Review of Where God Left His Shoes (2007) by Alex C — 16 Oct 2010

It's not a sentimental drama about a poor man living in a big city (a harsh irony, I think) trying to make a little cheer for his family in Christmas time. It's not a provoking drama or kind of preaching one, because the characters are not tough themselves (rather, they seem pretending to be). Instead, it is a kind of drama that brings up a subject through the color of realism, without trying to preach and be indulged in its own. The characters, they are alive. You see them in our daily lives, in the subway, on the streets, watching you walk by and maybe talking to you. We know who they are, and they know who they are. It's related to our reality because of it; because they are around us. That's what realism is.

But that's what I recognize from the film. The thing is, the film isn't like other realistic films. Others might try to make a miracle in life, trying to lit a candle in the dark, trying to solve the problem. Where God Left His Shoes, being aware of its common subjects, only preserves the candle to be lit up. There is, unknown to the characters, someone to lit the candle for them (the father of construction contractor), ready to help them out of their miserable life for a moment. But the filmmakers didn't let them to reach the person. Why? Maybe because that's life. You expect something good, but it won't come out right away. Maybe you will never be lucky. But as the title say (or let me interpret), God left His shoes everywhere, every time. You just don't know where or when you will find them. I think that's the message.