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two reviews on the second-to-last official night of the 3rd bangkok international film festival, one long and one shorter
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january 23 - cafe lumiere (kiho jiko), 6:00pm, siam theatre, siam, bangkok *****
beautiful beautiful beautiful. homage to Ozu and a stand alone visual treat in all of it's simplicity.
the words slip though my lips over and over while the end credits begin to scroll, hushed only by the fact that i cannot stop beaming from ear to ear. the mind resonates with the focus on the slight, on the in between, on the world surrounding, on the moments, on the details, on the movements, and the passage.
this film introduced to us a main character that has no problem making decisions, a storyline that had no defining question to ask, and no sense of a wrap-up. and yet i left completely satisfied. somewhere in there was the search for something, but these searches served only as the mcguffin's to the structure presented. the whole time, i surmise people were thinking about what was going to happen, instead of watching what was happening.
you never really get close to the character, or she is not presented as a person that you have to feel emotionally bad for, thus no overwhelming sense of sentiment, or drama, or loss. and yet the film was captivating and alluring. the absence of one defining plot to drive the 'story' forward was exactly what this film was about; real life does not have just one drive, one purpose only, or one explanation.
some viewers sighed in instant disapproval when i asked them how they liked it, if they liked it at all, and they said that nothing happened. i don't mean to say that the characters lack motivation or that they are displaced; in fact i feel that they are exactly where they need to be.
90% of the shots are medium shots. we see our character in one major (maybe two if you can count it) close-up shot(s), and even that was a from-behind-at-an-angle shot. and it's beautiful. i believe that you're not supposed to necessarily be too attached top these characters, just be willing to walk alongside them; because of the lack of any heavy brooding looming dramatic weight, we are free to be completely content in following this woman through the little tasks of normal everyday life.
although i do understand it if a normal movie-goer leaves a little disappointed. after being asked to actively encounter so many backs of people, and/or pay attention to faces, movement, and the 'audio soundtrack of reality,' what can one do but question everything out of confusion. and all of that would be normal and valid too.
a film that comes to mind is "la fille suele (a single girl)." the film is cut in real-time, and we gain knowledge and access to the main character by becoming privy to all of the in-between moments in one of her days. it's utterly fascinating to some, and boring to a 'T' for others. and that's fair; at that point, it's almost what ever floats your boat. this film is of that style.
the film is confident in letting the audience make relevant the things that you desire to be relevant, and this brings the film an enigmatic grace to it. it's full of trains, broad pans from left to right and vice versa, lovingly subtle jump cuts, cafe sit-downs, shots of people's backs, zoom lens-induced short focal distances, and a flurry of long cuts. all done and edited with a patient sense of storytelling which really tests what sort of viewer some people are.
the interactions are beautifully played and do not contain ego, narcissism, or any of the binding facets of actors who know that "they got the goods/are the shiz." the characters are just themselves, and that allows the story to be absorbed without having to doubt or second-guess. this is perhaps the most defining quality of the players that adds to the enjoyment; we can be happy that there are instances where the characters just eat, or walk, or stand together in shared silences, or sip hot milk, or take pictures, or simple pleasures like rides on trains.
a note on destiny:
i was destined to see, experience, and love this film. it's true. four things.
1. first of all, i wasn't supposed to see it in the first place; i bought the ticket on a whim due to some to-be free time.
2. i've been planning this intricate production-wise simple to experience super train shot for about five years, and it was in the movie. ahhhh! cool!
3. i love trains. not in that "oooh when i was 6, i got a train set and now that i'm older, i'm a train aficionado." no. rather, i find comfort that trains exist. they transport people and things to distant places. it has a history that echoes. train tracks are surprisingly comforting; the lines all intermingling as if binding everything together with seams of welded steel. this film celebrated trains in a voyeuristic way, then let's you in and onboard. that's hot.
4. two years ago i had a dream that was in completely in thai, which included me seeing someone putting some cooked potato pieces into the bowl of another's, and that exchange happened in the film. no waaay!? so way.
needless to say, it's a rad piece. you sometimes come to these moments where you have to ask whether or not it ("it" meaning the drive to achieve a dream) is all worth it. and watching this film in a small yet significant way, reaffirms that desire.
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january 23 - bad education, 3:00pm, siam theatre, siam, bangkok ***
if you don't know the works of pedro almodovar, then you are welcome to start here. it won't be as fun or as rewarding if you haven't seen his earlier stuff, but the joy is there.
who else can give you sweet cinematic packages such as transvestite revenge plots, comical interludes in fellatio scenes, fleecing of the church's lack of morality, and a smattering of drug use all in the first twenty minutes?
well, okay, so you already have compiled a long list of movies which fit this description, but it won't have been this movie, and therefore it is null.
there is a succulent plot that redefines itself no less than three times, wonderfully used musical undertones, and brilliant cinematography. it's not the best almodovar, but it does convey that he is still able to create great films without being repetitive or lazy.
because i lack the skill to review any movie properly, i would say that to see these movies would be enough to come up with your own opinion. but to say that this movie is a stand-alone prime example of an almodovar, would do all of his other works a great injustice.
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tonight's homework:
go out and watch or rent a movie that interests you and give that film your full attention. give it a chance. don't just bring yourself and your opinions to the film, but actively let yourself go, as if you are viewing the film fresh and unaware of previous films made by the makers/players. then email me a review.
[golden_buddha23 (at) hotmail (dot) com]
i hope to find that there are a large quantity of great cinematic works still yet to be discovered and shared. it's either that, or just to know that i'm not the only one who reads this blog.
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