Ania Z, a 10a B

The Lost: An anomaly in the DNA stops the aging of said person. Activates when they turn 18.

“Like a bat out of hell I’ll be gone when the morning comes” […] “But when the day is done … then like a sinner before the gates of heaven I’ll come crawling back to you.” The musical, featuring songs by Meatloaf (ex. “I would do anything for love”), captures the attention of the masses with a Romeo and Juliet type romance between the daughter of a very influential corporate manager and the leader of The Lost. The hurried consumption of love between them (since their age will forbid anything more) gradually reveals the polarization of this almost dystopian society, along with different background stories of secondary characters which also add an emotional dimension to an otherwise philosophical debate. In this review I will focus on the themes and the discussion that follows the narrative, not on the story in itself.

The two polarized world views are well defined, although extremely exaggerated. The Lost are a play on the concept of rebellion, of immaturity and of youth. They exist beyond time (“Don’t worry about the future, sooner or later it’s the past”) which justifies the conditions of their living. A reoccurring idea is that they are wasted youth: potential with too much freedom, kids who live only for themselves and for pleasure (“I’m an impressionable child in a tumultuous world and they say I’m at a difficult stage”). This ideology that combines hedonism and cynicism is very excessive, and they end up living their whole lives as 18-year-olds who are completely segregated from reality (“As far as I’m concerned the world could still be flat.”). The other side is the corporatist, serious “old age”, who’s aim is to eradicate these kids who lack discipline and perspective. Even though this is an outlook that most of us have (this view of being intentional with our lives, especially our future, of existing between other people and transacting with them), it is portrayed as very dark and absurd. The thing that antagonizes this side to such an extent is their constant trying to eradicate the youth, of killing the Lost and discontinuing every form of pleasure that might make someone rebel (in this case, especially music).

It’s hard to assume that what was being said was that committing to a corporatist life will be a waste of your personal life, and it’s much more likely that the musical tries to show two things. The first is this fight inside every one of us of what our meaning of life is, and what our obligations to life are. The second is this great fear that youth deals with (of growing up), but in this scenario that fear is forever prolonged since they are physically incapable of growing up. They make it pretty clear that, to them, “A wasted youth is better by far than a wise and corrupted old age”. At the same time, the corporate side also shows their own fears in the interactions with the Lost. To them, the idea of people living all their life as kids, without having to sacrifice what they sacrificed, seems unfair and makes them wonder about their own lives too much. This fight is interesting because in real situations, adults can never go back to whatever youth was, but youth have no choice but to move forward towards adulthood. In this case though, both sides are stuck in their current state and there is no more room for empathy, which results in conflict, in people getting hurt and even killed.

The first album (“Bat out of hell I”) came out in 1977 and was meant for another musical, called Neverland. Through this, the resemblances between Peter Pan and Bat out of hell become more apparent. In both, the two sides are stuck in their world view. Again, in reality this is different, reality leaves room for compassion and understanding, because common points are highlighted, as opposed to these worlds, where there’s no similarities between the two sides. From this we can deduce that, at least in the authors point of view, for us to care enough not to antagonize other perspectives, we must have some link between us and them. The moment that disappears, “that” in this case being time, there is nothing stopping both sides from considering each other evil, corrupt, dangerous, etc. This is something that applies to modern problems as well. Especially in politics, a reoccurring theme is finding horrendous labels for the other side, even though reality is far from those beliefs. All this does is make it easier for one side to hate the other to the point of conflict, instead of working together towards merging ideas and finding solutions.

This just goes to show how much time matters, not just in the fact that we move through it, but because it dictates our priorities. A person who has a limited life spam (and who puts all their time and effort into reminding himself of this) will have to have more principles and a better morality, since limited time results in communities forming, and communities need common goals, common economies, common values, etc. When time isn’t a restraint anymore, what matters is inevitably the present, and the present doesn’t require principles, caring or anything that involves responsibility or that has an effect on the future. Therefore, the Lost and the Corporatists aren’t that different in themselves, but in the context of their living. Obviously the one’s who are going to be more bitter between the two are the Corporatists, who sacrifice so much of themselves because of time and who find it unfair that others don’t have to. The Lost also have their share of envies, mostly the fact that nothing in their life is of value and nothing they are is important to anyone but themselves.

It’s clear that in reality, nobody can live on either side of the argument, and it is only going to hurt you if you attempt to advocate for only one. The perspective we should get out of watching this is most likely that the two worlds overlap in each of us, and that finding the perfect balance where no resentment is built up between them is crucial to living a life you won’t end up regretting.

Pasa Sarah, a 10a A

The film that I’m going to write a review about is Tim Burton’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, which is a film that takes place in Victorian London, where the barber Benjamin Barker is married to the gorgeous Lucy and has a lovely daughter with her, called Johanna.

The beauty of Lucy attracts the attention of the corrupt Judge Turpin, who falsely accuses the barber of a crime that he did not commit and abuses Lucy later after gaining custody of their daughter.

After fifteen years in exile, Benjamin returns to London under the new identity of Sweeney Todd, seeking revenge against Turpin. He meets the widow Mrs. Lovett, the owner of a meat pie shop who tells him that Lucy swallowed arsenic many years ago and that Turpin assigned himself tutor of Johanna.

He opens a barber shop above her store, but what no one knows is the fact that barber shop is a cover where a series of crimes take place.

In my opinion the movie is a brilliant mix of beauty and horror.

The musical won the Tony Award for Best Musical and Olivier Award for Best New Musical.

This movie isn’t made for the week hearted: it is considered to be the bloodiest musical in stage history! Being the bloodiest musical in cinematography so far, it isn’t exactly a jolly romp either, but a dark revenge tragedy filled with heartbreak.

In my opinion the movie is a masterpiece and everybody should give it a try.

Pasa Sarah, a 10a A

The Solomonar

Sometimes good, sometimes a bit wicked, the Solomonar is considered the great sorcerer of storms and winds, master of all lakes, tall mountains and deep caves, and the creator of frost, mist, and hail.

People who claim to have seen them say that they are tall, red-haired, dressed in a white long coat. He is always described as carrying his Magic Book, the source of all his powers. Along with his book, he also carries a piece of wood for calling the winds and an iron axe which he uses to create hail.

They are generally considered good wizards and often presented as false beggars, testing the kindness of people. If people refuse to help them while they are in disguise, they bring hail and strong storms to ruin the crops, but if they are helped, they offer gifts to the rivers.

Jidovi – The Carpathian Giants

The Romanian Giants known as Jidovi, are probably one of the most beloved folklore creatures.

Jidovi are described in Romanian legends as kind and patient, walking with huge steps from one hill to another. Their presence in Romania is well maintained by the multitude of places that were named after them: the Jidovi table, the Jidovi cave, the hill or the tombs of Jidovi, and, of course, Jidovina.

In the Carpathians, Jidovi are often also called Blajini, which means the Kind Ones, or Novaci, which means the Powerful Ones, as they could snatch a tree without any effort. They lived in caves and thick woods.

The best legend of them is that of the famous agreement between the great Dacian king Burebista and all the Jidovi from the mountains. They were allowed to live in the mountains only if they promised to guard the great Dacian gold treasures with their life.

Interestingly enough, it is believed that, in the deepest caves of the Carpathians Mountains, you might still find Jidovi, protecting the treasures for generations to come.

Baba Dochia

Some historical legends describe Dochia as the beautiful daughter of Decebal, the king of the brave Dacians – the Romanian’s ancestors. It is said that, after being defeated by the Romans, the Dacians tried to escape by hiding in the thick forests of the Carpathians. Decebal, seeing his army defeated, preferred committing suicide over being captured and mocked by the Romans.

Dochia tried to escape, but the Emperor Traian ordered his best soldiers to capture the beautiful girl, whose eyes bewitched him deeply. Proud and brave, Dochia ran as fast as she could. For her, there wasn’t a greater shame than being captured by the romans and forced to marry Traian.

When Dochia saw she was on the edge of being caught, she climbed on a steep rock and threw herself.

Even today, that mountain rock wears the Dacian princess’ name and tourists can admire it on their way to Ceahlau Peak.

But the most famous legends of Dochia are those connected with the arrival of spring. There are many versions of this story spread all over Romania but, despite the different regional adjustments, the core is the same.

Thus, it is said that once upon a time, there was an old lady named Baba Dochia. She had a son, Dragobete, a very handsome and kind boy who fell in love with a girl.

Their love was so powerful that they got married immediately and only after did they tell the news to Baba Dochia. She got madly furious and decided to teach her daughter in law a lesson.

Thus, on a cold winter day, Baba Dochia gave the girl a ball of black wool and asked her to go to the river to wash the wool until it turns white, threatening her not to return until the job was done. The young girl realized that whitening the wool was an impossible task, but still she went to the river, praying for a miracle to happen. Her love for Dragobete was truly sincere and the thought of never seeing him was so unbearable that she began washing the wool in the frozen waters of the river.

Her delicate hands rapidly began to bleed, but even so the wool remained black. To her utter amazement, a strange man appeared and, touched by the girl’s grief, gave her a beautiful red flower, saying that if she puts it into the water, the wool will turn white. The girl was doubtful at first, but, seeing that there was no other hope left, she lowered the flower into the water. As if by magic, the charcoal wool turned white right before her eyes, and she quickly returned home to her love. Baba Dochia, as expected, wasn’t too happy with her arrival.

While inspecting the young girl, Baba Dochia noticed the red flower pinned to her blouse and, believing that spring had come, hurried to take her sheep up the mountains.

She dressed herself in twelve coats, but, as she climbed the chilly mountains, the weather started getting warmer and warmer with each day, and so, with each day, she took one coat off, until she remained in only a blouse. As if on que, the following day a freezing storm came with the last push of winter, and Baba Dochia, as well as her sheep, froze on the mountains and turned into stone by the next day.