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•• Foreign Film Edition ••
聽說 [HEAR ME]
[2009, TAIWAN - Mandarin]
Produced to align itself with the 2009 Summer Deaflympics in Taipei, director CHENG FEN FEN's HEAR ME is a seemingly plain vanilla of a romantic comedy, but an endearing one with a touching message. Tian-Kuo (EDDIE PENG) is a carefree young man who delivers lunch boxes from his parents' restaurant, and finds himself smitten with Yang-Yang (IVY CHEN) when he meets her during one of his deliveries to a local hearing-impaired swimming team. He soon learns that Yang-Yang spends most of her time supporting her sister, Xiao Peng's (MICHELLE CHEN) dream of competing in the Deaflympics, so much so that she has to work multiple jobs and practically devoting her entire life for her sister, which makes Tian-Kuo falling even more. As Yang-Yang's feelings gradually grow for her pursuer, it somehow brings upon a rift in the sisters' relationship.
The film may deliver a straight-forward plot in a garden variety of romantic comedy cliches, it stays true to its inspiration as most its dialogue is carried out in sign language. Both the pair of leads are equally convincing, and the push and pull between Tian-Kuo and Yang-Yang becomes surprisingly affecting to watch. Also engaging are Tian Kuo’s parents (LIN MEI-SHIU and LUO BE-AN), whose presence added good humor to the story. One of director Cheng's feats is presenting the film which captures Taiwan’s urban charm exceptionally well and focusing on the lower-class protagonists that will warm up to the audience pretty well. HEAR ME defied expectations and went on to become the highest-grossing and most talked-about Taiwan film of 2009.
Rating: B-
#HearMe #HearMeFilm #ChengFenFen #聽說 #鄭芬芬 #EddiePeng #IvyChen #MichelleChen #彭于晏 #陈意涵 #陈妍希 #Romance#RomanticComedy #FilmReview #Movies#AsianFilms #MandarinMovies #Taiwanese#TaiwaneseFilms
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•• Foreign Film Edition ••
EVOLUTION
[2015, France, Spain, Belgium - French]
If her award-winning directorial debut piece INNOCENCE delves into the realm of prepubescent girls ambiguously groomed for adult roles, LUCILE HADŽIHALILOVIC's long-awaited follow-up will turn even more heads as she boldly steps into a surreal fantasy which exploits the concept of EVOLUTION (as with its title) from a truly bizarre and unsettling perspective. EVOLUTION seemingly alludes to complement INNOCENCE as a somewhat curious counterpart, where both elicit fragility and violation of puberty in a similarly elusive manner.
The film introduces us to an uncanny world inhabited by only young boys and their mothers. It opens with a striking underwater scene, where we see ten year-old Nicolas (MAX BREBANT) peacefully enjoying the sunny weather and his swimming, when he stumbles upon the corpse of another boy on the ocean floor. This implicitly sets the tone for this film, where beyond the temperate lives nesting in a world that is constantly bathed in sunlight at the rocky coasts, lies something dark and sinister that awaits. Nicolas’ mum (JULIE-MARIE PARMENTIER), along with the rest of the Stepford-like mothers, would go about their daily routines taking care of the boys, which include curious regiments like feeding them unknown drugs and slimy meals. Under strict surveillance, the boys on the cusp of puberty grow up totally oblivious and deprived of answers to any parts of their amorphous future. Each of them is soon sent to a questionable hospital where they are subjected to strange medical and surgical procedures. The discovery of the boy’s body in the ocean ignites Nicolas’ suspicion as he embarks on a relentless quest in search of the truth.
Filmed in exquisite mastery by cinematographer MANU DACOSSE in Lanzarote and Barcelona, Spain, EVOLUTION is an arthouse of captivating visuals and include some of the most ravishing underwater sequences. Suffice to point out that French horror often boasts in its dour and restrained appeal, it’s proven as not everyone’s cup of tea, and this film is no different in that sense. It achieves in heightening suspense amidst its impassive and thematic charm, and that’s usually not an easy feat. Definitely recommended for heavy arthouse fans.
Rating: B+
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•• Foreign Film Edition ••
DISTANCE
[2001, JAPAN – Japanese]
With what you can gather from its title and posters for HIROKAZU KOREEDA'S DISTANCE, coupled with the dystopian sci-fi appeal in its opening, it may be rather difficult to make out the exact genre or what to expect of this 2001 film by the Japanese filmmaker who has carved his name in the international film festival circuit with his other films. His more recent films LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON (2013) and OUR LITTLE SISTER (2015) were nominated for the Palme d’Or while his latest AFTER THE STORM (2016) debuted to critical acclaim at the Cannes Film Festivals. All the three films centre around familial bonding and challenges, and once you join the journey with the main cast in DISTANCE towards an abandoned reservoir on the placid mountainside, you’d find that is at core a solemn drama about family’s loss and grief, soul-searching and healing.
Four unlikely acquaintances find themselves gathering at the remote reservoir to observe the anniversary of a bio-massacre involving the poisoning of Tokyo’s water system by a group of religious cult known as The Ark of Truth, which killed 128 lives. We get a glimpse of their average day-to-day lives before their assemble. Atsushi (Arata) works in a flower shop and regularly visits his ailing father in a nursing home. Masaru (Yusuke Iseya) is a swimming coach and spends his free time dawdling at arcades. School teacher Kiyoko (Yui Natsukawa) diligently goes to work every day and returns to a lonesome apartment and her drabby life. Kai (Susumu Terajima) who is an average income-earner, spends most of his time either at work or hanging out and boasting to his colleagues about his baby daughter. Regular souls going about with their mundane routines, until one fateful day at the reservoir where an unforeseen event forces them to spend the entire night together in the wooded area of the mountainside, as they find themselves stranded without means of communication and transport. Their last resort leaves them taking shelter at the Arch of Truth’s old, deserted cabin, and what follows is an entire night of strained journey down memory lane, uneasy conversations over their mourning, and even bordering on suspicion and betrayal.
Koreeda takes his time in revealing the story which can take quite an effort to fully grasp the underlying messages, motives and ultimately understanding what and why the mass killing took place. Plausible execution where its story would unfold in small doses, both present and flashbacks, with much work left to the audience to piece things together. However for the “distance” we are brought into the story when the final layers are unfold, the slightly over two hours film has been lamented as too lengthy and unengaging, resulting in a rather “distanced” film. And I tend to agree. There are moments stretched in the film that are rather drawn-out and hollow. Nevertheless with a collective performance by the cast that’s believable, their emotional journey in dealing with their losses is still worth the watch.
Rating: C+
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