It was a bit of a shame that I couldn't attend the London film festival because it is often at film festivals that I get to see 'odd' films that don't get general releases in cinemas. In Hong Kong, the closures of many art house cinemas has caused many art house film lovers to turn to buying dvd/ vcd and watching them at home or going to film festivals to catch up on the latest non-mainstream films.
At the HK Asian film festival this year, I picked this year's Cannes film festival Palme d'Or prize winner, Uncle Boonmee who can recall and his past lives and 2 documentaries, Home for our next generation and Children of the Pyre. At the recent German film festival, I picked Soul Kitchen, When we leave, and The free will. I have become quite a fan of German cinema in the recent years, but felt a bit disappointed with the ones I saw at the festival. But I am looking forward to the upcoming French film festival starting at the end of the month...
Uncle Boonmee who can recall and his past lives (2010, Thailand)
This low-budget Thai film caused a stir when it won the Palme d'Or at Cannes this year. It's hard to classify the genre of the film from it title, but even after watching it, I still struggle to classify it!! I disagree with those who claim that knowledge of Buddhism is required to understand the film because even with some knowledge, I still don't 'get it' completely. The pace and cinematography of the film reminds me of Taiwanese directors such as Hsiao-hsien Hou/ Ming-liang Tsai, yet the storyline is more surreal than David Lynch's films! Overall, the film is poetic, dreamy and meditative but it definitely requires more than one viewing. I was particularly irritated by a bored woman (who obviously was accompanying her boyfriend) next to me because she didn't stop figiting throughout the film. A real spoiler!
Home for our next generation (2010, Taiwan)
This charming documentary is composed of three shorts exploring the relationship between people and the environment. The first short, 'Trashy Treasure' follows 2 film art directors who find pleasure through wandering the streets of Taipei and seeking 'unusual' trash to bring home. It is charming and unpretenious, 'one's trash is another's treasure' is so true in this case! The second short (also my favourite) is 'Paper house', which follows a project led by the famous Japanese architect, Shigeru Ban in Chengdu, China. As an effort to help the elementary school affected by the Sichuan earthquake, Ban proposes to rebuild three buildings made of paper tubes. Ban also hopes that the joint effort by his Japanese architectural students and the Chinese volunteers will change the future relationship between the two countries. Honest and moving. The last one is 'Almost in life' which follows a documentary-maker's personal and spiritual development. By leaving the city behind and embracing nature, she is able to find a more satisfying way of living. Her story is similar to many of my friends and I are going through at the moment. As we know, over-consumption can only bring us more misery and cause more damage to the planet, so in order to have a meaningful life, we need to re-evaluate our lifestyles and beliefs. The three shorts are refeshing, eco-conscious and thought-provoking, a real gem at the film festival!
Children of the Pyre (2008, India)
I didn't know what to expect before entering the cinema but was quite moved by this doc. It follows seven children (named as the 'untouchables') who spend their time by the pyre, stealing used coffin shrouds and selling them cheaply to support their families. Some of the cremation scenes may cause discomfort but it is relatively mild when we realise that these children have to spend their daily lives surrounded by corpses, smoke and ashes. I was particularly impressed by the maturity and intelligence of these children during the interviews at the end of the doc. However, it reveals the problem of poverty, inequality, child labour and human rights in India, one of fastest developing countries in the world. While people in the West focus their attention on the economic growth in big cities like Mumbai, perhaps they should acknowledge and tackle issues going on in the poorer provinces.
Soul Kitchen (2008)
This is a German 'feel-good' film about a German/Greek restauranteur and his struggles with his restaurant business, relationship and family. Even though it is a comedy, it is done in a very European style rather than the American in-your-face style. I think this film is quite well executed but since I am not a fan of 'feel-good' films, I can't say that it's my cup of tea. However, it is quite light-hearted and charming, and it's good to know that the Germans (despite their reputations) are capable of making comedies!
The free will (2005)
This is a very brave, psychologically dark and intense film. It deals with a very sensitive subject... rape and the result is quite mind-blowing. This is not a film for everyone as it is rather depressing and heavy but it is an intelligent film that examines the fragility of human beings and one's internal struggle between will, control and morality. The two leads are shockingly convincing esp. Jürgen Vogel whose subtle but courageous performance is one of the most memorable that I have seen in recent years. There are quite a few disturbing rape scenes but I think they are necessary to show the 'brutal' side of Theo. One can't help but be moved by the suffering carried by Nettie, Theo and his victims. And despite Theo and Nettie's effort to be normal, they are tragic figures who are psychologically damaged and powerless. When compared to 'The Woodsman' (with similar subject matter), this film is far more realistic, rawer and braver.
When we leave (2010)
It's hard to believe that in this day and age, honour killing is still happening in different parts of the world including the UK. I don't doubt the realistic nature of the subject matter (esp. knowing that it is loosely based on a true story), but I think this film is flawed and I find it hard to feel sympathetic towards the lead character, Umay. I think her character is self-centred and irresponsible, I am not sure if this has to do with the fact that the director is Austrian rather than Turkish /Arabic/Indian?! To me, the only victim in the film is her son, who is forced to move from one place to another because of his mother's selfishness. She neglects her son's emotional and physical well-being because she is too self-absorbed and involved with her own suffering. Her irrational behaviour at her sister's wedding demonstrates this perfectly. Perhaps the director wants to show Umay's vulnerability and desperation but I am not so convinced. My problem with this film is that the director is unable to stay objective, apart from the lead, the rest of the casts are too two-dimensional... is this the director's way of trying to win the audiences' sympathy? I totally condemn the inhumane act of honour killing but I have problem with this film's over-sympathetic style and I find many areas unconvincing. Despite all the raving reviews, I am disappointed with the film even though it is not a bad effort by a first-time director. However, when dealing with sensitive subject matter, the more effective approach is to remain objective and allow the audiences to judge for themselves without being overly biased, films like 'The free will'(see above), 'The White ribbon' and 'Lourdes' are good examples.
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