Month: July 2013

By Joe Bendel. Chinese film censors often seem to get rather acute cases of “approver’s remorse.” After allowing Lou Ye to screen his latest film at Cannes (to general acclaim) they suddenly demanded the director edit two “violent” scenes before allowing his film a Mainland theatrical release. Considering that several of Lou’s films have been banned outright in China and the filmmaker has openly defied a state imposed five year filmmaking prohibition in the past, this arguably represents progress. As with his previous work, the Party bureaucrats are protecting the public from an excellent film. New Yorkers can judge for themselves when Lou’s Mystery (trailer here), screens today at the 2013 New York Asian Film Festival.

Like most of contemporary China, the industrial city of Wuhan is sharply divided between the have’s and the have-not’s. In the opening scene, a reckless group of have’s runs over a woman. Their first response is neither compassion nor remorse. Hold that thought. Lou will return to the woman on the motorway in due time. However, he abruptly shifts his focus to Yongzhao, who is striving to become one of the have’s. As a result, he works late hours, leaving his wife Lu Jie to care for their endearing young daughter, An-an.

One day after school, Lu Jie is asked out on a playdate by Sang Qi. She is not particularly keen to get to know the woman, but An-an clearly gets on with the woman’s son like two peas in a pod. Reluctantly agreeing to subsequently meet the woman for lunch, Lu Jie is rather uncomfortable when Sang Qi asks for advice on how to handle her cheating husband. At that moment, Lu Jie observes her husband across the street, entering a hotel with a woman who is most definitely not herself.

Coincidences do play a role in Mystery, but many things happen for reasons not immediately apparent. Indeed, the police investigation of the opening incident will ultimately involve several of the film’s primary characters. These cases are called crimes of passion, correct?

In the past Lou has addressed topics like homosexuality and Tiananmen Square, which are absolutely radioactive as far as Party bureaucrats are concerned. Mystery implies much about contemporary China’s growing class inequities and the collapse of traditional values, but as an ostensive film noir, it is obviously much less controversial. Domestic critics have often unfairly rapped Lou for his supposed Euro-art house style, but in this case viewers can sort of see it. One might more readily compare his latest to Louis Malle’s Damage than Lou’s Digital Generation-esque Spring Fever.

The star of Lou’s Summer Palace (a tragic love story bound up in the Tiananmen Square protests that went over with the censors like a lead balloon), Hao Lei is scary good as Lu Jie. She takes the audience on quite a ride with her character’s arc of development, vividly illustrating what “a woman scorned” means. Likewise, Qi Xi plays the seemingly naïve Sang Qi with surprising subtly and power. Keep your eyes on them both.

Without question, Mystery is a film for mature adults. While there are exponentially more violent films at this year’s fest, Lou presents the occasional outbreaks in disturbingly intimate terms. Taut and sophisticated, Mystery amply rewards viewers who indulgence its plot contrivances. An important new work from a truly independent filmmaker and an accomplished cast, Mystery is very highly recommended when it screens tonight (7/3) and next Thursday afternoon (7/11) at the Walter Reade Theater, as part of this year’s New York Asian Film Festival.

LFM GRADE: A

Posted on July 3rd, 2013 at 1:19pm.

By Joe Bendel. Feng Shui is a traditional Chinese spiritual and aesthetic practice meant to maximize the flow of positive chi in living spaces. The principles of shrewishness are also pretty universal. Both phenomena contribute to a bossy wife and mother’s bad karma in Wang Jing’s Feng Shui (trailer here), which screens tonight during the 2013 New York Asian Film Festival.

As soon as they move into their new flat, Li Baoli starts tearing into her passive husband, Ma Xuewu. Suddenly, neither he nor their studious young son Xiabao seem to do anything right. After about a day of this, Ma declares he wants a divorce, but this only further antagonizes his wife. Launching an emotional cold war against her husband, Li succeeds in pushing him into the arms of his factory colleague Zhou Fen, with disastrous results for the family.

Flashforward ten years: Li is now the primary breadwinner for her resentful son and her grey-haired mother-in-law. Slaving like a dog as a yoke-bearing street porter, Li lives for the day the high achieving Xiabao takes his university entrance exams. However, the teen has a general idea of what transpired between her and her father and he definitely holds it against her.

Basically, Feng Shui is divided into two distinct halves. Initially, Li Baoli is so foul-mouthed, insensitive, and downright mean-spirited that she will have viewers reeling. Surely, no movie character has used the expression “dog-f___er” as much as her. Yet, somehow Yan Bingyan makes us care about her rather deeply during the redemptive karmic payback portion of the film.

Yan Bingyan is frankly amazing as Li, smoothly segueing from hot mess on wheels to a weathered self-sacrificing maternal goddess in the Ruan Lingyu mold. She makes some extreme extremes look perfectly believable and totally exhausting.

As befitting a woman’s story, Feng Shui’s richest supporting turns mostly come from women. He Minglan gives a wonderfully subtle and humane turn as the mother-in-law who can see both the bad and the good in Li. Likewise, Wang Moxi has some brief but powerful moments as Ma’s almost-mistress. Zhao Qian also adds some seasoning to the film as Li’s best friend, an aging trophy wife (who blames her less fortunate friend’s troubles on bad feng shui). However, for an ostensibly smart kid, the teenaged Xiabao does not seem to have much going on in his head, besides an awkward surliness.

Feng Shui is based on a novel by Fang Fang, whose work is either reminiscent of Neil LaBute or Ozu, depending on which half of the film you judge by. Clearly, Li Baoli’s trials and tribulations are intended to underscore the difficulty realizing social mobility in contemporary China. It might be a stark reflection of reality, but it is a good film. Recommended for those who enjoy a quality tearjerker with an edge, Feng Shui screens tonight (7/3) at the Walter Reade Theater as part of the 2013 NYAFF.

LFM GRADE: B+

Posted on July 3rd, 2013 at 1:16pm.

By Joe Bendel. Technically, this is not a home invasion film, because they invited him in. Nor is this psycho dug-dealer exactly whom he seems to be—except maybe the psycho part. Regardless, three privileged Thai expats are in for a really crummy New Year’s Eve in Nattawat Poonpiriya’s Countdown (trailer here), which screens tonight during the 2013 New York Asian Film Festival.

Bee, her boyfriend Jack, and their flat-mate Pam are not big on consequences. They live the bohemian life in New York and their long-suffering parents’ pay the bills. Ironically, their small-time dealer friend sets all the drama in motion when he resolves to clean up his act. Snoopy Jack thinks he found his connection’s ripped up business card, but it is missing a digit. Bee adds a 3 in honor of the New Year of 2013 and presto, Jesus (that is with the Spanish pronunciation, mind you) is on his way over with fresh weed.

For a while, the three entitled kids enjoy smoking up with the scraggly looking dealer, despite the rather odd remarks he occasionally lets slip. As the more responsible one, Bee slowly picks up on Jesus’s bad vibe, but with Jack and Pam out-of-their-minds high, she is no match for the large, angry man. Ominously, he also seems to know secrets about them that a garden variety dealer should have no way of knowing. Man, are these cats going to miss Dick Clark.

Countdown starts in a hip Kevin Williamson bag, but things quickly get biblical. Following in the tradition of old school E.C. Comics morality tales, Bee, Jack, and Pam have been bad kids, so viewers will not be overly disturbed when Jesus puts the screws to them. Still, Poonpiriya takes the action to some thematically dark places and does not skimp on the physical violence.

As Jesus, David Asavanond makes a killer villain, so to speak. He struts about and delivers his heavy dialogue with the authority befitting an avenging whatever. However, Jarinporn Joonkiat also does some real acting as Bee. She actually makes her a complex, believable character, which is quite impressive in a neo-exploitation genre mash-up. Essentially, Pachara Chirathivat plays Jack as the character demands: weak and annoying. Likewise, Pattarasaya Kreuasuwansri certainly looks and acts the part as the shallow but photogenic Pam. Indeed, the small, game cast does what they need to do to keep the bloody mayhem on track.

Countdown has the potential to become a midnight movie perennial. Poonpiriya incorporates his New Year’s Eve countdown motif in clever ways, while Asavanond’s gleefully Mephistophelian turn is tailor-made for cult-fandom. Recommended for experienced NYAFF patrons, Countdown screens tonight (7/3) at the Walter Reade Theater, but repent before you go.

LFM GRADE: B

Posted on July 3rd, 2013 at 1:14pm.