Yesterday I saw "Nine Lives: Cats in Istanbul." It's a movie about the many unowned cats and the people of Istanbul who love and tend them. Though there are a few beautiful scenes of the whole city, most are shot from about two feet above the ground. Unless you are as short as I am, after awhile the film may make you feel slightly claustrophobic.
I'm glad I saw the movie. I learned a lot about the personality of the cats and the people in Istanbul who care for them: The people speak Turkish, so if you can't speak Turkish and can't read English subtitles you're out of luck. Some of the cats speak too, but there aren't any subtitles explaining what they're saying, so, unless you speak Cat, or can intuit what they're saying, you're out of luck there too. Each of both have unique characteristics. Some of the humans have one special cat they feed and interact with, while others tend many and have many followers. The same goes for the cats. Some of the cats have kittens and, though they may have been lazy before giving birth, they're pretty protective after, and they spend a lot more time looking for food. One of the female cats seemed to be worried about other females having an affair with her mate. She chased any that came near him away. For all I know, the same may have been true of some of the people, though the movie didn't delve into that.
My girlfriend refused to see the film because she was afraid it was going to be violent. Well, if you are a Rambo movie fan it's probably not a film you'd care to see. A couple of times the cats have a hissy fit, but nothing much comes of it. There is one scene where a guy picks up what seems to be a dead kitten. He holds its limp head in his hand and speculates it may have fallen and be dead--it certainly looked dead to me--but he hops in a cab and takes it to a vet. I can't say I'm too clear why he did that if the cat was really dead, since there were a lot of trash cans readily available. There's also a scene where a cat stalks a rat. Based on the number of cats in the city, it must have been a really smart rat. Fortunately for non-Rambo fans, the cat didn't catch it. I'm not sure why it would even try. The people of Istanbul feed the cats, and the cats live very well.
I'm glad I saw the movie. I learned a lot about the personality of the cats and the people in Istanbul who care for them: The people speak Turkish, so if you can't speak Turkish and can't read English subtitles you're out of luck. Some of the cats speak too, but there aren't any subtitles explaining what they're saying, so, unless you speak Cat, or can intuit what they're saying, you're out of luck there too. Each of both have unique characteristics. Some of the humans have one special cat they feed and interact with, while others tend many and have many followers. The same goes for the cats. Some of the cats have kittens and, though they may have been lazy before giving birth, they're pretty protective after, and they spend a lot more time looking for food. One of the female cats seemed to be worried about other females having an affair with her mate. She chased any that came near him away. For all I know, the same may have been true of some of the people, though the movie didn't delve into that.
My girlfriend refused to see the film because she was afraid it was going to be violent. Well, if you are a Rambo movie fan it's probably not a film you'd care to see. A couple of times the cats have a hissy fit, but nothing much comes of it. There is one scene where a guy picks up what seems to be a dead kitten. He holds its limp head in his hand and speculates it may have fallen and be dead--it certainly looked dead to me--but he hops in a cab and takes it to a vet. I can't say I'm too clear why he did that if the cat was really dead, since there were a lot of trash cans readily available. There's also a scene where a cat stalks a rat. Based on the number of cats in the city, it must have been a really smart rat. Fortunately for non-Rambo fans, the cat didn't catch it. I'm not sure why it would even try. The people of Istanbul feed the cats, and the cats live very well.