Sweet Bean

Eiga Sai

Japanese Film Festival

Cinema 2, Shang Cineplex

Three completely different characters come together in this deeply poignant film about solitude, discrimination, second chances and redemption.

Everyday it is the same routine for a lonely baker who sells dorayaki which are Japanese mini pancakes with red bean paste. He wakes up really early to prepare the ingredients and sells them in a small street side shop. His clients are mostly students and local folks within the community.

One day an old woman approaches him to ask if he needed help and told him she was willing to work. At first, he refuses as his funds are limited. Yet each morning she persisted until he agreed and told her he can't really pay her much. 

The business though pick up when the old lady teaches him to make the red bean paste from scratch. It turns out to be a major process as it involves choosing the correct sizes of the red beans, cooking them at low heat, then letting it set for several hours before it is ready to be put inside the mini pancakes. 

A tedious and complicated procedure but it pays off as word of mouth spreads through the community and long queues are formed outside of his tiny shop every day. He also decides to let a young student help him out as he couldn't do everything with the brisk sales of his dorayaki.  

In between the cooking and the sales, the baker slowly opens up about his troubled past to the old lady who herself has been hiding a serious ailment. Their bond start to get stronger but alas it was not meant to last as an incident prompts the old lady to stop 'working' at the shop.

It is one of the most beautiful and sentimentally touching films I have ever seen in my entire 48 years of existence. It has a simple setting with a typical Japanese small town with its cherry blossoms trees and pristine streets. The plot unfolds at a slow yet steady pace. Yet with every scene, a myriad of emotions will hit you from happiness to sadness and everything else in between. The three main characters essay their roles with much depth and dimension without resorting to special effects but relying merely on their sheer intense acting skills.

Be prepared to reach for you hankies or tissues or whatever you can as I am sure your tears will flow down your face. No shame in that, we are just sentimental human beings, after all.

What a Wonderful Family!

Eiga Sai

Japanese Film Festival

Cinema 2, Shang Cineplex

This comedy tackles the various reactions/effects stemming from the announcement of the matriarch of the family that she wants a divorce from her husband of almost 50 years.  A statement which she uttered when her recently retired husband asked her late in the evening what she wanted for her birthday given that he totally forgot she turned a year older.

Divorce is a serious matter for any couple but this film presents us with a lighthearted and funny scenario for all those affected by the impending uncoupling of a married couple in the twilight of their years. Their grown children with families of their own, the neighbors even the whole community is abuzz with the news. 

I guess it is common in Japanese society for the woman to take a back seat to her husband. To attend to his every need, prepare his meals, do his laundry aside from taking care of the household and rearing children. 

I read that divorce among older Japanese couples is also a growing trend. Women who have devoted their lives towards caring for their families suddenly want their freedom from their tedious chores once their children have families of their own and move out of the ancestral home. 

They find themselves stuck in a loveless marriage with a person with whom they have grown apart from, find they have nothing in common anymore and want to go seek greener pastures. It doesn't necessarily mean that they will go have relationships with other men. It might simply mean that they can do whatever they want without the restrictions imposed upon them.  It must be liberating to finally pursue their interests, their suppressed hobbies and enroll in a new craft like painting or creative writing. Anything that would give their self esteem a much needed boost.

Alright so I got carried away hehe.  Back to the film, the entire cast is believable in their portrayal of the different family members. The setting is a middle class residential area with local flavors like a neighborhood bar serving its loyal customers sake and ramen. Plot is filled with comedic scenes, crazy loud family gatherings amidst a quaint locale.  As to whether they do get a divorce, well you have to wait till the conclusion and then form your own opinion as to whether it was the right or wrong decision. Heh!

The Long Excuse

Eiga Sai

Japanese Film Festival

Cinema 2,  Shang Cineplex

Sachio was once a successful author but a writer's block now impedes his career. His supportive wife suddenly dies in a bus accident yet Sachio has difficulty expressing his grief. He keeps telling himself he didn't really love his wife so a tearful farewell won't really do him good. Until he meets widower Yoichi whose wife was the best friend of Sachio's wife. She also perished in the accident and leaves behind 2 small children. Sachio 'volunteers' to look after the two kids as their truck driver father is mostly away working. 

For a man who has no parental skills as they decided not to have children, Sachio does pretty good at being a father figure to the kids. He is certainly out of his very luxurious comfort zone yet slowly and surely manages to adjust to this new lifestyle. The two kids are adept at surviving on their own but welcome Sachio into their household like he is a long lost uncle.

Sachio finds himself being more compassionate as he acts as their guardian. In his aim to be more helpful, he discovers his likable side, someone who is more patient, more tolerant than his former selfish self. In so doing, he learns to deal with his grief, be more expressive and overall be a more humane human being.

The Long Excuse offers a good examination into the complexities of a well developed character whose life changes as he deals with 'parenthood', bereavement and in the process he finally finds his true meaning in life.

Moonlight

Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris,

Alex R. Hibbert, Ashton Sanders

"This is the story of a Lifetime"

Barry Jenkins directs this chronicle of a man's life from his childhood, his teen years up to a young adult.  The first part shows how "Little" as he was nicknamed faces harassment on a daily basis from bullies in his school. Mocked for his small frame and being taunted as gay, he has no solid support system for guidance as his single mother works all the time. A father figure enters his life briefly in the form of a 'compassionate' drug dealer named Juan (Mahershala Ali) who teaches him how to swim, try to still some confidence and uplift his self esteem. 

The second phase focuses on him as a teenager, now called Chiron (his real name) yet still faces the same harassment from his schoolmates. He also develops an odd friendship with Kevin, his classmate. Meanwhile, Chiron's drug addict mother is always high and hardly around to be supportive of whatever dreams the hapless boy has for his future.

A decade later, 26 years old Chiron is known in the streets as "Black". He is a drug dealer and his physique has changed. Buffed and able bodied from working out while he was in prison for some misdemeanor.  Physically, he looks strong and menacing, but deep inside he is still a reticent man with hardly any social life. He has also suppressed his sexuality until he is reunited with Kevin.

Just when it seems that things and life in general will be a lot kinder for Chiron, the film ends with a significant scene of "Little" frolicking in the beach on a moonlit night. But you can't help but smile as there is a glimmer of hope and a chance of a happily ever after for a troubled person who has gone through many struggles.

It was a good move to cast 3 different and unknown actors to portray the 3 different chapters in Chiron's life. Their acting was highly credible, as they imbibe the hardships that Chiron endured throughout his entire life with such a visceral force.  

"Moonlight" is a deeply poignant film that deals with relevant issues like bullying, drug addiction, sexuality and isolation. It is significant as it features the life of a black person but I think it could be applicable to any race and still have such a powerful impact on its audience. It deserves all its best film awards. 

21 Nuits avec Pattie (21 Nights with Pattie)

French Film Festival 2017

Greenbelt 3 Cinema

Caroline goes to a remote town in the southern France to bury her mother whom the locals know as Zaza. She was a colorful character and well loved in that closely knitted community. But this is just 'hearsay' for Caroline as she has been estranged from her lawyer mother. Cutting her vacation with family short to take care of the funeral arrangements, she thought it would be fairly quick and done within 3 days.

But then Caroline finds herself stuck in that town when her mother's body (which was just lying in her bed) suddenly disappears. Surrounded by strangers who are a merry, eccentric group of people and out of her comfort zone, Caroline oddly finds herself in a path of self discovery and sexual awakening - something she has knowingly or unknowingly suppressed for a long period.

Set in a wine making small valley with its own peculiarities and bizarre rituals, the story sizzles as hot as the August heat that embraces its residents. Led by Pattie who was Zaza's housekeeper/friend, a woman who has no qualms narrating her sexual exploits, being quite explicit in her details. Everyone in the town are unabashed about their sexuality, swimming naked in the lake or in the swimming pool in Zaza's mansion.  

The plot also takes on a bizarre tone with images of Zaza's ghost gallivanting in her mansion to Caroline's dreamy hallucinations. At this point, one might lose interest as one realizes this is NOT a simple story about a daughter's grief and her coming to terms with feelings of abandonment, isolation and despair. But it just got too quirky and weird for my taste, unfortunately and I dozed off in the dark theater. 

Le Dernier Diamant(The Last Diamond)

French Film Festival 2017

Greenbelt 3 Cinemas

A seasoned burglar Simon (Yvan Attal) who was just released on parole is persuaded by his partner in crime Albert to join him on another heist. Their target is a rare diamond that is worth millions of dollars which will be displayed during an auction. 

Julia (Berenice Bejo) is the auctioneer and this is her first task after the sudden demise of her mother who inherited the valuable diamond. Enter Simon who disguises himself as a security expert connected with Julia's mother. Soon enough, Julia and Simon become romantically involved which conveniently gives him direct access to his 'prey'.

Yvan Attal, an established French actor who resembles a younger Al Pacino is fairly credible as the wise, charming middle aged thief. While Berenice Bejo who gained fame through the award-winning film, The Artist doesn't really need to do much but be glamorous which is a waste of her talent as proven by her in-depth role in the Iranian/French film Le Passe.

Amidst the luxurious backdrop of a high society event, the story goes beyond a typical heist movie by tackling deception, greed, corruption and redemption through unexpected twists and some intriguing side plots. Entertaining enough for the most part but the need to conclude with a feel.good ending causes what could have been a gem of a movie to lose its sparkle.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men tell no Tales

Johnny Depp, Javier Bardem,

Geoffrey Rush, Kaya Scodelario,

Brenton Thwaites, Orlando Bloom

AMC Plus Cinema, Pacific Place HK

After a tasty buffet lunch to celebrate Mom's birthday here in humid HK, we decided to watch a film ... any film for that matter. It has to be said that I rarely view movies within the dark confines of a cinema theater, nowadays.  

Not only was it a treat, this particular film was being shown in 3D with special vibrating seats to boot. This is my very first time to wear 3D glasses because (1) I have the impression it would make me dizzy (2) I prefer the traditional sans special effects type of entertainment.

But there is a first time for everything so bring it on! I have seen all of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies and they are definitely popcorn movies. The term refers to films that are fun to watch but not particularly good, they are usually riddled with special effects and offer a pure form of escapism. In short, they are entertaining and don't require much brain cells activity.

By this 5th offering of the franchise, Johnny Depp can portray the irreverent Captain Jack Sparrow in his sleep. Probably under the influence of alcohol too just to make sense of the numerous shenanigans his character goes through.

The common elements of this franchise are still applicable here ... the numerous cast, the comical sequences of Jack Sparrow making a fool of himself (the guillotine and bank vault scenes were a hoot!), the jokes, the explosive special effects both on land and in the unforgiving waves of the vast ocean, the murky narrative with several side plots involving curses and mysterious spells all meshed to create a chaotic maritime adventure and the pirate parlance in various accents.

For me, I found it way easier to grasp the story line in this installment. A complex full blown and well drawn out tale of revenge and redemption unfolding in a span of 129 minutes. 

I enjoyed it and I conclude by saying that wearing 3D glasses wasn't as bad as I expected even though a close up visual of Javier Bardem as the decaying Capitan Salazar was terrifyingly nightmarish. I had to close my eyes from time to time. 

The seat vibration though was thankfully quite mild and it did its part of preventing me from falling asleep.  Well this isn't necessarily due to the film per se so I'd attribute it to still being quite full from the delicious buffet lunch.

P.S.

We did stay behind to wait for the short teaser/preview of the next movie after the very long credits. Well just for the heck of it because I'm clueless about its significance or how it fits into the whole franchise. 

By the Sea

Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt

Melanie Laurent, Niels Arestrup

"When we Die on the inside,

the Outside is left wandering

dangerously By The Sea"

Set in the 1970s, this film is a glimpse into the troubled marriage of Roland (Brad Pitt) and Vanessa (Angelina Jolie). He is a struggling writer and she was a former dancer.  They settle into a hotel in some rustic French town so Roland can find some, any inspiration to finish his novel. The quiet yet picturesque coastal town bare silent witness to the cracks in their union. 

Both of them trapped yet also stubborn to open the line of communication to solve their problem. Vanessa gets lost with her booze and her cigarettes, preferring to stay in the room and further isolating herself. While Roland has developed writer's block, spends most of his time in the local bar drinking and chatting with Michel, the wise owner, wallowing in self pity as his wife shuts him out in every sense of the word.

The main source of their doldrums is revealed through brief flashes/scenes which alludes to some tragic incident that deeply scarred both of them. During their stay in the hotel, they do find a common 'hobby' which is creepy and invasive yet strangely it bonds them together. So it offers a distant glimmer of hope that their strained relationship can still be saved and not really beyond repair.

The scenic visuals of the seaside town consisting mostly of sepia toned images, the chic 1970s fashionable wardrobe of Vanessa, the thought provoking conversations between Roland and Michel (the bar owner) - all provide a good backdrop to the narrative. 

"By the Sea" unfolds at a slow pace which is reminiscent of a typical art-house European movie. The kind of film that relies heavily on the acting skills of its stars, long drawn out scenes with minimal dialogue yet evoke quite an impact, the sort that will tug at your inner core.  

This Jolie directed film though falls a bit short in that department because it got lost somewhere in the middle, and only picked up towards the end just when you feel a tinge of warmth towards Roland and Vanessa and finally grasp why their married relationship is like the loose end of a tethering rope. 

Frankly, it was painful to watch the anatomy of a failing marriage and certainly not an appropriate film to end the day with .. this being our 9th wedding anniversary. Heh!

Demolition

Jake Gyllenhaal, Naomi Watts,

Chris Cooper,  Judah Lewis

"Life: Some disassembly Required"

Davis Mitchell (Jake Gyllenhaal) has just lost his wife in a horrific car accident which coincidentally he survived without a single scratch. A successful investment banker who works in his father in law's company, he struggles in coping with his sudden grief.

His way of dealing with it is unconventional as he proceeds to spiral out of control, going on a destructive path to unravel everything his life stood for. Physically and naturally emotionally, it is not normal behavior but it is the only way that Davis can come to terms with his loss.

His odd attitude begins at the very hospital where they were taken after the accident. A vending machine malfunctioned so he proceeds to write a complaint letter to the company which handles the apparatus.  His correspondence develops into an unlikely friendship with Karen Moreno (Naomi Watts) the customer service rep of the company. In his letters, he takes on a personal tone as he admits to several misgivings about his wife, his career and his life in general. 

The film succeeds in delivering its message of a tinge of hopeful rebirth/redemption after a painful period of self destruction through the believable and nuanced performance of Jake Gyllenhaal. His characterization of Davis is poignant and will strike a deep chord with anyone who has lost a loved one. 

"Demolition" is an emotional film which tackles grief and tragedy in an unorthodox way with unusual characters, conveyed through sly humor, meaningful dialogue, good rapport between the cast and a fairly tolerable soundtrack.

Captain Fantastic

Viggo Mortensen, George Mackay,

Samantha Isler, Frank Langella

"He prepared Them for Everything

except the Outside world"

You will be wrong if you assume from its title that this is a superhero action filled movie. Instead, you will be mesmerized by this indie film with an unconventional plot with well developed characters that shall tug at your heartstrings. Well if you are so inclined because I admit not everyone can identify nor agree with the way these characters live their lives.

Ben Cash (Viggo Mortensen) lives in a deeply forested area (somewhere in the Pacific Northwest) where he has set up residence with his wife Leslie and their 6 children whose ages range from 6 to 18 years of age. Each morning, he awakens them with the sound of a bagpipe, then they have combat training where they are taught survival skills like hunting, weapons training, mountain climbing. 

During the evenings they all gather around a camp fire to read books about quantum physics and novels from radical thinkers like Dostoevsky, Karl Marx and Nabokov. The children are well versed both in survival skills as well as intellectually albeit their views are derived mostly from extremely left wing ideologies. Something which their parents have instilled in them since birth, no doubt. 

Early on, it is revealed that Leslie has been confined in some institution for bi-polar/depression by her parents who don't approve of her decision to live off the grid. Tragically, she kills herself so Ben must bring the grief stricken children out of the wilderness for her funeral. Something Ben is determined to stop as Leslie expressed in her will, she be cremated and her ashes flushed down the toilet. Yes, quite eccentric but that is how they roll. Heh!

The film turns into a long road trip to New Mexico where we see how difficult it is for the kids to adapt to the outside world where gadgets, pop culture and everything they have openly been taught to reject is now glaring at them up close and personal. 

Culture shock manifests itself and each of them react differently to their discovery of the 'real' world. It is an eye opener too for Ben as this experience raises troubling questions about his parenting style and how this alternative lifestyle might affect the future of the closely-knitted clan.

Viggo Mortensen, a very gifted actor who thinks out of the box and doesn't conform to the Hollywood type (which is a good thing, mind you!) is perfect as the authoritarian hippie whose radical views are extreme yet also has a soft heart when it comes to his family. The young actors portraying the children are very credible too. 

The cinematography is vibrant from the lush greenery of the wilderness to the colorful hippie-like attires of the characters. Running at almost 2 hours, it could benefit from some clever editing but its out-of-the-ordinary narrative was refreshing. Highly recommended!