Well, maybe both Merel ask you about how Ruben is set- and I are not the right girls to ask tling in. Sander said in his goodbye because we are the typical girls. post that he will maintain a be- I don’t mind wearing the same hind-the-scenes role in the band. clothes for two days and living in Did that happen? the smelly tour bus. I mean, it’s C.W: Next to the fact that home. I only get annoyed when we’re apping all the time, for the you don’t have the possibility to most part we will see this when shower for a very long time. It’s a we start writing and recording matter of planning ahead. the next album and maybe he will be involved in that. I also know S.M: Who is the person you enthat if there will be an opportu- joy working with the most? nity when Ruben could not play a C.W: I really feel in my comgig for some reason, that he will fort zone when we write togethalways come and do that. We ha- er with Martijn and Guus. Guus ven’t lost contact at all. Ruben is is not in the live band, but he’s doing good and settling in great. been writing with us for a very I think he’s gonna have a good long time and we write most time on tour with us, even though of the songs the 3 of us. I think we’re a bunch of weirdos. this is really nice when you know each other and are in your comS.M: On the note of a new mem- fort zone. Also, when it comes to ber, you are also joined by Merel other stuff surrounding the band, Bechtold. How did the dynamic of we have a photographer that we the group change when another always work with, Sandra Ludwig, lady joined the band? who is fantastic and Glenn Arthur,

who made two of our covers. You get to work with a lot of people and a lot of people who have crazy talent in this business. That is really, really cool.

there because it isn’t a festival without Slayer. OH! I would put ourselves there, as well, because on that festival I would really like to play. And also, very important, I would make a small stage where upcoming bands can get a chance to sing through local contests. Maybe even put one of them on the big stage. It’s really important that bands that are starting out get their chance. And if I had to choose someone not in rock or metal, Florence and The Machines or Sia.

S.M: If you could have a luncheon with any three people (real or fictitious/from any time period/ dead or alive), which three people would you choose and why? C.W: It’s a great thing that you said 3. Most people say one and I’m like “F**k”. Barack Obama, just to see hat lunch is like with the person with so much power and responsibility. Dalai Lama, to see S.M: What are the places you the other side, the more spiritual visited along your tours that left one. And Bjork, because music. the biggest impact on you? C.W: We went to Auschwitz S.M: If you could be the pro- a couple of day ago. I have never moter and organizer of a festival, been there before and I hesitated what would be your ideal line-up? whether this was a good time to C.W: I think it would be rock/ go because I can get depressed metal cross-over. I would want from reading a newspaper let alone some classic rock bands. Get from visiting Auschwitz, but then f***ing Deep Purple out there again nobody who went there felt and some more of the loud rock like getting depressed and I felt bands like Foo Fighters, maybe like I should go too. Remembering Queens of The Stone Age. Then, history is so important. That had some real metal bands. Oh, I want a big impact, not really in a nice In This Moment there, Halestorm. way. Not everything has to be fun It will be like a really weird cross- and games. over festival. Slayer should be [When you hear such a lovely

person say that all you want to do is give her a hug, so someone out there please do that on my behalf. I hope she is always reminded what a kind, beautiful and amazing person she is, and most of all, loved.]

S.M: Lastly, what makes a good show for you? What's the funniest thing that can happen on there? What do you expect to happen tonight in Bucharest? C.W: I know that it really depends on what country you play in, but I really like it when people are interacting, so when they are really joining into the energy of the music and when they shout. *big cute smile on* I know that some people just like to watch a song, me myself I just like to watch a show. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re on stage it is so cool to see all the hands in the air. I cannot really describe it. [I cannot begin to tell you how amazing it is to see her so happy and passionate talking about what she is doing, about playing live. Such joy and such devotion to it] To conclude, go and listen to the Delain songs because theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re worth it. Hope you will love them

Alexandra Piscupescu 1. Hello, Alexandra! First of all… thank you for accepting our invitation for a short interview for our magazine. We’re honored to “have you here”, with us! I am the one to be honored here. Thank you for your invitation! 2. I’ve always admired such ambition… We know that you’ve started rhythmic gymnastics at the age of six. We’d like to know who has influenced your future career. Did your parents or was it your desire? Indeed I started gymnastics at age of six. My parents helped me alot in my career, especially my mother. I went through several difficult times and she was always there for me, helping me get over everything and continue my journey. 3. What brought you to choose this kind of gymnastics? Why did you choose rhythmic gymnastics? After watching the World Championship on TV, I was really impressed by Anna Bessonova, the best Ukrainian gymnast at that time, so I told my

mother that I want to practice this sport. I was really amazed of the beauty and elegance of the sport. All the ribbon drawings and the mastery of the gymnasts with the hoop, ball and clubs.

my performances. Biggest difficulties were the competitions with biased judges and unfair scores. That was really sad...

My model was for sure Irina Deleanu because I have known her very well being by her side for 15 years. She is like my mother and I have learned a lot from her, from gymnastics to knowing what a strong woman she is. Even today, in tough situations I think about her and what would she would do. She inspired me and still is my model from every point of view.

important place to tell, but I sure remember how happy I felt and how rewarding it was. Every medal and good performance gave me strength and courage to go on and do even better.

7. Can you tell us what did you feel when you first won an important place? Was it motivation, 4. Can you tell us what your happiness? Was it felt like your work models in the world of gymnastics and passion was rewarded? were? I can't remember exactly my first

8. Besides that… how can you go on when you’re really exhausted?

Passion is the only thing that keeps you going in really hard times like being exhausted or feeling down Somehow and somewhere, from whatever reason.

5. were you tempted to choose another sport?

9. From your opinion, how Not really, no. I admired the ath- would the amateur public describe letes a lot but never actually thought this kind of gymnastic? of choosing it instead of gymnastics.

I would go with "spectacular".

6. Was it difficult to go 10. We’d like to know… when through this dream? What were your you were working and practicing, how biggest satisfactions? But your big- could you detach from your personal gest difficulties? life, so that could not interfere with It was difficult but it was worth the professional one? it! My biggest satisfaction was bring Usually I managed to do that ing happiness to the people around by thinking only at my goal and how me, like my family, my coach, my col- much I want to reach it and become leagues and all the people watching the person I want to be. My love for

gymnastics makes me forget about everything else when I step in the gym.

11. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve gained five important places in the worldwide and European competitions. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quite a pride actually. Why did you decide to retire so soon? The reason I retired so soon is that I didn't feel like I could do anymore gymnastics at the same level, and I would never accept doing it other than at the highest level and at my maximum potential. Also my coach was very busy training the next senior for her first senior year and I was kind of training alone...

12.

What are you planning to do in the future? Being a trainer, maybe?

I am already coaching little girls. I wish to remain in the rhythmic gymnastics world because I can't imagine doing anything else. I am also a national judge and wish to be an international one.

13.

Andâ&#x20AC;Ś do you have a message for our readers from Teen Art Out?

Work hard for your dream and don't waste any time. Do everything with love and everything should go as planned.

Feel Oh, love, the butterflies in your stomach as you see the perfect being before your eyes, the emotions that are burning in your veins when you kiss… The feelings buried in your brain when it ends in a way or another. Such is the path that we all take when we feel, when we see with our own eyes how it is to have love in front of you and then have our soul tearing itself apart, as the sentiments are breaking every molecule of your consciousness is starting to depart this realm of sanity. And then, you broker a deal. A part of you will always remain there, never to return, forever to be in pain, as the rest goes on and on. Again and again and again, this happens and more and more bits of your soul is left behind in a time and place where you don’t belong anymore, forever damned to travel through the hell the fires of your own heart are creating. Finally, all that’s left is the shattered piece of your mind, filled with missing pieces, pieces of a puzzle that might never be completed as you lose more and more with each passing burning fire of desire that your heart is setting ablaze. “One more time, surely it’ll end up better now!” is all you ever hear from it as it lights another match, ready to set you up on the same path again. And then you die. Not even the peaceful type, in which you just stop feeling anything for eternity, no, your body is still alive and moving but inside it’s just the rotting carcass of what was before your soul was torn to shreds. Only a constant feeling of being empty reminds your brain that you are still alive, as you continue to watch the days pass bye, seeing how misery invites more misery and just ignoring yourself. But this all has a point, doesn’t it? When everything you have left is just the shadow of what once was, something always is there. The hope that you’ll find the person to take care of it, to give love the meaning of not giving your soul to someone but for that one to be able to fill back the missing pieces that were burnt by others. In the end, you’re going through hell every time you feel, but… Hope is what’s left to bring you back again. Mihnea Săvulescu

Unspoken truths are blooming wild Timeless demons are beguiled. Hungry for laughs, hungry for passion, Their smiles are cold, with no compassion. “Frozen words are locked in chests!” There’s a war in my head, and a pain Crying angels have confessed. in my chest, Unlock the golden gates of hell, I try to do it all, but I don’t know And let them know that you will sell what’s best! Your fragile soul to the loved demon, Hungry for knowledge, hungry for Who’s running though a storm of fame, flashes And suddenly, I am to blame. As all your dreams turn into ashes. Burning desire, lots of steam and Looking in the sinner’s eye, lying, Hungry to live, hungry to die. Anything you tell me, believe me, I’m Blood red poison slowly pouring, not buying. And the eyesight slowly blurring, No time left, I’m going for wins, Hungry for hope, hungry for daylight. Hungry for power, hungry for sins. Getting lost within the night Cut off my wings, I’ll learn how to Whose claws are widely open – walk, Dreams are shattered, heart is broCut away my tongue, I’ll learn how to ken. talk. Mind is burning, stars are sighing, Going down, running through hell Hungry for power, you are denying. No more secrets I can tell. Silver scythe-like moon, the lonely Golden cage, I’m locked inside; wolves are howling, Lights went out, they left me blind – Rising high into the black, the stars As life is like a game of chess, are dangerously growling. Hungry for money, hungry for sucYou’re lost inside your own dark cess. mind, Dangerous silence, my demon is Hungry for light, but wishing to be here, blind! Hating the things once I held dear. Emerald eyes, astonishing beauty, Paying much the dead man’s duty. Andreea Albulescu Silence is sacred, let the heart undress, Forevermore, their time is endless.

Hunger

“Just a Loser With a Lesser Loss”

By Aubrey Songcog

“If this is to end in fire Then we should all burn together Watch the flames climb high into the night Calling out father oh stand by and we will Watch the flames burn auburn on The mountain side high. . . Desolation comes upon sky” -I See Fire, Ed Sheeran A trigger of a gun for a spit of blood. An exhalation of a canon in exchange of multiple breaths. A drop of bomb that demands for desolation, that asks for woe. In the midst of smoke and chaos, men are running with a barrel of a gun on one shoulder and the fortune of his mother land on the other. Heavy breaths. . sob. . weep. Others are praying to be saved, while others are just wishing for death. Because in war, there are no winners, only losers with lesser loss. An Irish poet once said, “War is the opposite of civilization”. Then what an irony it must be with the modern tragedy where men no longer use sticks nor stones, but an elegantly furnished firearms and intricately made atomics that could obliterate entire country. In the turn of millennia, war is no longer an armed conflict between primitive men that seeks for food and survival, but rather a gentleman’s game, manipulated by intellects and materially well-offs. Where tactical plans are no longer drawn on a flat earth, but with the intervention of complex commands in the form digitalization. That war is no longer considered as an impulsive act, but rather an art. Leaders will say that war is the key for peace. But the truth is that, it will never guarantee peace, whereas it will only breed vengeance into the young ones and the following generations. War only demands for power and superiority, which enroots from greed and selfishness of those on the top. That wealthy men will declare war but it is the poor that must fight and die. “The tragedy of modern war is not so much that the young men die but

that they die fighting each other -- instead of their real enemies back home in the capitals.” -Edward Abbey While leaders are spending the nation’s wealth on sophisticated armories and launching warships, many country men are homeless with an empty stomach and pale face. That young ones are not nurtured to be diplomats but rather trained for combats and bloodbaths. “Fight for your mother country”, as they would say but behind the conspiracy, its only for the pride and greed of the opulent. War does not only take the life of men, but also the heart of a weeping mother, the hope of an abandoned child, and the future of the humanity. Moreover, no men survived and returned from war without a piece of damage because in war, there are no winners. Only losers with lesser loss. “Now I see fire Inside the mountain I see fire Burning the trees I see fire Hollowing souls I see fire Blood in the breeze And I hope that you remember me. . .”

The brightest of darkness You can’t help but notice, sometimes, how faces on the street all look the same, painted grey by worry and apathy, confused by a world they don’t understand. Even when we’re happy, there seems to be something missing, a key piece to the puzzle forgotten somewhere between coffee with friends and afternoon shopping; something quiet, waiting patiently at our core, pulling our sleeve from time to time and, when we keep ignoring it, threatening to crack the hardened shell of our skin and burst out into blinding light. I couldn’t describe it in words. I just know it’s there. There’s a phenomenon that Einstein called ‘spooky action at a distance’. It describes how, even if they’re separated, two particles that interacted with each other at some point (this interaction is described as ‘quantum entanglement’) will stay connected even when separated by great distances. If, then, we will act upon one particle, the effect will be transmitted to the other particle with a speed faster than the speed of light, even if there are thousands of kilometers between them. Think about this: according to the Big Bang theory, the universe started as a unique singularity that expanded until it became the world we know (or don’t know) today. If two distinct particles keep influencing each other even after they separate, what can we say about an entire universe that was, at the beginning, so condensed that it was basically one single entity? Wouldn’t that mean that anything we –as parts of that initial whole- do today reverberates throughout all corners of the world? Any good deed, any negative thought. This can be a lesson on physics, but I’d rather think of it as a lesson on kindness. Another phenomenon, called ‘the observer effect’, describes how the simple act of observing reality influences it; we’ve been taught to believe that reality is something that’s out of our control, but quantum mechanics shows that every particle has both the properties

of a particle and a wave, and that the act of observation makes this duality collapse into a single physical state. In other words, what we perceive as physical reality is an immense field of possibility, out of which we constantly select outcomes and turn them into reality; we are the observers, pillars of consciousness to shape the world around us. There are wars happening as I write and their purpose is hollow. They’re phantom limbs of a world that wants to change, but doesn’t know how. And then there’s the war we lead every day, a battle with ourselves, with a society that keeps us in tiny boxes and labels us helpless, and makes us think we have the right to own anything, from material goods to other souls like us, but leads us to forget the most important thing that we must learn to own: ourselves. We’re sad and confused because we’ve given up on our power, and it’s visible that this sorrow bleeds into our art, a grim vision of a reality whose meaning keeps slipping through our fingers; feeding on itself, it perpetuates a culture of hopelessness. I don’t think it has to be like this. I believe reality is what we make of it, and if everyone remembered, for at least five minutes every day, that we are all drops of the same ocean and that we actively create our lives, the world could slowly bloom into colour, shedding its old skin. Maybe it’s time. The Dalai Lama once said, ‘The planet doesn’t need more successful people. The planet desperately needs more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers and lovers of all kinds.’ I think these are our heroes: people who see the beauty around them, people who take their time to walk through life and enjoy the view, people who can see beyond themselves and reach out to others, people who love and create. And especially people who do all these things despite the hardships they go through, because they are able to see a bigger picture of what their life means. People who aren’t afraid to believe that their teenage dream of changing the world isn’t something that fades away when they grow up. People who aren’t afraid to believe. Each of us has a spark of that initial explosion of life inside us; each of

us can be a hero, not of war, but of light. And this doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to mean doing something extraordinary, leaving the whole world speechless. It can mean waking up one morning and leaving yourself speechless with the love that you feel, the way you know you have a safe shelter inside yourself and that you carry the entire universe inside you. And that can be enough. Cancel Sorana

Visual Key Extremes Teodora Șeredan Visual Kei (or v-kei) is a current in constant change, from a rather loose Japanese translation it basically is a visual style/code/system; promoted mostly by musicians, rock bands and/or solo artists, visual kei is out there to send a captivating message, carrying out with even more impact whatever the artist wishes to share to its audience. Visual kei started as an underground niche around the time of the eighties’ glam rock, but with a more “local” touch, remaining impressive - yet getting heavily personalized – all depending on the artist’s style. Throughout the years, the main current broke down into even more niches, some darker, others more elegant, while others were flashy, accompanied by a distinctive line of instrumentals, which all set a certain kind of band/solo artist in a league of its own, never breaking off completely from the main artistic current though. J-rock is is the musical genre in which visual kei is most vibrant, apart from the artistic street fashion present in areas like Harajuku and Shibuya in Tokyo, yet in earlier stages; apart from the dark glam and heavily gothic/Victorian-inspired garmenting, traditional kimono wear and theatrical make-up were also powerful, same going for crossdressing (which most likely keeps a remnant from the medieval theatre tropes, thus being so casually accepted in the music scene, despite it being quite surprising in its displayed elements). The parent subgenre of visual kei is Visual Shock, pioneered by X Japan, Buck Tick and COLOR in the late 1980s and the early ‘90s; it contains elements from all the other v-kei niches which branched out afterwards, each unique arrangement and striking theme starting a new stand-alone trend in the main current, which changed its course at every impactful twist of style. Kote Kei is characterized by striking clothing and hairstyles, thematically each band member/musician having an individualizing look. Music-wise, there were also two extremes, with a “Black Kote Kei”(standing out as faster-paced and heavy-sounding, aggressive) and “White Kote Kei” (which is more melodious and focused more on musicianship). It caused a lot of hype in the ‘90s, but it still stands as a constant for some bands such as Versailles.

Angura Kei features an emphasis on traditional Japanese culture, the musicians often wearing kimonos and medieval or medieval-inspired theatric make-up and music-wise it favors heavy metal and hard rock, sometimes mixed with traditional Japanese instrumentals for an even more intriguing artistic experience. Eroguro Kei brings the erotic and gory on the same page (ero and guro – the interplay of sex and violence), combining Fetish Fuel with Gorn, Nausea Fuel and Nightmare Fuel and it emphasizes on Hotter and Sexier and Bloodier and Gorier. Sound-wise it gives out a reminiscence of Alice Cooper and Marilyn Manson-kind of tune, impressively highlighting a certain theme or combination of themes and visuals for shock value and, of course, to deliver the song’s message properly. Nagoya Kei gets defined by rather gloomy and grim visuals and a dark and/ or harsh sound; it is darker than Lolita and toned down compared to Eroguo, focusing on a much favored dark attire (black most of the times) on growled/ barked vocals, which are quite common to this subgenre of v-kei but it does not fully characterize it though; there is lesser stress on the visuals, unlike in other v-kei brances and due to this “freedom” in style quite many dark and heavy j-music groups and artists, regardless of musical style or origin the term was heavily misused for artists outside Nagoya. Now there is no longer a particular restriction origin-wise, since the attitude and music style can easily fit the Nagoya kei category. Ex-Visual Kei/Post-Visual Kei includes artists starting out as visual or attempting to appeal to visual fans and later dissociating from the genre or simply taking a radical approach to the style either as a form of aversion/ subversion to the tropes or attempting to reach a wider audience. Post-Visual Kei creates a very fine middle ground between visual kei and non-visual kei music, since it leads its artists to many controversies as they transition from one style to another, from one personal music period style to the other. Dir en Grey for example started out as Black Kote Kei, became Eroguro and now is between Death Metal and metalcore; Miyavi stepped up at first as Visual Shock, then tried other different styles, until transitioning to a non-visual kei phase for a while. Wagakki Band (literally translated as “Traditional Instrument Band” is a Folk Rock/Folk Metal music ensemble powerfully settled into Angura Kei. Despite lacking mainstream success, the seven-piece ensemble wonderfully brings together modern and traditional Japanese musical instruments in an exotic musical approach, combining catchy vocals and a an edgy rock/metal sound

with traditional Japanese music in a colorful and dynamic image. They are known to re-orchestrations of Japanese folk songs and covers of Vocaloid songs. All the band members wear some form of traditional attire and combine Kabuki-esque theatrics with wild and energetic showmanship (specific to most contemporary rock and metal bands). The GazettE fully takes the Eroguro Kei stance, into which, throughout the years theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been adding their vivid contribution to the genre. The band started out with an obvious gory, fetishist and madness fuel tone and it managed to undergo several massive changes of style and sound, maturing to a more subtle approach of ero and guro, never skimping on impact and musical quality though. Depending on each musical era, there was a certain kind of looks, a certain highlight on some themes, varying from the human mind and emotions in all of their intensity and spike to social messages and self-imposing imperatives. Each set of style-twists and music eras brought together extreme fragments from other v-kei genres, until toning town to a very matured, occidental-like arrangement and quite fashionable, yet unique/ band-specific appearance, almost slipping to a post-visual kei stage in their â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;evolutionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; as a group. A sound reminder would be that not all visual artists remain constant to a specific genre, some just starting out from a specific niche and expanding upon it whereas others blend styles to fit their own or just transition from one genre to the other. There is no particular rule in the visual kei realm besides the effort into delivering a visual message just as powerful/ relevant/ meaningful/ unique as the artistic piece it brings along with it.

JUST ... WAR Ligia Niculae Do you know what war is? Yes, I know, we often ask ourselves this question when we try to asses, from our personal point of view, the concept and meaning(s) of war. But the truth is that war, or the whole concept of war, is more than an ugly fight, personal dispute(s), military battles, political conflict(s) or personal [internal] grudge. The fisticuffs between two gangs, the internal dispute of a person, the ugly fight with your parents, or with the one you love is not war; it is just a misunderstanding which can be resolved, and not to forget … war is not depicted in the movie called “This means war” … War is not about the funny stories from the battlefield told by veterans, but war is more. War is the opposite of peace and, as the literature on war concept says, war is started in order to be reached peace… (I shall let you brainstorm on the last sentence  ) This is why this current article tackles the understanding of war in nowadays time given that we can attribute the word war to various definitions, most of them having nothing to do with the concept in itself, that is why, I intend to present to you five ideas based on which we can underline what war is not. 1. War is not about battlefield stories Most of the battlefield stories are from the two World Wars . And some are funny, while others are not. For the ones who have not seen (yet) Fury with Brad Pitt, Shia LeBeouf and other great actors, I highly recommend you; it perfectly depicts the feelings of war, all mixed with the naked truth: people die in war and if they do not die, they will never forget that experience for the rest of their life. After war, and I shall only refer here to the First and Second Word War because I highly believe that we all have at least a limited amount of knowledge on the events which took place during the war years, the society is completely changed. Firstly, people died, be them seniors, adults, young adults, or children. According to the statistics the number of peoThe 2012 American romantic comedy with Tom Hardy, Reese Witherspoon and Chris Pine. Indeed there are more stories brought back by the veterans of the Vietnam war.

ple who died during the First World War is 8.5 million all around the word , the total number of casualties (military and civilians) being of 37 million people around the word . The people who were born under a lucky star and came back home experienced post-traumatic stress besides the fact that they had to return to their old life which they had before the war. The state had to help them even if they were disabled, so the state had to make available jobs and to support the private investors to hire them. After 21 years, so after a new generation of people was born, the Second World War burst and this generation of men was decimated, like the one before, by gun powder. During the Second World War the total number of casualties is of more than 55 million people, both civilians and military . Seeing this, what is war? To give you a hint, after the end of a war, such as the First or the Second, there are more women than men, meaning that the number of children born after the end of a war is less than the number of born children before the war. To give you an example, in 1947, in Romania, according to the statistics were 23.4 born children for 1000 inhabitants, while in 1955 were 25,6 born children for 1000 inhabitants. This number is much lower than the number of children born at the beginning of the 1900s â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 30 to 35 born children for 1000 inhabitants. 2. War is more than a concept The concept of war was and still is underlined by scholars. With a general acceptance that war usually is used in order to resolve some political differences between two, or more parties, the end of the armed conflict should bring peace between the involved parties. But the truth is that most of the times the end of war leaves the parties involved with great loss â&#x20AC;&#x201C; not only in human number, but also in terms of socio-economical-political situation of the country. The war modifies the ordinary life of people. Coming back to the concept of war, according to Orend Brian in the article published on Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, â&#x20AC;&#x153;war is a phenomenon which occurs only between political communities, defined as those entities which either are states or intend to become states (in order to allow for civil war). Classical war is international war, a war between Please see the table with the exact number of causalties during the First World War. http://www.historylearningsite. co.uk/FWWcasualties.htm Idem. http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/military_casualties_of_world_war.htm http://www.insse.ro/cms/files/publicatii/Evolutia%20natalitatii%20si%20fertilitatii%20in%20Romania_n.pdf

different states, like the two World Wars. But just as frequent is war within a state between rival groups or communities, like the American Civil War. Certain political pressure groups, like terrorist organizations, might also be considered “political communities,” in that they are associations of people with a political purpose and, indeed, many of them aspire to statehood or to influence the development of statehood in certain lands” . I find this section from the article to be significant for understanding not only what the scholar approach on this concept, but also its typology. Singer and Small looked in 1972 at the typology of war and described two types of war: extra-systemic and inter-state and international wars . Since then the word war was attributed to words like violence (war on violence), drugs (war on drugs), terrorism (war on terrorism), or poverty (war on poverty). 3. War is more than power Most of the times war is assessed as representing the method through which, especially nowadays, a state, or an alliance can make another state behave in accordance with the (unwritten and imposed) idea of democracy and rule of law, but especially with the protection of human rights. Having in mind the idea that the world has to be democratized, the United States, after the Second World War, but especially during the Cold War and later after the fall of the Soviet Union started to promote the idea of democratization (by force) of the states which were not democratic. Probably the best example is the case of the Middle East where the presence of the American troops and the war on weapons of mass destruction was waged. In Japan and South Korea are stationed American tropes in order to establish an equilibrium in the East Asian area and to keep an eye on the Pyongyang regime which is like a powder keg. Should this be the best solution, we shall see, but keep in mind that war is war and involves power even though the reason is of democratizing . 4. War is on changing borders Yes! War is on changing the borders of states. With other words, in order to define their power as a state, be it regional power, maritime power, great power states want to expand. Having historical roots, or it is just the ambition of a leader, the idea of expansion is Orend Brian, “War”, online at: http://plato.stanford.edu/cgi-bin/encyclopedia/archinfo.cgi?entry=war See more in David J. Singer, Melvin Small, The Wages of War 1816-1965: A Statistical Handbook, (Willey: The Michigan University Press, 1972). Even though I believe that war is war and though it the winning party will gain access to the resources of the losing party.

present. Let us take as an example the North and South Korea Case. Being under the Japanese regime for a long period of time, after the Second World War the peninsula became independent, but due to the Soviet influence in the area, the peninsula was split into two states – North Korea and South Korea. After the two states were formed and declared as independent , the two states decided to go on different paths: if North Korea decided to remain a communist state anchored in the past, South Korea decided to become a democratic state, nowadays being considered a rather successful state in terms of development. But, North Korea was and still is unhappy with the division of the peninsula and wants to “conquer” South Korea. During the Cold War North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950, but due to the external help and of the UN`s Security Council there North Korean troops withdrew from the south of the peninsula. Another example better known is in the Middle East on the Gaza strip and West Bank. 5. War is not waged out of nowhere War can be waged anytime on the existing tensions. The examples given before are just two examples. On the world level there are numerous tensions which can emerge into a possible conflict which can start a war. Most of the tensions arose based on historical terms, such as decolonization. India and Pakistan on the Kashmir area, South Korea and Japan on Tokto/Takeshima dispute, the growing instability in Thailand, the frozen conflicts of post-Soviet Russia, or the current violence in Eastern Ukraine can end up in major events which can lead to wars. In the end … how can we assess war? Why war is considered that in the end it will bring peace? … War is something we should all be afraid of and hope that we shall not experience such event in over life. Bibliography: Orend Brian, “War”, online at: http://plato.stanford.edu/cgi-bin/encyclopedia/archinfo.cgi?entry=war

Some say that the situation of the peninsula is similar in terms of political influence with the German case. In 1948. See more world conflicts on http://www.cfr.org/global/global-conflict-tracker/p32137#!/

David J. Singer, Melvin Small, The Wages of War 1816-1965: A Statistical Handbook, (Willey: The Michigan University Press, 1972). Martin Wright, Politica de putere, (Chisinau: Ed. Arc, 1998). http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/FWWcasualties.htm http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/military_casualties_of_world_ war.htm http://www.cfr.org/global/global-conflict-tracker/p32137#!/ http://www.insse.ro/cms/files/publicatii/Evolutia%20natalitatii%20 si%20fertilitatii%20in%20Romania_n.pdf PS: not to forget … during the Second World War, in Romania, people used to boil their belts and other objects made out of pigskin in order to have food. Of course, that would happen if they were not lucky to find Crow or Cuckoo nests in order to take the eggs and make “the most delicious omelet that they ever ate”.

Michael Freeman – Manual de Fotografie Digitală Give a man a camera and he will be a photographer. But will he be an artist? Will he be good? Will he be technical? Probably not. Nevertheless, this is a skill that can be just as much felt as it can be learnt. I was so eager to open this book and see what it had to say. 640 pages of “how to”s and “now not to”s, available for those like me, who simply like this art. The book presents the universe of photography, from the basic elements of the photo camera and the way you can and should use light to the language of colours and digital manipulation. This manual seems to have it all; from the first step you take into this fascinating world, to the last pieces of editing. It tackles absolutely every subject you would want to immortalize. It teaches you about design and settings, about light and contrast, about dealing with landscapes and people, shooting for portraits and learning how to catch the inner beauty. I have no chance to begin to describe how in depth, colourful, full of knowledge and yet friendly this book is. So, when you get a chance, go buy it and teach yourself how to be a master of photography. This is a book that should belong in everyone’s library.

Brady Purdy

Anne Boleyn, Iubirile lui Henric al VIII-lea Anne Boleyn is without a doubt the most fascinating character in British history, and one of those names who follow you. She made history, becoming much more than a queen, becoming the one to bring about change to Britain and to the world, mother to Elizabeth I and the second wife of (in)famous Henry VIII. Naturally, I had to get the book. It is narrated by Lady Jane Parker, Anneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sister-in-law. It gives this a special perspective, somehow from inside the house, but still being one that resented the main character. The book follows the story of Anne, her heartbreaks, the way she grows in the favours of the king. Such an electrifying presence, such a strong will and joyous persona transcended her modest looks and made her the most desired woman in all the realms. Raised at the French court, she came back home with big plans, plans which she achieved and then some. Do not forget this is a work of fiction. It is based however on real events and character. It is documented and turned into a love(ly) story. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a way to learn something, both historically and personally, to live through the book and see how to be or not something like her, to learn the secrets to this character and those surrounding her. After all, do you need any other reason to read this book besides it being about Anne Boleyn?

M.G.Vassanji â&#x20AC;&#x201C; CÄ&#x192;ntarea asasinului I have to admit, I was drawn to this book by the cover. It somehow intrigued me. Sure, the name helped, too. I am happy to say it was not a mistake. A bildungsroman in its own right, the book takes us to beautiful India, on oriental lands, telling the story of a man who must choose between his native land and the western world in which so vividly tries to be a part of. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a struggle that needs to lay him bare, a path to finding himself. Breaking away from your family is not an easy thing to do, yet our protagonist did it. Somehow, 30 years later, the ghosts of the past came to haunt him. Every doubt and regret, every thought and memory caught up with him. This is a story about the old and new, a man trapped between civilizations, between ideas. Imagine the book as one big song, calling you in, making you dance to its tunes, making you feel it and become a part of it. It might not be your story, but you will end up knowing more about yourself by the time you finish it. Simona Mihalca

The films’ plot revolves around the 60-year-old former Hollywood blockbuster actor, Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) in his attempt to revive his former glory through the adaptation of a book into a theatre play. As problems with one of the main actors arise, one immediately notices the striking power that Riggan seems to possess insofar as he mentally cuts the wire of a projector into that actor’s head, provoking incapacitating wounds. At the actor’s menace to sue the theatre, Jake, Riggan’s manager and best friend, (Zack Galifinakis) blackmails him by threatening to show the press his computer files, containing sexual photos with nuns. The world of showbiz is a world dominated by economical interest, where justice is a mere word in front of the hard reality of money. Surprisingly and surreally enough, just as it happens in Hollywood productions, the impending crisis of a preview without one of the

main actors is quickly solved by Lesley (Naomi Watts) who brings her boyfriend, the brilliant, crowdloved, but unstable Mike onstage (Edward Norton). As first problems arise (Mike making impossible financial requests like asking for a solarium, or trying to modify Riggan’s take on the play) we see Riggan fighting against his inner voice, the Birdman, the full, uncensored manifestation of his ego. Caught between his struggles between self-acceptance and unrealistic hopes of gaining crowd admiration is his family, more exactly his former drug addict daughter (Emma Watson) who works as his assistant in an attempt to fix the father-daughter relationship. It is interesting to note the role that the stage plays into reality, and vice versa. While Mike can only seem to live authentically on the stage, Riggan tries to use the stage as a way to return to a reality that he can live in. The

actual “fakeness” of the stage is questioned, as what happens on stage affects real lives. The actor’s careers and egos depend on how well they portray the lives of others - Riggan is manipulated by an ego which requires stage success, making him incapable of admitting his condition as an ex-sensation, despite his daughter spelling it out for him. Mike is harshly feeling the consequences of method acting- after repeatedly changing his own personality to fit the character, his own self is an erratic, inconsequent mixture of inconsistent, displaced personalities. The actor’s universe is a semi-believable reality, filled with contradictions and situations whose ridiculousness challenges the border between real and surreal, which end up governing life. The question the director seems to ask is, is the border between reality and fantasy as clear as we take it to be? Cliched Hollywood motifs and stereotypes (the prevalence of money over a good production; the win driven agent, the scandal-loving press) and a fake world (as Jake lies to Riggan and fuels

his greed, we begin to see that their friendship may have a financial motivation) suggest that once into the game, regardless of initial motivation (Riggan’s reason for being an actor was, ironically, the honesty of his performance) there is no turning back. In this reflection upon reality and appearance, it all comes down to the fakeness of showbiz. The replacement of real values with superficial ones, based on the temporary whims of the public, elevates appearance as crowned prince to a fake kingdom, incapacitating the actors to distinguish fantasy from reality (as Birdman insists on surgery to turn 60-yearold Riggan into a 30-year-old). The consequences are similar for both actors: younger Mike’s superficial and unsteady relationships find their grim foreshadow into older actor’s Riggan failed family life. The film critic’s implacable decision to destroy Riggan’s play triggers the final loss of his sense of reality. Seeing that the hope to be appreciated at face value will never be possible in a world which imprints individuals with the shape of their past persona breaks the last barrier in Riggan’s

refusal to surrender to the Birdman. As guided by his personal megalomaniac superhero, Riggan decides to resort to melodrama and give people what they really want (as the Birdman says, people like blockbusters, violence, blood ). Satirically taking realism to a whole new dimension, he suicides by shooting himself at the premiere night, thus sacrificing himself for attention. Or so it seems. Ironically enough, we find that he had only shot his nose, giving people a scare which makes him an overnight sensation- demonstrating that success is more often than not the result of propaganda, rather than artistic quality. The ending has a typical Hollywood twist- his daughter’s reaction at Riggan’s suicide suggests that he had merely transformed into the Birdman as we had seen him throughout the movie, flying around the hospital, a symbolic way of communicating Riggan’s full surrender to the Birdman. The ironical twist is present in this as well, for Riggan’s suicide , besides an act of admitting defeat to a ridiculous society, is also a subversive gesture underlining this very

ridiculousness, as he refuses success according to their rules. This deep Hollywood parody, while keeping a funny side due to the idiosyncratic characters and situations, also aims to reveal the key issues in the business, being a critical mirror of the showbiz industry and its effects on people. Ana-Maria Dorofte