二十四城记/二十四城記 Er shi si cheng ji (24 City)

Among the so-called Sixth Generation of Chinese filmmakers Jia Zhang ke absolutely is my favorite director and storyteller of ‘ordinary’ Chinese citizens compelling stories, told in what I can call very-realistic style no matter if story is real-life or fiction, or if film is documentary, fiction or a mix of both genres like what happens in 24 City.

It’s very difficult to remain a spectator while watching Jia’s films as characters, story and storytelling technique drag you inside the film quite fast to hold you inside story/ stories until the very last scene where you will feel completely satisfied after visiting the life of some people that exemplifies how China society has changed in the last 50 -or so- years. Using interviewers that we will never see but will hear we will watch amazing performances by actors and non-actors (who tell their real-life story) in what feels and look like monologues with some moments looking directly to camera while others just representing life moments, but all telling their compelling stories that go from how they became factory 420 workers until how the third generation with a more modern lifestyle (very western alike) will live in multi-story buildings with luxury flats at what now is called 24 City and will be built in what used to be factory 420 land.

If you’re familiar with Jia’s films you will recognize the actors from the non-actors as actors have been in many of his films, plus you also have well known actress Joan Chen; but all have great performances, so good that will make you feel and live whatever they’re sharing with you, the viewer.

Have to admit that is not an easy-to-watch style as maybe for some film will look like a series of interviews with people telling some interesting and other not-so-interesting stories; but if you’re familiar with Jia’s films I’m sure you’ll easily grab that film is a lot more than style. So, if you are not familiar with director’s work I strongly suggest you watch some of his films before watching this one, like for example Still Life, Platform or Unknown Pleasures.

I loved the film as a very human tale of China’s transition from a very controlled society to a ‘less-controlled’ society, a change that is happening so fast that learning about it (in films and/or real-life news) will amaze you. Not long ago I was reading about how in 10 years China built a comprehensive (and very modern) infrastructure and how now their efforts will be addressed to create a very-comprehensive ‘human infrastructure’. I feel Jia’s 24 City documents how China was able to address physic infrastructure while not taking much care about ‘human infrastructure’ and imagine that in 10 or so years maybe Jia could tell how the ‘human infrastructure’ was developed. Be sure that if he does I’ll be looking forward to watch his film as a learning experience but most of all as a visual and narrative very complete cinematic experience.

Enjoy!!!

Watch trailer @MOC

4th Asian Film Awards Award Winners

Award Winners are in (*)RED.

The Nominations - Concurrently with the 34th Hong Kong International Film Festival that runs from March 21 to April 4, these young awards will be handled and here are the nominees.

Best Film
十月圍城 Shi yue wei cheng (Bodyguards and Assassins),Teddy Chang, Hong Kong and China
南京! 南京! Nanjing! Nanjing! (City of Life and Death), China
Lola, Brillante Mendoza, Philippines
(*) 마더 Madeo (Mother), Bong Joon-ho, South Korea
No Puedo Vivir Sin Ti (不能沒有你), Leon Dai, Taiwan
パレード Parêdo (Parade), Isao Yukisada, Japan

Best Director
Bong Joon-ho for Madeo (Mother), South Korea
Asghar Farhadi for About Elly, Iran
(*) Lu Chuan for 南京! 南京! Nanjing! Nanjing! (City of Life and Death), China
Brillante Mendoza for Lola, Philippines
Sono Sion for Ai no mukidashi (Love Exposure), Japan
Yonfan for Lei Wangzi (Prince of Tears), Hong Kong and Taiwan

Best Actress
Bae Doo-na in Air Doll, Japan
(*) Kim Hye-ja in Mother, South Korea
Li Bingbing in The Message, China
Matsu Takako in Villon's Wife, Japan
Sandrine Pinna in Yang Yang, Taiwan

Best Actor
Asano Tadanobu in Villion's Wife, Japan
Huang Bo in Cow, China
Matsumoto Hitsohi in Symbol, Japan
Song Kang-ho in Thirst, South Korea
(*) Wang Xueqi in 十月圍城 Shi yue wei cheng (Bodyguards and Assassins), Hong Kong and China

The award ceremony will be on March 22nd and to check the nominees in all the categories go here.

To check the winners in all categories go here.

34th Hong Kong International Film Festival Award Winners

For those that still doubt my 'good eye' for movies (lol!) check the big winner in this festival. Yes, was the only film that really called my attention when I leaned about the lineup. Anyway here are the award winner films.

Asian Digital Competition
Golden Digital Award: Guang Ban (Sun Spots), Yang Heng, China, 2009
Silver Digital Award: 寻欢作乐 The High Life, Zhao Dayong, China, 2010

FIPRESCI Prize: 寻欢作乐 The High Life, Zhao Dayong, China, 2010
Special Mention: 夜郎 Tangle, Liu Yonghong, China, 2010

SIGNIS Award: A Brand New Life, Ounie Lecomte, South Korea and France,2009
Commendation: Letters to Father Jacob, Klaus Haro, Finland, 2009

Humanitarian Awards for Documentaries
Best Documentary: Petition, Zhao Liang, China, 2009
Outstanding Documentary: Enemies of the People, Rob Lemkin and Thet Sambath, UK and Cambodia, 2009

Short Film Competition
Grand Prize: Hanasaari A, Hannes Vartiainen and Pekka Veikkolainen, Finland
Jury Prize: Berlin Wall, Paul Cotter, Germany

To check the announcement go here.

34th Hong Kong International Film Festival Lineup

As mentioned the fest will run from today March 21st until April 6th and has over 300 films from 50 countries most are simply put, worth watching. In the Asian Digital Competition this year they have the following films.

寻欢作乐 The High Life, Zhao Dayong, China, 2010
牛皮2 Niupi er (Oxhide II), Liu Jiayin, China, 2009
Guang Ban (Sun Spots), Yang Heng, China, 2009 (wow, visually stunning, impressive-must be seen)
夜郎 Tangle, Liu Yonghong, China, 2010
父后七日 Seven Days in Heaven, Essay Liu and Wang Yu-Lin, Australia and Taiwan, 2010
나는 곤경에 처했다! Naneun Konkyeonge Cheohaessda! (I'm in Trouble!) , So Sang-min, South Korea, 2009
Mother is a Whore, Lee Sang-woo, South Korea, 2009 (described as "darkly transgressive... hmm, I'm very curious))
회오리 바람 Huiori Baram (Eighteen), Jang Kun-jae, South Korea, 2009

With only two world premieres, most films in the Asian Digital Competition come from famous fests, especially Rotterdam. Gosh that's what I really hate when I'm not able to do my usual research, I should go back to this year Rotterdam and go in-depth, for sure will find interesting films to watch.

Opening Films
月满轩尼诗 Yue Man Xuan Ni Shi (Crossing Henneessy), Ivy Ho, Hong Kong
如梦 Ru Men (Like a Dream), Clara Law, Taiwan

Awards Gala: 团圆 Tuan Yuan (Apart Together), Quanan Wang, China (will watch, yes is the2010 Berlinale Opening Film and winner of the Best Screenplay)

Closing Films
安非他命 An Fei Ta Ming (Amphetamine), Scud, Hong Kong, 2010
前度 (Ex), Heiward Mak, Hong Kong, 2010s

Watch Sun Spots trailer @ Movie On Companion and check Youtube fest official uploads with most film trailers the fest will screen. To browse the fest site please go here.

南京！南京！Nanjing! Nanjing! (City of Life and Death)

Extremely hard-to-watch movie about the take of Nanking by the Japanese and all the atrocities that come after conquer subdues conquered. I still have engraved in my brain the last words spoken in this movie: “Life is harder than death”. You have no idea how true those words are, especially after watching this mesmerizing film about the atrocities the Japanese did in WWII.

The film looks and feels so realistic that at times gives the impression of being a documentary, moving pictures taken when everything was happening in reality. But this is no documentary as has a narrative that tells in silence what one Japanese soldier sees since he entered the city after the Chinese surrendered. What he sees (and we do too) is truly horrendous and very emotional for the character and for viewers, so definitively is not a film and story for the weak.

I couldn’t stop watching because the images and the storytelling are impressive, but my heart and body shrunk and still feel the pain of what I saw. Yes the film inhabits a strange space between art movie and the mainstream that will totally blow your mind if you can stand what’s shown in the screen.

The film is in black and white with very few words spoken in different languages, including some writings in English at the very beginning that I interpret as the writings of John Rabe, the German that saved many Chinese during the “rape” of Nanking. Top production values with top performances; but honestly, the story is really hard to watch even when the images are spectacular. In particular the end of the movie is almost surreal with Japanese soldiers dancing at the beat of their giant drums and the film ending in a large field with tiny white flowers.

As someone says, it’s common that cinema portraits what Germans did in WWII but very seldom audiences have the opportunity to watch what the Japanese did. This is one opportunity that many should not miss for the History lesson told in a non-melodramatic and emotion-intense way.

I do recommend the movie as a movie to those that like art in their movies and to those that don’t too (it's also mainstream); but insist that the story is not for the weak. This is not a movie to enjoy but just to keep the rating system I mention the word, enjoy.

Enjoy!!!

Watch trailer @ Movie On Companion

Dangkou (Plastic City)

Very strange debut movie by Nelson Yu Lik wai, who is better known as the cinematographer of Jia Zhang ke (who’s one of the multiple producers) that’s visually interesting but the story and storytelling style is not.

This is a Chinese, Japanese and Brazilian production with a story set in Brazil about a crime family in the counterfeit goods business. Tells about Chinese counterfeit “king” Yuda (Anthony Wong Chau-Sang) and his adopted Japanese “heir” Kirin (Jô Odagiri) who embark on a power war and eventually are ousted by an ambitious Chinese younger “king wannabe”.

What makes this movie strange is that looks and feels like a Japanese or Chinese film/story but the Sao Paulo setting really crashes with the story the film is telling. I tend to believe that if the same story is told in Hong Kong, Tokyo or any other major Japan or China city, the story, the film, and the storytelling style would have made a completely different film that would have been a lot more interesting.

Main actor’s performances are really good but their acting style looks and feels totally out of place; still that’s one of the reasons that allowed me to watch the entire film, besides the eye-catching visuals and excellent cinematography. But neither saves the film as a whole and when is over leaves an unpleasant taste in your mouth that travels fast to your head.

It’s hard for me to imagine how a film with such excellent credentials went so wrong. But this is not the first (and probably won’t be the last) movie with excellent Asian credentials where storytelling goes wrong because of the setting, just remember Kar Wai Wong's Blueberry Nights.

The film was in competition for the Golden Lion at the 2008 Venice Film Festival and I also do not understand how it end-up there, as is a film with style but very little substance.

I cannot recommend this movie.

Watch trailer @ Movie On Companion

Tôkyô Sonata (Tokyo Sonata)

I had no idea that Kiyoshi Kurosawa is known for his horror movies (a genre that I do not particularly like), but from following fests I knew that this film was no horror at all and once more I find a reason to be so glad to follow fest as otherwise I would have missed this great movie.

Have to start by telling you that after watching for a while I couldn’t relate to what was happening in the story. It was like if what I was watching made no sense to my western eyes. Then suddenly I realized that the problem was that the story was set in modern times, as if the story was set before and the characters were wearing traditional Japanese clothes then everything will have made sense as definitively the film is quite similar to any of Ozu’s ordinary families stories. Realizing this fact allowed me to think about what I already saw and what will follow with different “mentality” and definitively allowed me to enjoy more the story and the film. Perhaps this happened only to me, but just in case it happens to anybody else I had to share it, as this is an excellent film that for no reason should be dismissed as not extraordinary.

Kurosawa’s film tells about an ordinary family that hides things to not disturb their fragile existence. The father, Ryûhei Sasaki, lost his job and tells no one. The mother, Megumi Sasaki, feels lonely and not appreciated. The older son, Takashi Sasaki, never is home and decides to leave Japan to join the US armed forces. The younger son, Kenji Sasaki, wants to learn to play the piano and his parents do not allow him. As everyday situations happen –and unexpected things start to happen- the story slowly unravels the drama that will change this family forever to allow them to have a fresh new start. But to me this is a story that deals with the ever changing/transforming Japanese society that has to deal with their strong cultural traditions while trying to cope to adapt to modern times and as such it becomes more universal, as applies to any society with strong traditions and new generations having real problems to follow old cultural rules and accepted behaviors.

Then the story also deals with something that is very relevant nowadays, the financial depression with companies downsizing and outsourcing to other countries with cheaper labor, high executives unemployment and their inability to find a similar new job and finally ending doing below their social status jobs; families lack of communication, generational lack of willingness to understand each other, and women that start trying to fulfill their empty lives but have no idea of what to do. So I can say that the story has many layers -as well as many readings- and will be up to the viewer to see whatever they want to see or want to relate to.

Also this is a movie where the finale is the climax that closes the movie in a grandiose way and makes sense to everything that you have watched, including the bizarre plot twist that allows the presence for a few minutes of great Kôji Yakusho that plays Dorobô, a character that propels Megumi liberation.

But the film develops quite flawlessly and very easy to watch what happens in the screen. Is when you try to tell others what is all about that becomes quite complex, as you all have realized by now with my long writing about the story.

Nevertheless the film as a film is quite spectacular with a grainy grayish cinematography that totally contributes to the Sasaki family spiral down to breakdown and absolutely allows the finale to become more grandiose. Performances are truly outstanding with Teruyuki Kagawa impressive performance as severe Ryûhei trying to “save face” in front of his family members (he was also in the third story in Tokyo!); and both Kyôko Koizumi as Megumi and Inowaki Kai as Kenji delivering remarkable intense characters.

The film was premiered at 2008 Cannes at the Un Certain Regard section where won the Jury Prize and did the fest circuit to many accolades and honors, including Kurosawa winning Best Director at the 2008 Mar del Plata fest, Best Film and Best Screenwriter at the 2009 Asian Film Awards and Best Film at India’s 2008 Osian’s Cinefan fest.

Definitively a film that I highly recommend especially to those that truly enjoy Japanese cinema and one that I strongly suggest to watch until the very end as the movie climax and finale is truly extraordinary, outstanding to watch and to listen, and closes the bittersweet story in somehow an unexpected way.

Big Enjoy!!!

Watch trailer @ Movie On Companion