26th Hong Kong International
Film Festival 2002
by Alison Jobling
Episode 1 - What’s The Matter With Kids Today?
I’m going to break the films that I saw at the HKIFF into 3 groups, more or less arbitrarily, so I can have a bit of a waffle about all of them. I’ll start with five films that deal, more or less, with issues faced by kids (“young people”, if you prefer that nomenclature).
First up, there’s All About Lily Chou-Chou, directed by Iwai Shunji. I loved it. I run out of superlatives trying to describe it. And that’s from someone who doesn’t often run out of words.
The film is a loose collection of episodes in the lives of several students at a Japanese high school, and takes us through the lives of the students without offering any answers to their problems or judgements on their own solutions. I found the behaviour of the kids highly credible and realistic, but also free of the appalling banality often associated with cinematic children. They dealt with all of the crises and traumas of teen life without complaint, where a lesser filmmaker would have constructed plastic teens who “talk about issues” with parents, and “arrive at solutions” that work for all. Alas for us and the world, in teen life, as in adult life, there’s no real way to convince a bully to change his ways, or to undo an outrage.
Because of this, I found myself very involved with the characters for most of the film, and oddly so, considering that the kids talked so little (compared to most films) that it was hard to really like any of them. Perhaps the strength of this minimal dialogue approach was that the emotions had to shine through, without the words to prop them up: a true case of the writing maxim “Show, don’t tell”.
The skill of the child actors and the talent of the director/scriptwriter are supported by a haunting soundtrack and some of the most evocative cinematography I’ve seen in a long time. And for once, the internet was used effectively: one of my private gripes is that, far too often, anything related to computers is dealt with very shabbily, using a sensationalist viewpoint that’s often ignorant about the real issues. Unsurprising, since the director did his research (memo to others: for gods’ sakes, *don’t* take a tabloid newspaper as your source of information about computer issues. You’ll only make yourself look like a tosser).
Downsides are the opening sequence, which nearly pulled out my eyeballs and had them revolving at speed, and an overly long holiday sequence. Otherwise a flawless work, which I encourage everyone to see, but don’t believe what’s in the brochure, since what was in the HKIFF brochure, at least, bore little resemblance to the film.
Next on the block is Shanghai Panic, directed by Andrew Cheng. Lordy lordy lordy, I’m almost lost for words here, but for a different reason. Man, this one was a bummer. My companion for this ordeal came out of the cinema fuming that she’d just lost 87 minutes of her life that she’d never get back. Style and content both lacked any positive attributes. Handheld DV made me feel nauseous, while the utter banality of the script, and the total lack of any likeable characters, made me want to take an axe to the screen. Where the kids in
Lily Chou-Chou dealt with the truly rotten hands that life dealt them, those in Panic sat around and whined interminably about nothing: their problems were tiny, but their abilities were even smaller. Don’t see this, if it ever comes to a cinema near you. Or if you do, don’t blame me.
A more balanced view of life, in a rather odd way, was provided by My Life As
McDull. This animated “pig’s life”, directed by Toe Yuen, offers a surprisingly moving view of what it’s like to grow up in Hong Kong. The scenes of city streets will give you a fine idea of how Hong Kong feels at times: grey, cold, and heartless. But at the same time, there’s some touching interactions between the young pig and his mother, and even a few life lessons along the way. Harmless fun, with a glimpse into the Hong Kong spirit, and I recommend it if you get the chance. If you’ve been to Hong Kong, you’ll appreciate the artwork even more.
Take Care of My Cat is an offering from Korean director Jeong Jae-eun, and deals with the upper edge of teens. This gentle film follows five girls, and meanders quietly around the city of Seoul and nearby Incheon (yes, preens Alison, I’ve been there). Nothing here is startling, but it was a worthwhile journey. I ended up liking all of the girls but one: Miss Executive got right up my hooter, while all the others grew on me slowly. I guess life’s like that: most people you can get along with, a few you like, and one or two really piss you off.
My final offering for today, still on the theme of youth, is Princess
Blade, by Sato Shinsuke. This live action manga is enjoyable in a low key way: no flashy sets, a fairly thin plot, but if sword fights are what you’re looking for, then look no further. The lead actress (Shaku Yumiko) apparently did all her own stunts, and comes off surprisingly well for one who looks so soft and young. Life in her neck of the woods is clearly a lot more difficult than most of the tribulations we have to endure, and I can’t help but wish I could see the whining wastrels from
Shanghai Panic dropped into the middle of said woods.
I particularly liked the costumes. Not because they were flashy and gorgeous, but because they weren’t. The bare-bones utility of the costumes added a dose of realism, especially given the penchant of many filmmakers to reason thus: “It’s set in the future, right? So we’ve got to have either Ming The Merciless beads and sequins, or Mad Max rags and tatters. Flash or flutter, what’s it to be?” I hate to disappoint some of you, but yer average fightin’ blade-babe ain’t gonna be showing a lotta leg in a chamois bikini: she’s gonna wear something that might provide a bit of protection against the blades that go whizzing around her soft parts (i.e. anything encased by skin).
