A Chinese film festival was being held at the Siri Fort Auditorium, New Delhi last week. I had at first decided to catch all the movies but missed out on few of them (my afternoon nap extended into the night) including the opening film, Confucius (I tend to miss the inaugural film since the first day is always so crowded what with the stars, if any and the media). However the ones I saw more than made up for all the ones I could not watch. Most of the times when a Chinese film is mentioned one inevitably thinks of a martial arts movie. I haven't had any such fascination for them, except for Jackie Chan movies for the sheer fun and humour and also few which stood out not just for the fight choreography but excelled in other departments as well, like say Hero. Mostly, I have seen films with simple stories conveyed so simply it leaves you feeling awed.
The first film I saw was 'You and Me' (directed by Ma Liwen) a story about an old traditional lady (Jin Yaqin) who rents out a room to a young modern girl (Gong Zhe) and the unlikely relationship they share, at first of conflict and slowly progressing into a deep friendship. Then one day, the young girl moves out to live with her boyfriend and how it affects the old woman forms the climax of the movie. The film does not hurry. It's slow and it works really well, revealing different aspects of the characters as they at first try to outdo each other and then later get to an understanding. The leniency of the older generation and the acceptance of the younger generation is conveyed beautifully through several incidents such as the phone line connection or the use of the refrigerator. I kinda missed my granny when I watched this movie. She passed away few years back. The character resembled her in so many ways. She was one tough cookie and at the same time a real sweetheart. God bless her soul.
The second movie I saw was 'Huayao Bride in Shangri La' (directed by Zhang Jiarui). The movie is about Hua Yao Yi minority culture (in China's Yunnan province) whereby a husband and a wife must live separately for three years before the traditional custom of "Returning Home" is observed for their family. I felt the film could have been so much better off if shot in a docu-style. The story was good but the execution seemed lacking to me, also the performances were a little too unconvincing. It was like watching one of the digital films Manipur is churning out for the past few years, only better than most of them. The era of really good cinema in Manipur is almost over! Thankfully a few good men and a bunch of young blood are keeping the hopes alive, even if through documentaries.
The third movie 'The Road Home' (directed by Zhang Yimeng) was emotionally rich and epic in its story-telling. The film looked beautiful, background score was great, story fable-like and performances superlative, especially of Zhang Ziyi. I remembered mid-way through the movie that I had seen it before, not the complete movie but some portions of it somewhere, exactly when and where I still cannot recall. What struck me at first was the decision of shooting the film in black and white in the present time and in colour during flashback. Almost like the way we often tend to remember our past. The colourful memories in stark contrast to the sad reality of today. The film opens up with the return of a son for his father's funeral. His mother wants to bring back her dead husband's body from the city hospital on foot, in keeping with an age-old tradition so that his soul can find its way home. The significance of this decision is reflected through the son's narrative of his parents' love story. How this decision impacts his life, his mother's and of the village itself forms the climax of the movie.
'One Hundred Yuan' (directed by Wang Ping) was the fourth movie I watched. Sometimes comic, sometimes stark and sometimes touching, the story is about a middle-aged man who is rendered jobless due to the change in the mode of production of the factory where he worked. Being unemployed is not the least of his problem. His biggest problem is that he is a very 'nice' man and this lands him into trouble with his wife, his neighbours and everyone else around, especially when a fake hundred yuan note finds its way into his possession. The mis-adventures he goes through owing to this and how it turns his life upside down forms the crux of the movie. Witty, engaging and entertaining!
The fifth and the last movie I managed to watch was 'Together'. I had a feeling it would be a good movie but it was way beyond my expectations. A masterpiece in so many ways. A poor father's dreams of making his son famous and well-known brings the two to the city. The thirteen year old son plays the violin (the only thing left of his mother) exceptionally well and has won every competition back home. His father brings him to the city with all the saving from the restaurant he runs in order to give him proper training from a renowned teacher. How the city and the people they meet influences their lives and their relationship forms the basic plot of the movie. The music pieces in the movie leave you spell-bound. Some of the pieces moved me to tears. The film is directed by Chen Kaige, who made the famous film 'Farewell, My Concubine' (I still have to catch this classic!). The performances in the movie, the father (Liu Peiqi), the son (Tang Yun), the teacher (Wang Zhiwen), the young woman (Chen Hong) the son has a crush on were all excellent. It was a befitting end to my Chinese adventure! This one's surely going in my 'must watch' list, along with 'The Road Home'.
I kept wondering why the festival organisers did not make this the closing film of the festival. Then again, the last show being timed at 8pm might have gone against the movie since most people tend to come for the 6-6:30pm show.
And another film festival 'The Indian Paronama 2009' starts from today till June 6, showcasing films from across India at the Siri Fort Auditorium II. Entry free but need to collect passes available at the counter one hour before the show timing. So, let another cinematic journey begin!!
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