Film Screening: Isabella

Isabella is a film from Hong Kong that has swept the east asian film market through the way in which it engages the audience by being a truly authentic film. The film is said to be “touching and beautiful, though calculated and questionably substantial”; through my own watching of the film, I believe that it has been delivered in a professional manner that can generate appeal from other markets. In relation to the director Pang Ho-Cheung and his direction towards a target audience, I can see that it is key for him to have the Hong Kong local as the initial target audience.

Although the movie covers graphic areas of society such as violence, sex and prostitution it is to be said that it is not am complete representation of the people and nation. The  scenario and time in which the film is set adds to the sense of realism whilst viewing, as content shown in the film relates to how things were during a time of federal corruption and disarray.

The film captured my attention with the way it began in the club with uptempo music and bright colours; this connoted the vibrantly frantic story we were about to embark upon. The film was shot with the quality that would rival that of any Hollywood or European productions being released. The film establishes itself in a manner that allows the audience to think that its direction is completely one of fornication and wrong doings; The early scene of the bar portrays this idea well. The violence near the beginning emphasises the concept of relationships being explored in the film, how important it can be to ensure a good one between the audience and producer is also a concept that develops through watching the film.

Money is also a major contributor in the film, not only is it by the currency alone but through the way in which people are valued and disrespected in the scenes. Sex and prostitution are seen to be normal and part of the habitual ways of life; the corruption in the film continues to be seen with its inclusion of gambling and depiction of the ghettos. By leading the audience towards an assumption of what to expect from the film, they are cleverly being lead into surprising twist in the plot which becomes sudden and somewhat unexpected. The interlinked story between the protagonists being father and daughter is something which highlights the way in which the film captures our attention. The trickery in the plot by the daughter to locate and establish a relationship with her father shows the determination she has; this is shown well in the film by the camera shots and slow soundtrack accompanying them.

The emotion felt in the film is believable because of the way in which the plot and the story being told relate to each other; by having the mother dead in the film highlights the desperation felt by the characters to do good in their lives together, the dog Isabella is symbolic of the past and how they have held on to their memories. Time is also something that bears significance in the film, as time passes so does our character’s behaviour. The bonding exercises between the protagonists are seen to be playful (hence their intoxication), by the time they have finished their fun it is evident to see that the relationship between them is a strong one. The film understands human emotion and is able to deliver effectively in its portrayal of the feelings we go through and experience.

The idea of security is generally associated with fear in the movie; the relationships that have to be broken up in the film also reflect the loss of safety and trust being lost as characters change from their previously immoral ways to those which are considered more acceptable. Isabella is a film that questions the idea of ‘running away from tough situations’, the mystery towards the climatic ending answers the call of restoring equilibrium to the balance of things. My watching of the film was an enjoyable one, the music and speech at the end rounded up something that was truly riveting. The film left me with an air of promise and expectation towards my outlook on life.

Film Screening: Run Papa Run

Run Papa Run is an east asian film that has been accredited for the way in which it engages the audience with a story and plot that delivers an end product that is satisfying to the viewer. The film has been widely screened on a national level; there has been unsecure distribution outside of south east asia. The film follows the life of a Triad gangster who is on a path of redemption due to the love he has for his family.

The film is clever with its use of footage, the animated intro pays homage to the roots of the east asian film dynasty. There are also unexpected pieces of footage that capture the audiences attention in an engaging manner; this helps the movie feel more enjoyable during viewing. There is narrative text and speech which makes the film feel more of a story being told; due to this expectation of a ‘traditional story’ as a member of audience I automatically expected there to be a structure of narration, it did not hinder my viewing of the film but merely made it more understandable to follow. The repetitive use of religious connotations emphasises the idea of conscious decisions being made in the film as our protagonist seeks ‘a way out’ of the street life.

Musical elements in the film highlight the emotion felt by all characters involved in the film, comedic and emotional scenes normally have a soundtrack to accompany them. Another creative piece of edit in the film is the use of flashbacks from past to present to show the changes in time and how characters have also changed with time. The film covers a vast area of issues and debates in society, with the use of symbolism the producers and director have been able to make an artefact that encapsulates various matters; issues with the family and violence are topics the film highlights.

My viewing of Run Papa Run was good as I became immersed with each scene and seeked to find out what would happen next in the story. I was not bored during the screening and found the plot to be intricate and composed. I look forward to future screenings in the East Asian Film Society.

Film Screening – Grotesque

Grotesque is a japanese film that derives from a genre of films called Pinku Eiga; these films are essentially the influential force behind the hollywood box office smash movies like the Saw series and Hostel.

Grotesque is a movie banned by the BBFC because of its extreme violent nature and degradation of women; the westernised movies that get released for public distribution are somewhat ‘watered down’ versions of these films. The way in which hollywood directors make their films acceptable for screening is by subverting some of the traditional motifs and themes of the Pinku Eiga films. By adding a clear narrative structure and implying characterisation, film producers are able to make people not ‘feel bad’ about themselves whilst viewing such horrific footage. Grotesque is essentially a film showing a man and woman being tortured to death, from my viewing of the film I have been able to have a valuable insight into Japanese cinema which is very influential to the films being produced and distributed in America. It was clear whilst watching the film that there was no sense of identification within the film as it tended to use pure imagery.

As a consumer and audience of films, I’d say that enjoy watching the Saw series although it is a film about torturing people, but I’d say it doesn’t compare to Grotesque; this is due to the way movies like Saw become engaging with the storyline. Grotesque is just continuous cruelty, the content is rather graphic and almost looks like it is real footage at points. Although i didn’t enjoy watching Grotesque, I felt intrigue towards seeing what would happen next and seeing how far it could go with the actions in the film. Inevitably, I am pleased that the film was screened as it helps people like myself deal with it as part of a society, the film provided me with an understanding and awareness of other cultural forms within the world.