Well, here we are now - the festival is already behind our backs. I don't remember the last time five days went by so quickly. I feel I couldn't have possibly endured more days of pressure, deadlines and lack of sleep, but I did want to stay. And I really wanted to work this way all my life (perhaps living a little closer and having something real to eat for dinner).
Looking back on it now I realise most of my expectations were wrong and thus most of my anxiety was unnecessary. But it was a wonderful experience and I am sure no one would've offered us the opportunity to speak to all of those directors, stars and fellow journalists in our first year, if it weren't for the society and the work that Spencer had done. It was an amazing chance for a person like me, interested in film journalism, not only to experience a totally different culture and to sit through hours and hours of East Asian film, allowing me to be able to find their similarities and where they differ, but also to observe how a festival like that works, how other journalists and media operate and to get a feeling of normalcy - after all, this is not something to be freaking out about.
The work was tough, indeed. It took me about 5-6 days to catch up on my sleep and to normalise my body not to wake me up at 7 in the morning by instinct. It was a relief not to think about deadlines and schedules and just to enjoy the wonderful silence sitting by the water near the hostel in Venice. But a part of me misses all the craziness and pressure - I love working like that, having no free time for my mind to wander aimlessly, not thinking about food or energy, not obsessing over money or travel or other things in my life that usually disturb me. No wonder after five stressful days travelling alone around Italy was so peaceful and, surprisingly, not worrying (it was the first trip where I just didn't worry about anything) - my body just couldn't produce anymore stress hormones and adrenaline. :)
I adore watching film and writing about film and I would do it over and over again. Although it was difficult to combine seeing as many films as possible and writing about them within the time limit (and a part of me just wanted to stay out and enjoy the sunlight), it was the most pleasurable type of writing I have done so far in my journalism course. And perhaps if I didn't have problems getting to a free computer, I would've done a little better, having had enough time to write and re-read and have everything perfect. But I am pleased with my work and I am glad that it has been posted on Cine-Vue, as well, and I am happy Spencer was happy with our performance overall - so all I have to say is a big bravo to the whole CUEAFS team and hope somehow we can make it to next year's festival, as well.
Hats off to the documentary team, too - from what I've seen, their work was very professional and they were able to catch on film some of the big fish on the festival. I hope all of us didn't come off looking like idiots, as most of the time we were so tired we had no idea what was going on. But I can't wait to see the promotional video and I am sure that whatever way they edit it, it will be a damn impressive piece of footage that will probably get a lot of new members into the society and get our 'organisation' running more and more professionally.
Now, with so much time on my hands, I am glad I still have material to write about from our Udine coverage, as we couldn't possibly cover everything at the spot, and I try to place myself back in the atmosphere and get the right vibe in order to sound the same way, when writing.
As to the films, I was able to catch nine of them (I couldn't possibly sit through Bodyguards and Assassins for the second time and I missed the international premiere of The Arrival, because I couldn't enter the theatre), which was pretty much what I was aiming at. Since I was covering South Korea, the Philippines and Indonesia, the films from those regions were my priority, but I was able to see also films from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Thailand, which helped me broaden my horizon and build a bigger picture of East Asian film in my head. Here is what I attended on the festival:
The Message (2009) by Chen Kuofu and Gao Qunshu (China)
Gallants (2010) by Clement Cheng and Derek Kwok (Hong Kong)
Seven 2 One (2009) by Danny Pang (Hong Kong)
Possessed (2009) by Lee Yong-ju (South Korea)
Slice (2009) by Kongkiat Khomsiri (Thailand)
Running Turtle (2009) by Lee Yeon-woo (South Korea)
Compared to my original schedule, I haven't attended two films (The Arrival and The Legend is Alive - the first I couldn't enter, the second was overlapping with the interview of Lee Yong-ju, director of Possessed). On my first schedule I had also the South Korean and South-East cinema panels. However, since we arrived quite late on April 27, I couldn't catch the first, and I missed the second because I had too much material to write before 7pm (the deadline) and I wasn't ready by six. Ellie and Nadia covered the panels, though, and recorded everything, so keep your eyes peeled for podcasts on CUEAFS's website.
Other highlights from the festival, as I look back on it now, were the three interviews, conducted by Spencer Murphy - the first one with the directors of Gallants Clement Cheng and Derek Kwok, the second with Lee Yong-ju, director of Possessed and the third with La Comedie Humaine's producer and main star Mr Chapman To. The interviews might be found on CUEAFS's website and the website of our partners Cine-Vue and they will be coming soon as podcast and video.
Overall, an invaluable experience for everyone involved, whether interested in media production, journalism or film, whether Asian in culture or European (Eastern or Western), whether involved in the documentary or the writers team - it is absolutely marvelous to receive such an opportunity to visit an actual international film festival and to be introduced and speak to stars, producers and directors; to witness interviews and press meetings and to be given the chance to produce material for an international film platform, which is the website of our partners Cine-Vue. To me, personally, as a journalist interested in film, involved in an East Asian film society and an absolute admirer of Italy and everything related to it - I had the time of my life. With no sleep, hardly any food at all (except the breakfast and dinner panettone, which I am so sick of by now) and constant work and pressure, I felt like an absolute professional at work and will gladly do it all over again (perhaps pack some food in my checked bag).
And, finally, I would like to extend my greatest gratitude and compliments to everyone - mainly to Mr Spencer Murphy, who made that whole trip possible, but also to all members who went to Udine and did a spectacular job: Michelle Bailey, Nadia Baird, Andreea Dascalu, Ruodong He, Michael Jarvis, Stanley Lau, Elena Rapondzhieva and Kevin Weng - well done to everyone (including compliments to myself, of course), it was an absolute pleasure to work with all of you and I am looking forward to more professional opportunities with everyone from the society (including the members who couldn't come with us).
Knowing that this was our last productive day in Udine, since the next day was only taken up by travelling, we wanted to do as much as possible, despite having been sleep and food deprived for four days straight and hardly having any strength to stay awake. But with the society's best interest in mind, we pulled through.
The day started for some of us with the Taiwan film Hear Me (2009), which was a romantic story about two deaf sisters and their struggles with life. For the others, the day started with the hilarious Chapman To, who was being interviewed in the press area by journalists and our own Spencer Murphy.
The dedicated members of the journalistic team started writing their reviews/interviews, while I went to see Identitas (2009) from Indonesia - a dark story depicting the life of millions of poor Indonesians that have no identity, no voice, no rights. By that time I was absolutely wrecked and was even caught on camera saying I was at the edge of my physical powers, I was off to write again. Nadia was still writing about the Hong Kong cinema panel, which featured Gallants' directors Clement Cheng and Derek Kwok, as well as La Comedie Humaine's producer and star Chapman To, whilst Ellie was transcripting Spencer's interview with Mr.To; Henry was writing his Secret Reunion review and I, on the other hand, wrote about Identitas and an overview of the films we had seen that day and the previous evening.
The whole team headed off to see Teddy Chen's Bodyguards and Assassins (2009) from Hong Kong, but I couldn't bear sitting through anymore films, let alone a film of 2 and a half hours, which I had previously seen. So I decided to take some rest and get my brain working again. The Japanese Boys on the Run (2010) was the last film to be seen by a member of CUEAFS, Nadia, while the rest of us were enjoying some quiet time outside, drinking beer and discussing the whole experience. The evening ended quite early, compared to the previous nights, as most of us were absolutely dead, but some of the other members kept the vibe going till the morning.
For Chapman To's interview and reviews of the seen films, go to CUEAFS's website and the website of our partners Cine-Vue.
Day 3 of CUEAFS's stay in Udine began with a lot of excitement and anticipation. After having our regular morning breakfast meeting with everyone (although some of us didn't really have to get up quite that early, after having gone to bed at about half past four), the documentary team, together with Andreea and myself headed down to the theatre to film and record Spencer interviewing Lee Yong-ju from South Korea, director of Possessed. While we were waiting for the press area to be opened, some of the other members came back from the screening of Echoes of the Rainbow (2010) by Alex Lau - a Hong Kong melodrama about the adventures of two brothers, seen through the naive and innocent eyes of a child. We formed a small circle and had a short meeting, discussing our plans for the day and also the impressions of the screened film.
I was getting quite nervous about the interview, although I wasn't the one asking the questions, just taking notes and recording audio. But the pressure was somewhat getting to me. All this disappeared, though, once we entered the press area, which was filled with a calm vibe and the atmosphere was totally friendly and somewhat informal. After having sat through the Italian interviews (which had some good points, but mainly not too relevant questions), it was Spencer's turn to impress Lee Yong-ju with his knowledge of East Asian (and not only) cinema. They talked about the genre and the style of the film, the ideology behind some of the character choices, future plans, etc.
The funny thing was that Lee's interpreter didn't speak English and the interview was about to be very long, translated from English to Italian to Korean and then from Korean to Italian to English, but we were fortunate enough to find a woman who spoke Korean and English and she was nice enough to offer her assistance in the matter. After our interview we waited around for a while longer to get a picture of the team with Lee Yong-ju and then we spreaded out, attending to our individual schedules.
I went to see a Korean police thriller by Lee Yeon-woo - Running Turtle (2009), telling the story of an unfortunate cop with a gambling problem, who steals money from his wife to bet on a bull fight. He does surprisingly win a great deal of money only to be robbed by a wanted criminal, who moved back into town, and becomes obsessed with catching the runaway and taking back his belongings. The film was light-hearted and funny and although it ran slowly and there wasn't anything too exciting about the plot or the development of the story, it wasn't at all boring, but rather engaging and simply entertaining.
After having seen the film, I set off to write reviews and a summary of the interview with Lee Yong-ju, whilst the other writers were doing their due writing and the documentary team were set up filming outside, catching people from the press on camera, as well as directors of Gallants Clement Cheng and Derek Kwok, saying 'Coventry Rocks' and La Comedie Humaine's producer and actor Chapman To. Some members attended the Hong Kong cinema panel later on, featuring the three celebrities. Afterwards, some of CUEAFS's members went to see La Comedie Humaine (2010) by Chan Hing-kai and Janet Chun, where Chapman To preceded the film with a short speech.
As I was heading off to see The Arrrival (2010) from Philippine director Erik Matti with Andreea, we both got some food and entered the theatre only to find there were no seats available on the second floor and once we left, we weren't let back in. So we decided to accept the circumstances and go to dinner with the rest of the group. We ended up in a nearby Italian pizzeria and after dinner headed back to see Secret Reunion (2010) by Jang Hun (South Korea). Most of the members were quite tired after another hard day and couldn't help but fall asleep at certain moments, as I myself skipped some five minutes of the action, even though the film was really interesting and kept me watching. The story was quite similar to the story of Running Turtle - an unfortunate cop fails to catch a criminal, who he encounters some six years after and, while both believe the other one hasn't recognised them, they start working together as spies. The story here goes a lot deeper than the thriller/action motion and tells a touching tale of family bond and unexpected male friendship.
As the day was over, we were desperate to get to the hostel and sleep, although we were sure none of that would happen before 3-4 am in the morning. We are starting to get a little sad already, as tomorrow will be our last day in Udine (as we have to leave early on Saturday), and we don't want to leave. But we are determined to work even harder during our last day and produce as much material as possible for our web platforms.
For the interview with director Lee Yong-ju and reviews of the films, as well as an article on the Hong Kong cinema panel, visit CUEAFS's website and the website of our partners Cine-Vue.
An incredible start to another incredible day. A few members of the writers team headed off early in the morning, after only about four hours of sleep, to attend the screening of yet another Hong Kong film, Seven 2 One (2009). The drama by Danny Pang was a 'patchwork' storyline, presenting the stories of seven different people, tied up together, and their actions that lead to a particular event. The ending of the film was quite brilliant, showing a 'what if' perspective - if a phone call was received earlier, if an agreement had been made, if a girl had changed her mind, then maybe things would've unraveled in a different way.
Afterwards followed a Chinese police thriller by director Wang Jing - Invisible Killer (2009), which gave insight into contemporary Chinese society and the subtle influence of the internet and prompted a big discussion between the two Chinese members of the writers team - Henry and Kevin about the ideology behind the two films from China over those two days - The Message and Invisible Killer. As the argument grew more and more passionate and the volume level grew in decibels, we attracted not only a few cameramen, who caught everything on video, but also quite a big audience, which was interested in what was going on and who were the people arguing so ardently.
As the day had just begun, all of us had planned a complicated working day, running from one place to another, trying to get as much as possible done before the sun goes down and then later perhaps we might have been able to get some sleep. Good thing we are in Italy and enjoying some decent coffee and nice food in the short breaks we get to keep us running (I am glad they have a bar in the theatre, as we don't really have the chance to go too far). :)
The documentary team had been working since the morning, as well, getting some establishing shots of Udine, Teatro Nuovo Giovanni da Udine, the busy teams and anything else they can get their hands on. Writers were busy writing before we had forgotten our first impressions and important information about the films after seeing too many. Another busy day, indeed. On the schedule are also experimental filming and interviewing fellow students from other universities, so we had hopes everything would turn out pretty nicely.
The afternoon of our second day in Udine was also packed and stressful, including three films, a panel and a lot of writing. Nadia attended the screening of Phobia 2 (2009), a sequel to the very successful 2008 film 4bia, a Thai horror composed of five different stories. After that some of the members saw Lee Yong-ju's debut Possessed (2009), which totally creeped out everyone, especially poor Henry, who was watching through the holes in his paper sheet, which he held in front of his face for the most part. The last film on our schedule was Slice (2009) by director Kongkiat Khomsiri, by which time it was a struggle to stay awake and some of the membes made good use of the comfortable chairs and the fact that we couldn't see most of the screen from our seats.
The day also presented the opportunity for Spencer to interview the directors of GallantsClement Cheng and Derek Kwok and the Shintoho panel presented a good opportunity for Michelle to get more information for her dissertation.
Overall, it was a stressful day, especially trying to get all the writing done before 7pm, whilst queueing to get good seats for the following screenings. With very few hours of sleep and almost no food in our stomachs, we are basically living on coffee and cigarrettes (myself, specifically), but we are excited to get to the next day and do more work.
For a short overview of the films during our second day (day 6 of the festival), visit CUEAFS's website and the website of our partner Cine-Vue.
After what seemed to be the longest journey in the world, involving a minibus ride, a flight and another bus, we finally got to sunny Italy, welcoming us with open arms and filling us with anticipation and overwhelming anxiety, as well as tremendous excitement. We quickly found our way around and checked-in, rushing to get some writing done and get ourselves on the road for the following days, and we were off exploring the unknowns of the festival.
We picked up our media passes and got into the first screening, excited to see the beginning of what we are about to endure for the next four days. The first film we saw was The Message (2009) - a Chinese spy thriller in its European premiere in the spirit of Agatha Christie, which filled the group with a lot of excitement and optimism as to the selection of films they have prepared for us this week. The soundtrack was absolutely amazing, which was adding to the spectacular cinematography and the complicated and yet interesting story was only a bonus to all that to make the experience invaluable.
Then, having been sat in the theatre for more than two hours, we quickly regrouped to see the other film they had on schedule, Gallants (2010) from Hong Kong, which was preceded by a lovely speech by the two directors, Clement Cheng and Derek Kwok. The tone and mood we had submerged into during The Message was shifted to 100 degrees - a long way to go from a spy thriller into a martial arts comedy with dramatic moments, made in the spirit of traditional Kung-Fu Hong Kong cinema.
Throughout all that excitement and anxiety, the documentary team was busy filming everything and anything, trying to get opinions and events on camera, and we were even interviewed by an Italian radio station...
The only drawback was the lack of time for food and the group ended up eating the breakfast panettone for dinner, as well. Our emotions took very long to cool down, as we sat together in the living room chatting up until about half past three in the morning.
Overall, a very nice way to start our professional experience here, taking care of a lot of the stress and the anticipation, once we don't need to worry about finding hotels or theatres and making our way around Udine. Tomorrow we will start from seven in the morning with a group meeting, then attend some screenings, a panel on the Japanese production company Shintoho and try to write about everything and put it on our on-line platforms, whilst the documentary team is following us around. :) A busy day, indeed, and I couldn't be more excited about it.
For a short overview of the two films we attended and reviews of the two films, visit the websites of CUEAFS and our partners Cine-Vue at:
Tomorrow, April 27, some of CUEAFS's members will be leaving for Italy to cover the Udine Far East Film Festival in its 12th edition. Feelings and thoughts are rushing around, bags are packed, pre-production has been done, anxiety and excitement absorb any other emotion - this is basically the situation before departure.
The nine members going have been assigned important responsibilities and we will try to be as professional as possible and to present the society in the best way possible, while producing some good work and getting some experience for ourselves. If at the end of the week we are pleased with what we have done and Spencer is happy, we will be coming home triumphant. At this point plans are still quite unclear, as we don't know what to expect. Schedules are ready, but last minute changes are probable. I am feeling 98% excited and 2% scared or... to think about it, it might be the other way around...
We have been divided into two groups - a 'writers' team (Nadia, Ellie, Henry and myself), that will be taking care of writing reviews and articles, as well as possible interviews and press panel reflections for CUEAFS's website and, more importantly, for the website of our partner Cine-Vue, along with our own personal reflective writing that will be a window to our feelings, expectations, disappointments, etc. The 'documentary' team (Michelle, Mike and Stan) will be filming our journey in order to produce a promotional video for the society, portraying our experience during the festival. Kevin has been assigned the position of 'coordinator of the writers team', which means that he will be making sure everyone is kept up-to-date, if they cannot attend meetings, and in addition he will be translating all of our produced material into Chinese. Andreea will have her hands full, as she will be our main photographer, admin of the CUEAFS's website and Spencer's personal assistant.
As the roles and responsibilities are clear and both teams have been meeting regularly to discuss any small details that might become an issue, everyone is more or less ready to head off to Italy and see what the festival is really about. Here is this year's festival trailer, coming from Joko Anwar (Indonesia):
When it comes to schedules, I personally will try to see as many films as possible, especially given that it is unsure whether we will be able to enter press meetings or conduct any interviews, which means we will have time only to attend films and write about them. I am not worried about the writing, as I love to write about film, and I have done extensive research into the countries I have been assigned to cover. Plus, I am convinced that once we get into the atmosphere and get the feeling of the festival itself, writing in the correct manner will not be that big of a problem (although I am saying this, I am still quite nervous about the feedback we might get from Spencer about our produced material).
Here is my planned schedule for the next few days (I have been assigned to cover South Korea, the Philippines and Indonesia):
Tuesday, 27 April
6.00pm - South Korean cinema panel (E.J-yong, director of The Actresses and Kim Dong-ho from Pusan International Film Festival)
Wednesday, 28 April
8.55am - Seven 2 One (Hong Kong)
8.00pm - Possessed (South Korea)
Thursday, 29 April 11.ooam - The Legend is Alive (Vietnam)
2.15pm - Running Turtle (South Korea)
8.00pm - The Arrival (The Philippines)
10.50pm - Secret Reunion (South Korea)
Friday, 30 April 11.30am - Hear Me (Taiwan)
2.15pm - Identity (Indonesia)
6.10pm - South-East cinema panel (Erik Matti, director of The Arrival; Riri Riza, director of The Dreamer; Nithiwat Tharatorn, director of Dear Galileo)
At this point I am sure that the schedule is not final, as I am not sure what we can expect to be happening, so slight changes are possible, but I am hoping to see at least some of the films on my list. I am looking forward to attending guest speaker panels, press meetings and interviews (if we are able to get those) and gathering as much information and material as possible for both the official presentation and published material and for my personal experience and collection.
With only a few hours to go, I am literally on the verge of a mental breakdown, while at the same time I have never been that excited in my entire life. I am looking forward to working closely with the members of CUEAFS and producing some good material, making Spencer proud and representing the society on a greater platform than the university forum. Hopefully, if we do a good job, we will have more privileges next year or at least we will have been heard of. And last but not least, the promotional video of our stay in Udine will be our main tool to popularise the society and attract new members, and I can't wait to see what will be there to film and what we will have at the end.
*Memories of Matsuko is part of East Winds: A Third Window Film Festival. This review has been produced for CUEAFS and is published on iCov here
Alternative title: Kiraware Matsuko no issho Written and directed by: Tetsuya Nakashima Starring: Miki Nakatani, Eita and Yusuke Iseya
A visually and cinematographically captivating enchanted world of music and joy, love, pain and fundamental values is what Tetsuya Nakashima delivers to the viewer with his 'Memories of Matsuko'. The 'Kamikaze Girls' director takes 'Amelie' a step further and his magic exceeds even the screen splendour of 'Avatar', while the combination of drama and comedy fascinates the audience and turns them into a dedicated fan of this tragically everlasting hopeless hopefulness.
Narrated through the eyes of young Shou, entangled in his late aunt's garbage, trying to put together the pieces of her life, the film is a touching tale about Matsuko and her undying faith in the good of people. Matsuko's quest for happy endings is born through her desperate efforts to receive attention and affection from her father, who rarely spares a smile for her in his care for her chronically ill sister Kumi. Tainted with the burden of her pointless attempts to receive a manifestation of love, which inevitably contaminates all her relationships with men, Matsuko goes on a quest to find an ultimate meaning, and despite her downfalls, to learn to pick the pieces and turn them into beautiful songs that become her life-support machine.
Director Nakashima, who has proven his visual brilliance with his previous 'Kamikaze Girls' and 'Paco and the Magical Book', creates yet another simply absurd, imaginative and unreal fabulous world. The different periods of Matsuko's life follow their own colour scale and paint the screen with everything from warm bright pink under the joyful sounds of optimistic songs to the dark and depressing notes with splashes of crimson blood. From the beginning to the end, the audience is thrown into a surreal mixture of colours and sounds, set as a background to a very real and tangible drama and plausible life experience, which is where the actual sadness of the film lies.
From her desire to be a perfect daughter and sibling, perfect girlfriend, wife and bar hostess, to being a perfect prostitute, Yakuza girl or prisoner, Matsuko's failures build one atop the other and Nakashima depicts a heart-twisting journey that is beautiful and tearful at the same time. Her character's drama lies in her utmost desire to find stability and success and the almost tangible emptiness of the search for happiness taints her existence. Matsuko's tragedy is evident in her inability to accept her fate and in her dedication to finding the impossible perfect happiness with utmost efforts, and set on the downward spiral of her life, she becomes victim of the attempt to unlock the undecipherable secrets of life, love and the meaning of it all.
Miki Nakatani is simply brilliant in portraying the fragile human being desperate to fit in a world of porn stars, pop and Yakuza gang members and to find a path to happiness. Her portrayal of a hopelessly hopeful romantic whose attempts at perfection break so easily and leave her life fractured and bruised, only to ignite her dedication even more, is simply flawless. Nakatani's transformation into the dispirited broken girl whose heart still holds the painful particles of a hope long lost, is the final drop of true emotion that is delivered to the audience to turn this beautiful magical world of Nakashima's into a tragedy about the fundamental existential truths. Combined with the heart-melting score by Italian composer Gabriele Roberto, Memories of Matsuko turns into a refined visual and musical masterpiece with a meaningful tragicomic beautiful story underneath; a film that leaves a long-lasting aftertaste in one's mind, having touched the boundaries of human emotion.
Alternative title: Kawa no soko kara konnichi wa Written and directed by: Yuya Ishii Starring: Hikari Mitsushima, Kotaro Shiga and Masashi Endo
The newest Japanese film picked up for international release by distribution company Third Window Films, official sponsor of Coventry University East Asian Film Society (CUEAFS), ‘Sawako Decides’ by director Yuya Ishii portrays something different than what Western audiences would classify as ‘comedy’. The film deals with complicated emotions and personalities, and tells a universally true message about life and the will to live it.
Hikari Mitsushima (‘Kakera’, ‘Love Exposure’) portrays a spiritless girl during her fifth year in Tokyo, a ‘middle’ woman in a ‘middle’ job with a ‘middle’ boyfriend, who uses the phrase ‘it cannot be helped’ as an excuse for her apathy towards her own existence. At her meaningless and humiliating job at a toy company, she passively listens to two co-workers talk about men and the global economic crisis. Her free time she spends drinking beer alone or in the company of her boyfriend Kenichi and his daugher Kayoko, unable to connect with either of them in any significant way. With the news of her father being desperately ill, Kenichi persuades Sawako to move back to her home town and take over the clam-packing company her father used to run. Faced with the strong personalities of the factory women and the townspeople accuing her of deserting her father, Sawako slowly sinks into her ordinary life until one day she decides that it’s time her life changed.
Despite its slow pace , the film picks up speed towards the end, where the ‘metamorphosis’ of Sawako takes place. In that last part isn’t short of a few laughs and, perhaps, a few tears. Hikari shows her more active side which is visible in her performance in ‘Love Exposure’ and wins hearts with Sawako’s innocent eyes filled with childlike optimism, based on a depressing middle-class opinion of her own life. The music score debut by Chiaki Nomura and Samon Imamura is absolutely brilliant at closely following the pace of the film and intensifying the hidden emotions of the unsuspecting audience.
Hikari Mitsushima received Best Actress awards for her unforgettable performances in ‘Love Exposure’ and ‘Kakera’, and here gives a memorable impression of a spiritless middle-class girl, undergoing metamorphosis. Her portrayal of Sawako is very similar to the personality of Haru from ‘Kakera’ although directors Momoko Ando and Yuya Ishii created two completely different films in nature, storyline and message. Hollywood audiences might find a recent role undergoing the same metamorphosis in Darren Aronofsky’s ‘Black Swan’, where Natalie Portman’s character fights a similar battle with her own mind, although the film is again very different in nature and ideology. Although Sawako’s metamorphosis might seem a bit sudden and unrealistic and her character might be one that’s difficult to identify oneself with, Hikari Mitsushima’s performance in both parts of the film is truly believable and the audience can’t help but sympathise and want more for this middle-class girl leading a middle-class life.
With the only criticism as to running time, which could be slightly edited due to the film’s pace, ‘Sawako Decides’ is pleasant to watch and even though a little different from what is usually called a comedy, able to create a few laughs and leave the audience with perhaps a little more optimism as to their own lives. Although at times the characters might not be easy to identify with and their seemingly numb and meaningless lives might be somewhat unbelievable, the actors are convincing in their performances and with the help of the brilliant soundtrack are able to transcend the audience into the ‘middle’ world, where no-one is special, but life is still worth living.
*This review has been produced for CUEAFS and our partners Cine-Vue
The review has been submitted to Cine-Vue; still unpublished
Alternative title: Ajeossi Written and directed by: Leong-beom Lee Starring: Bin Won, Sae-ron Kim and Thanayong Wongtrakul
What starts out as a slow-paced ordinary story with not much to put one's finger on, besides the obvious appealing coolness and charm of the lead character, turns into a dramatic combination of drama, exhilarating fight sequences and multi-layered character development in the South Korean action thriller “The Man from Nowhere”. Director Jeong-beom Lee uses a well-known story of a skilled man on a journey to rescue a loved one, supplementing the storyline with a few side elements and intricate camera movements that add colour to the plot and tincture to the characters.
The film begins with the depiction of the main characters, leading seemingly unconnected lives. Cha Tae-Sik (Bin Won, “Mother”) is a quiet pawnshop owner who has withdrawn himself from society after a personal tragedy has struck him, whose only link to the outside world is the little girl next door, So-Mi. When the girl is kidnapped, her mother is murdered and her organs are harvested, Cha sets on a bloody journey that will lead him out of the shadows and will turn him into a dark knight who will fight all evil in his quest to rescue the child, finding unknown love in his heart for his 'next door neighbour'.
One might see in this film the shades of other productions such as Tony Scott's “Man on Fire” or Luc Besson's “Leon: The Professional”, with fight sequences similar to the Bourne trilogy and a man's determination to take justice in one's own hands which reminds of “Law Abiding Citizen”. However, “The Man from Nowhere” does not fall under the shadow of those films, but builds its own identity and convinces with its dark gloomy mood and believable characters. With the addition of the one-dimensionally evil gangsters, a sometimes cheesy dialogue and a happy ending, the film is truly a two-hour delight entrenched within the action thriller genre.
Bin Won is incredible in his performance, exhibiting his wonderful array of acting talents in the portrayal of a character so deeply different from Yoon Do-joon in “Mother”. His exquisite display of a range of emotions is absolutely beautiful – from downfall and devastation to ruthlessness and mercilessness and sympathy and affection. His posture and the way his seemingly untouchable coolness breaks down so easily and unexpectedly from the pain he feels, is admirably portrayed by Bin Won, and even more so impressive are his too-quick-for-the-eye-to-see fighting techniques.
Sae-ron Kim who plays So-Mi does not fail to carry her role charmingly well and compliments the brilliance of Bin Won. She adds youthful energy to the plot and a type of dramatic compassion that only a child could provoke. Her character is not overly emotion-tinted, but believable and genuine, and her presence sheds light on a different layer of Cha's character, whose affection for the girl is spectacularly made obvious even before he sets on his revengeful journey in the name of her rescue.
What starts out as a medium to unnoticeable performance by Thanayong Wongtrakul, who plays Ramrowan, turns into an impressive side story that interweaves with the main plot in an unforced natural way. Ramrowan's only lines in the film refer to his admiration of the lead character, and Thanayong does a beautiful job expressing his awe for a worthy adversary throughout the rest of the film without saying a word. The final fight is a battle of honour between two matching opponents to determine superiority, which has its roots in a deeply Oriental and traditionalist understanding of honour and excellence. His emotional transformation adds a different shade to the story, with his sympathy and sadness for the little girl bringing him to oppose his anti-hero statute and be human.
Beautifully scripted and beautifully executed, “The Man from Nowhere” is a delightful symbiosis of delicate threads of different stories that flow alongside one another and interweave in an genuine and believable manner. There is not one place in the film where the action or dialogue is unnecessary, over-acted or cheap, and the amazing score builds onto the drama and adds intensity to the scenes. A revenge film, which is not mean-spirited, an exhilarating action film with fragments of moderate drama and a familiar story with a softer flow and multi-layered characters – these are the elements of “The Man from Nowhere” that set it far apart from other similar productions and turn it into a splendid depiction of fighting excellence and emotional devastation with character and story development that does not fail to impress and touch one's mind and heart.
*This review has been produced for CUEAFS and our partners Cine-Vue
The review has been submitted to Cine-Vue; still unpublished
Directed by: Wilson Yip Written by: Edmong Wong Starring: Donnie Yen, Sammo Hung and Simon Yam
Master of the Chinese martial arts and Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen delivers another incredible performance in this sequel to the biopic “Ip Man” from 2008. Wilson Yip returns in the director's chair to continue the story of Ip Man's life from where the previous film ended and tell the story of the martial arts teacher's struggles in a post-war world.
Following his assault on the Japanese Army, Ip Man moves to Hong Kong in 1949. Because of his financial troubles, he tries to open his own martial arts school, only to encounter more problems along the way. After competing with the other masters to 'deserve' his right to teach kung fu, Ip Man comes face to face with the foreign culture of the British, who have no respect for anything that martial arts teach. Integrating loosely the story of Ip Man's relationship with his first Hong Kong pupil, Leung Sheung, or even arguably with Bruce Lee, the film's plot is a little too similar to the original, where Ip Man's patriotism against the invading Japanese is replaced by a not-subtle-enough nationalism against the foreign culture of the West.
Beyond the surface, however, “Ip Man 2” tells a deeper story that is left painfully unexplored. The story about human relationships and the goodness of a man towards others, despite his own struggles, and the biggest enemy of all – poverty, takes a back seat to the nationalistic resistance against the Western culture in the second half and leaves the audience with a shallow story with much more to be desired. Huang Xiaoming delivers a nice youthful warmth to the film and allows for Ip Man's character to be represented more deeply through his personal relationship with his disciple. However, this relationship and Ip Man's relationship with his family and his rivals could have been explored in much more depth, as the supporting cast and returning characters remain awkwardly one-layered and underused and don't deliver any real substance to the story.
Sammo Hung returns as action director and does a good job in the fighting scenes, although their unrealistic quality takes away from the experience of the original. It is also pleasing to see Hung occupy one of the rival masters' roles, delivering a great performance in the most memorable fighting scene from the film, which is an impressive demonstration of the different kung fu styles in Hong Kong. Another highlight of the sequel is the original soundtrack by Japanese composer Kenji Kawai (“Death Note”, “Ghost in the Shell”) which paints a painful picture of Hong Kong reality during the 50s and represents perfectly the struggles of a man to build life for himself and his family.
It is not exactly clear when the film turns into a parody of a kung fu film filled with stereotypes and bad acting, especially on the part of the British actors, but there is a painfully obvious transition between the first and second half. The strongly infiltrated nationalism makes Yen's character seem completely out of place and it disrupts the image of Ip Man with his dignity and humility and turns him into a 'magical' kung fu hero who can fight off twenty men armed with swords but not an English boxer. His character becomes tragically comic during his final speech which is badly scripted and it serves as an unnecessary lesson that is supposed to create peace where there was no war to begin with.
No match for the first film, “Ip Man 2” still manages to entertain, as it is easy to enjoy Donnie Yen's incredible representation of Ip Man's self-control, dignity and humility, as well as his martial arts skills. However, the badly scripted and acted second half and the awkward presence of the dozen sidekick characters that could have been better utilised, turn the film into a bad remake of the first, rather than a sequel, and deliver no depth to the story, but overused and worn-out stereotypes and misplaced nationalism.
*Confessions was part of East Winds: A Third Window Film Festival, curated by Third Window Films. This review has been produced for CUEAFS and our partners Cine-Vue
The review is published on iCov here and on Cine-Vue here
Alternative title: Kokuhaku Written and directed by: Tetsuya Nakashima Starring: Takako Matsu, Yukito Nishii and Kaoru Fujiwara
Issues of the violent human nature and the influence of the media on the social order of the world are brilliantly interwoven in the new film by Tetsuya Nakashima, the deep and disturbing psychological thriller “Confessions”. Based on a book by the same title by author Kanae Minato, the film is a series of confessions by different people, struck by the same tragedy – the murder of a child. When the police declares the death of Manami an accident, her mother Yuko Moriguchi (played brilliantly by Takako Matsu) promises not to pursue the two students involved. However, when it is revealed that the death of Manami was a meaningless event to students A and B, whose narcissistic need for attention replaced their guilt with pride, Yuko embarks on a dark revengeful journey in order to punish the murderers and through their suffering to teach them the value of the human life.
“Confessions” does not comment on the deep disturbances of personalities, just states them as inevitable outcomes of the existing social media world. Nakashima seems less interested in exploring the psychological problems of the arrogant violent teenagers and more inclined to discuss Japan's current social state as a tool in the process of abusing the darkest human instincts. From his point of view, the reasons are trite and unimportant, which is why the film does not look at them in particular depth. What is important is the chaos and malaise of today's apathetic and narcissistic youth, where fear is buried under the layers of overprotective parents, loneliness, alienation, abandonment issues and mania for glory, and the poetic notion of the child protection act is a defence mechanism in the face of immoral actions.
Innocence and rationality have no place in this world and there is a high price to pay for naivety, which is represented in the characters of Manami, Mizuho and Student B's mother. These are the beautifully innocent souls unsoiled by the evil darkness of the world and there is no place for them within the existing social order. They are not victims of murder, but the victims of the chain of evil that exists where there are no consequences for wrong deeds. From this point of view, Nakashima still has belief in the goodness of human nature, represented in the scene where a child gives Yuko a small strawberry candy. However, that pure and innocent goodness is caught in a world where there is no mercy and is powerless before the ruthlessness of the chaotic social order.
Perhaps a bit graphic at times, the film is beautifully scripted and unravels the story piece by piece, keeping the audience on its toes. There is a sense of sadness and heaviness that lingers in the haunting soundtrack, which combined with the dark blue colour of the whole film and the contrasting imagery of blood, milk and fire turns into a painful mysterious tale about the value of human life.
“Confessions” is heavily disturbing, revealing the root of serious teenage problems and the dark side of human nature. The film is bold in its dealings with delicate topics such as discrimination and AIDS. The story is set to challenge the audience's morality – somehow the emotionless and cruel teacher Yuko is subconsciously sympathised with, while the culprits A and B are pitied as the victims of the existing social order, not as creators of their own lives. The violence and the idea of bloody cold-hearted revenge are somehow not the focus of the story. The blue-black-silver palette of emotions is what is left after seeing “Confessions”, along with Radiohead's “Last Flowers” lingering in one's head, while a feeling of the wrongfulness of the social order and the challenged morality of the world weigh on the audience's mind.
“Confessions” is violent, serious, depressing, disturbing and emotionally draining. But ultimately hauntingly beautiful, which is a trade mark of Nakashima's films.
*Castaway on the Moon is a part of CUEAFS's Udine Far East Film Festival 12 coverage. The review has been produced for CUEAFS and our partners Cine-Vue
Alternative title: Kimssi Pyoryugi Written and directed by: Hae-jun Lee Starring Jae-yeong Jeong and Ryeo-won Jeong
A tale of undying hope and the inexplicable connection between two lives that overcomes distances and changes the world is delivered by young and promising South Korean director Hae-jun Lee in his Castaway on the Moon. Through a brilliant mixture of genres that avoids being too serious and digging too deep into painful reality is how Castaway on the Moon transcends the world into a more beautiful place, the metaphorical 'on the moon', and leaves a long-lasting feeling of fragility and the beauty of love, hope and life itself.
Kim is a desperate ‘unhopeful’ worker in serious debt who has reached the decision to jump off a bridge and end his misery. But fate has a different plan for him, as the waters of Han River throw him out on a small island, detaching him from civilisation. As he realises there is no way out, for he has never learnt to swim, he considers hanging himself on his tie. But life seems different on this side of the world and he slowly begins to adapt to the island, whilst thinking 'I guess I could die later'. As he embarks upon an emotional, sometimes sad, sometimes hilarious journey of re-building his life with hope, he discovers his presence on the island hasn’t gone unnoticed. Female Kim, who has not left her room in three years, for an unknown reason, irrelevant to the plot, has been observing him and his struggle for life through her camera lenses and his extraordinary existence impresses her to such an extent, that she leaves her room in order to communicate with him through messages in a bottle.
If the viewers were to compare Castaway on the Moon to Robert Zemeckis’s from 2000, starring Cast AwayTom Hanks, in their search for a tale of the incredible human strength and the ability to survive in unimaginable circumstances, they would not find this concept here, although the film seemingly tells the same story. What they could find is the vibe from Pen-Ek Ratanaruang’s Thailand drama Last Life in the Universe from 2003, which tells the story of two people helping each other to find a purpose to their meaningless existences. But even then they wouldn’t have the whole story.
The film’s most touching and deepest meaning lies within the idea of undying hope, which a human being can find in the most impossible circumstances, without even having been looking for it. A story about one person’s search of hope which is so inspirational that is able to change another person’s life from the greatest of distance. A story about the human condition and the ease with which desperation could be born within, but also about the strength of the human spirit not to survive on a deserted island, but to survive in his darkest of state and to find meaning and hope where there seemingly isn’t any.
A successful try from young director Hae-jun Lee, who impressed audiences with his debut film Like a Virgin in 2006. Both characters are sketched so beautifully and honestly, their ‘un-understandable’ strange behaviours make the audience feel compassionate and hopeful for their happy endings. The film isn’t short of emotion and even a few tears are shed when male Kim finally eats the black bean noodles (which he had described as hope) or when he is escorted from the island and unable to receive the replies. The sad note is brilliantly interwoven with the hilarious moments and the audience couldn’t help but laugh out loud when Kim is trying to build a fire.
A beautiful and touching story, situated between real life and fantasy, built on the lack of dialogue between two tender souls and their fragile existences. The cinematography is fresh and almost fantastical, whilst the score by Hae-jun Lee’s first film composer Hong-jip Kim only adds up to a marvellous experience. Castaway on the Moon is a must-see for everyone for the deep and meaningful concepts within, in which the audience can find different truths for themselves; for the simplest and most honest fragile human existence, the ability to receive joy and hope from the smallest of things, such as a piece of paper in a green bottle…
*Identity is a part of CUEAFS's Udine Far East Film Festival 12 coverage. The review has been produced for CUEAFS and our partners Cine-Vue
Alternative title: Identitas Written and directed by: Aria Kusumadewa Starring Tio Pakusodewo and Leony Vitria Hartanti
A whole new level of darkness and depression is what the audience can find in the drama Identity, by writer/director Aria Kusumadewa. The film depicts the everyday reality in contemporary Indonesia, where those with power are the puppet-masters, who decide the faith of the poor.
The protagonist, Adam (Tio Pakusadewo) is a single man after the prime of his life, who works in the mortuary section of a hospital, taking care of the dead. He befriends a young woman who works as a prostitute to pay the medicine for her incurably diseased father. Adam becomes attached to her and tries to help resolve her issues, whilst he himself faces an eviction. When the young woman is found dead, Adam tries frantically to save her body from being sold for academic research.
Identity isn’t one of those films that grab the audience with an intriguing storyline, great cast or special effects, aimed at pleasing the viewer and making their experience more satisfactory. Instead, it is a production built to cause uneasiness and leave a disturbing feeling of unresolved issues and a life that leads nowhere. It is a film after which the words feel awkward, as the audience has submerged into a whole new dark world, where the only available exit and possible resolution is nowhere near a happy ending.
The film’s title refers to the general concept, represented also by the nameless girl and her father – those are people without identities, without rights, at the mercy of the government. Whilst presenting the terrible everyday lives of the ‘identity-less’ and the conditions of millions of people in Indonesia who live in absolute poverty, writer/director Aria Kusumadewa constructs a story full of satirical elements aimed at politics and the media. With the progression towards the ending and the final scene, Aria presents a difficult issue to the audience, an extreme manner of solving someone’s problems, which unfortunately is a daily reality in the country.
Memorable performances by both Tio Pakusodewo and Leony Vitria Hartanti, who both act convincingly and, in a strangely beautiful manner, portray dark and depressing believable characters. Aria Kusumadewa uses dark images and sad slow piano accompaniment to achieve the atmosphere of desperation and create a world with no way out, a world without opportunities, hopes and dreams. A world where even the slightest chance of happiness is quickly destroyed and everything to be expected in the future is only more misery.
The issue of identity or rather the search for identity is thoroughly discussed throughout the film. As Adam decides to name the young woman Hawa (Eve) and starts thinking of her as his wife, in his desperate attempt to give her an identity, the questions of how important having one is and who gives identities to people becomes even more obvious. Perhaps a little too much repetition of the idea, especially by revealing the problem in the title itself, but certainly a deep enough concept to be spared an hour and a half of screen time.
*The Founding of a Republic is a part of CUEAFS's Udine Far East Film Festival 12 coverage. The review has been produced for CUEAFS and our partners Cine-Vue
Alternative title: Jian Guo Da Ye Written by: Chen Baoguang and Wang Xingdong Directed by: Han Sanping and Huang Jianxin Starring Guoqiang Tang, Guoli Zhang and Wang Bing
Four years of political battles, warfare and complicated history is what The Founding of a Republic tried to squeeze into a little more than two hours of screen time. And, to no surprise, more than 1500 days and God knows how many people and political parties could not be fitted into such a short time-slot. For anyone unfamiliar with Chinese history in depth (not simply knowing about Kuomintang and Communist Party’s battles, the civil war and the final formation of the National People’s Congress), the film will be packed with too many people, short dialogues and scenes that shift geographically at 180 degrees and often require screen text to explain when and where things are happening.
This is the main thing wrong with the film, for the most part. Since it was ‘guided’ by the Chinese government and it was produced to mark 60 years of the foundation of the People’s Republic in China, The Founding of a Republic was to inevitably unease Western audiences. The film was not overthrown by political party propaganda and it wasn’t taken over by the presence of a lot of familiar faces. It was not striving to be a war film, as realistic as some of the latest CGI-filled epics, and the bombing scenes reminded of older war films, such as Pearl Harbour or Black Hawk Down (both produced in 2001), whilst the purposefully fake CGI effects delivered more sense of actual historical reality than it would have been to pretend everything was actually happening in real time.
Whether it was politically correct is an endless argument, which couldn’t be won even among the Chinese. As it is with every country’s history, government, political parties and ideologies, stories differ and even history, as it is written in the books, is not always the same. What really happened and what people were really like is a knowledge that is only privilege to those who were alive at that time. Though if the viewer desires to compare The Founding of a Republic to other films, depicting the history of the KMT and CPC or the civil war and its end, they might say that although some preferences are shown as to the communist party and Mao Zedong, it might be the first time that Chiang Kai-shek has been portrayed as a little bit more of a human being – multilayered, having his human greatness and human flaws, just as any human does, whether a warrior and a political leader or a nobody.
Whilst the beginning of the film was almost impossible to follow, rapidly shifting in time and space, presenting different characters in their short dialogues, which would only later contribute to the story, at some point the speed died and it turned into long conversation scenes between the party leaders and their followers, only disrupted at points by the war scenes. Perhaps it is due to having the need to tell a certain part of history in detail, which would though be impossible without preceding the story with introduction of the key figures and events that led to those consequences. The film could not talk about the civil war, for instance, without having mentioned the Double Tenth Agreement and its failure.
What is pleasant about the film is to see a production that could include Zhang Ziyi, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Andy Lau and Donnie Yen and not be centered on celebrities. All the main roles have been trusted upon a lot less famous Chinese actors, which, for once, lets the viewer concentrate on the story, rather than the acting ability of a certain celebrity. The English dialogue did fail to impress, as it sounded quite fake and scripted, although that is a common risk with English dialogue in foreign productions, as it was lastly seen in Ip Man 2, which miserably failed while using it.
Overall, the film does tell fascinating history and it probably delivers to Chinese audiences, as most historical films would appeal to people who not only know the history, but are also affected by it and it a way connected to it, which makes the topic quite delicate. With the exhausting length and the fragmented time and space continuum, it might not deliver to the Westerners, even to those with interest or knowledge of Chinese post-war history. The Founding of a Republic is a piece to be appreciated, though, despite all its flaws, as it has not been produced to please and entertain, but rather to educate, and the fact that it is not taken over by political propaganda, but tries to portray a more balanced historical past and more human characters with their shades of grey, is to be acknowledged.
*Slice is a part of CUEAFS's Udine Far East Film Festival 12 coverage. The review has been produced for CUEAFS and our partners Cine-Vue
Alternative title: Cheun Written and directed by: Kongkiat Khomsiri Starring Arak Amornsupasiri, Jessica Pasaphan and Chatchai Plengpanich
The violent and gory murder thriller Slice by Thai director Kongkiat Khomsiri, delivers more drama and problematic social ideology than thriller suspense and leaves audiences speechless and disturbed. A perfect balance between violent murder scenes and dramatic moments is achieved by the well-known Khomsiri, director of Art of the Devil, whilst the story, adapted from Wisit Sasanatieng’s story by the same name, is able to inconvenience everyone with the difficult truths it deals with.
Slice is not so much a murder thriller, as it is an almost biographical look into the lives of two boys and the consequences of the way society treated them. After a red suitcase, full of body parts, is found, detective Papa Chin (Chatchai Plengpanich) heads the investigation into what seems to be a serial killing episode. When his investigation is going towards a dead end, he decides to use a former officer from his force, Tai (Arak ‘Pae’ Amornsupasiri), who is now serving a sentence in prison, relying on the connection between what happens in real life and Tai’s dreams about the same red suitcase. As Tai is convinced that the clues, left by the killer, are a message to him by his childhood friend Nut, he tries to solve the mystery, only to find a disturbing truth lying underneath.
Kongkiat Khomsiri’s director’s touch in the film’s cinematography is quite obvious, as the scenes sharply shift in tone and visual impression and the use of colours and sounds makes the experience even more powerful. The murder scenes, filled with bright red (the colour of the killer’s hood, the red suitcase, the excess of blood) are submerged into the dark atmosphere of colour stillness and complete blackness everywhere, but where is red. The flashbacks to childhood, on the other hand, transmit a softer tone, using pale warm colours, and somehow deliver the understanding of pain and suffering, whilst playing with the viewers’ capacity to handle difficult imagery.
Although Slice deals with perhaps the issue of homosexuality, this doesn’t become the main thread of importance in the film, whereby the most difficult issue is the social transformation of a young boy into a disturbed and tortured person. As the end unravels the true story behind, the audience is left to decide who is ‘good’ and who is ‘bad’, as all characters are not black and white, but come with a shade of grey.
There is no mystery in the film, no suspense – the audience knows who the killer is from the beginning. But that is not its main message or purpose. Slice could serve more easily as a drama, rather than a murder thriller, as the thrill is missing from the plot. And if it weren’t for the violence and gory slasher scenes, which could so easily be attributed to the film’s country of origin, it is a deeply dramatic story about social ideology, peer pressure and the consequences of a terrible childhood. And on the side, a story of inexplicable love and connection between two people and the pain of the incapability to explain, to justify or to understand. A story, which leaves the audience disturbed and uncomfortable, as the final scene delivers the ultimate good vs. bad ending, but in a plot where good and bad have merged into one another and the most difficult decisions are to be regretted.
*Possessed is a part of CUEAFS's Udine Far East Film Festival 12 coverage. The review has been produced for CUEAFS and our partners Cine-Vue
Alternative title: Bool-sok-ji-ok Written and directed by: Lee Yong-ju Starring Shim Eun-kyung, Young-nam Jang and Bo-yeon Kim
By former architect and first-time writer/director Lee Yong-Ju comes the spectacular Possessed, a South Korean horror/thriller with a reflection on difficult problems from contemporary Korean society. The film, which has already been assigned the title ‘one of the best Korean horrors in recent years’, is an absolute success in delivering suspense and proposing in-depth discussions, whilst succeeding in keeping the viewer at the edge of their seat.
Possessed begins as an ordinary story about a college student, Hee Jin (Nam Sang-mi, Spy Girl), and her busy life in Seoul. When she receives news that her younger sister So-jin has disappeared, she returns to her home town in a quest to find the girl. The veteran detective carrying out the investigation is convinced the young girl simply ran away, whilst the deeply religious mother refuses to comply with the police and believes that only prayers will bring the girl back home. Soon the residents begin to commit suicide one by one and more disturbing facts about them are revealed, shedding light on the events that led to the disappearance of the young girl.
The film works perfectly as horror/thriller, whilst at the same time discusses problematic contradictions between different religions in the modern Korean society and it asks difficult questions as to the consequences of blind faith. The tension and suspense are built step by step, relying on sudden shocking and disturbing images, accompanied by brilliant sound effects, which are capable of terrifying even the most dedicated horror fan.
As typical for most Korean productions, falling into the horror genre, the ghost in the film is not just a presence in the residents’ lives, but is capable of manipulation and physical power. Despite the fact that Possessed complies with some of the generic restrictions and conventions, it is extremely original and it plays with the audience’s expectations and at the same time moves away from familiar stereotypes, such as the popular Asian ghost image. The way the film is built gives the opportunity to realise the presence of the ghost and to accept it, moving beyond the surface story and allows the audience to look at the characters and relationships with a lot more insight and perhaps to even identify themselves with the residents within the presented concepts.
In addition to the impressive storyline and the original construction of the plot, all the stars in the film deliver excellent performances. Nam Hang-mi is completely convincing in her portrayal of the girl torn between her resentment of Christianity and her resentment of superstition, whilst her younger colleague Shim Eun-gyeong (Hansel and Gretel), known mainly for her cute and sweet roles on TV, certainly moves away from that innocence and perfectly portrays the possessed girl. The supporting cast does not fall behind and also delivers impressive performances of equally high levels.
An extremely original Korean work and an absolute success for debut by Lee Yong-ju, Possessed stays in the audience’s mind for a long time after the credits roll. Whether a horror fan or not, the film will impress all viewers with its discussion on worship of the wrong idols and the consequences of blind faith.
*The Message is part of CUEAFS's Udine Far East Film Festival 12 and East Winds: A Third Window Film Festival coverage. The review has been produced for CUEAFS and our partners Cine-Vue
Alternative title:Feng Sheng Written by Chen Kuofu; directed by Chen Kuofu and Gao Qunshu Starring Xiaoming Huang, Hanyu Zhang, Li BingBing and Xu Zhou
From directors Chen Kuofu and Gao Qunshu comes the thriller 'The Message', based on Jia Mai’s novel of the same name. The Hitchcock style thriller with an encapturing storyline in the spirit of Agatha Christie’s novels reminds of the popular Cluedo board game by being an impressive tale of espionage where mystery and intensity are the main ingredients of an inquest to discover the guilty persona among the suspects.
The plot tells the story of the events during the Sino-Japanese war under the Chinese puppet government, where five people are suspected of being involved in conspiracy for the Chinese resistance. After the Japanese intelligence captures a spy and channels of communication is revealed, incorrect information is transmitted to the Counter-Insurgency office in expectation this will lead to the discovery of the ‘broken link’. Japanese colonel Takeda is determined to find the infiltrating undercover through a process of elimination by putting the five people who came in contact with the message through a series of violent torturous interrogations in an attempt to discover who among them is the resistance agent Phantom.
From the very opening sequence of the film, the audience is thrown into a world of visual effects and breath-taking cinematography, much similar to the world envisaged in 'Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow'. The world is submerged in the fantasy historical scene of the 1940s, which is achieved by the thoughtful use of the steampunk camera style to portray that particular era. In addition, the sophisticated storyline adds up to an intense experience in anticipation for the discovery of the truth. The pulsating musical score fits perfectly with the tone of the film and quite reminds of Hitchcocks’ films’ musical accompaniment – the powerful work of Bernand Herrmann – in this case, the masterpiece of Japanese composer Michiru Oshima.
As the characters are scripted in a way that reveals early on which suspect is the guilty spy, proven easily true by the continuous outgoing messages for help, despite the death of a few of the characters, the film transforms from a spy thriller to something a lot more surprising. Although the viewer might put the pieces of the puzzle together during the first hour of the film, the suspense of whether or not the Phantom will be successful in their attempt to send a rescuing message and with what means remains. Moreover, events get more complicated and pressure escalates, while the turning point of 'The Message' is condensed with meaningful ideology about the value of a human's life in the face of a greater cause – an ideal not unfamiliar to Chinese productions, similarly to 'Lust, Caution' where the main character sacrifices her life and honour for her country.
Xun Zhou is a wonderful actress that never seizes to prove her talents and delivers an absolutely convincing performance, through a weave of guilt and innocence and truly incredible power of will and bravery. Li BingBing, despite receiving much less of the screen time, also delivers a powerful performance with her portrayal of a woman torn between her loyalty and friendship, her fear for her own life and her desire to be a part of something greater. The two actresses interact great with one another and deliver some of the best scenes in the film by depicting their multi-layered, multi-facet relationship. Huang Xiaoming glues the film together being the one who delivers all the suspense and painful expectation of violence to the screen, depicting perfectly a Japanese warrior determined to gain his honour back through whatever means necessary.
'The Message' is not entirely a conspiracy thriller, nor it is a historical film, although it does hold in itself a depiction of a dark part of Chinese history. Violence is interwoven with the plot, sometimes rather graphic, but the film is not gory or horror-styled. As the end reveals the events and ideals behind the conspiracy, the audience is presented with an ultimate fundamental 'message' – the human connection in the quest for a greater cause is worth more than the insignificant human life and there is immeasurable nobility in sacrificing one's life for the good of their country.
