(no subject)
There appeared little reason to check out a film by an obscure Thai director, Pen-Ek Ratanaruang, except for the fact that it was shot by Wong Kar Wai's famous cinematographer, Christopher Doyle. Yet Last Life in the Universe certainly brought Ratanaruang some prominence - the film was well received across the board and licensed in the UK - his latest film seems to have passed most people by. Invisible Waves certainly passed me by, despite my interest in Doyle, Ratanaruang's Last Life follow up, and general interest in Asian cinema.
So what of Invisible Waves? Was it simply a bad film that was not worthy of attention, or did it simply slip under the radar?
In short: the film is pretty good. I decided to give it four stars on my little 2007 films spreadsheet. The work is certainly a degree more unusual than Last Life. An extended sequence on a near empty cruise ship is especially eerie, and reminiscent of Taiwanese director Tsai Ming-liang's Goodbye Dragon Inn - an effective, ghostly, mood piece set in a sparsely populated cinema. Invisible Waves is particularly adept at portraying a world seemingly populated with merely the odd person here and there. The title, "Last Life in the Universe" almost more appropriate for this film.
One wonders whether by utilising Christopher Doyle, and focusing on personal tales of isolated individuals Ratanaruang isn't attempting to lay claim to the mantle of Wong Kar Wai himself. However WKW certainly never made a film quite like this - even WKW's most isolated heroes and heroines existed in a far more colourful world (courtesy of Doyle) and were conspicuously isolated in spite of the mass of humanity surrounding them in a place like Hong Kong (and Buenos Aires, and even the desert frontier of Ashes of Time). Ratanaruang's world here is much more barren.
Creating this mood is certainly what Invisible Waves is best at. The dank cruise ship, and its somewhat creepy inhabitants - notably the supposed childhood friend - are the high point of this.
It is in the final quarter of the film, where the plot moves on that the mood is slightly eroded and things go a little off track. For instance, there is a man following our protagonist. One wonders who he is and hopes for something particularly interesting. Ultimately though, what occurs is disappointingly cliché. I expected slightly better of Ratanaruang, the more so given how well everything was set up.
The final outcome of the film is a further disappointment. The conclusion is perhaps fitting of what Ratanaruang desired to achieve; I simply feel he could have arrived at that point via a much more effective means, as I certainly didn't buy into the end. No doubt there will be many who like the end, and as I just wrote, I quite like the outcome, I merely wish the build up had been more convincing, as it felt rather hollow to me.
A good film though. Not quite on the level of Last Life but a solid follow up by Ratanaruang, which ought to cement his respectable reputation, and I remain mystified as to why more attention hasn't been paid towards this work. I'll continue to look forward to his future releases.
So what of Invisible Waves? Was it simply a bad film that was not worthy of attention, or did it simply slip under the radar?
In short: the film is pretty good. I decided to give it four stars on my little 2007 films spreadsheet. The work is certainly a degree more unusual than Last Life. An extended sequence on a near empty cruise ship is especially eerie, and reminiscent of Taiwanese director Tsai Ming-liang's Goodbye Dragon Inn - an effective, ghostly, mood piece set in a sparsely populated cinema. Invisible Waves is particularly adept at portraying a world seemingly populated with merely the odd person here and there. The title, "Last Life in the Universe" almost more appropriate for this film.
One wonders whether by utilising Christopher Doyle, and focusing on personal tales of isolated individuals Ratanaruang isn't attempting to lay claim to the mantle of Wong Kar Wai himself. However WKW certainly never made a film quite like this - even WKW's most isolated heroes and heroines existed in a far more colourful world (courtesy of Doyle) and were conspicuously isolated in spite of the mass of humanity surrounding them in a place like Hong Kong (and Buenos Aires, and even the desert frontier of Ashes of Time). Ratanaruang's world here is much more barren.
Creating this mood is certainly what Invisible Waves is best at. The dank cruise ship, and its somewhat creepy inhabitants - notably the supposed childhood friend - are the high point of this.
It is in the final quarter of the film, where the plot moves on that the mood is slightly eroded and things go a little off track. For instance, there is a man following our protagonist. One wonders who he is and hopes for something particularly interesting. Ultimately though, what occurs is disappointingly cliché. I expected slightly better of Ratanaruang, the more so given how well everything was set up.
The final outcome of the film is a further disappointment. The conclusion is perhaps fitting of what Ratanaruang desired to achieve; I simply feel he could have arrived at that point via a much more effective means, as I certainly didn't buy into the end. No doubt there will be many who like the end, and as I just wrote, I quite like the outcome, I merely wish the build up had been more convincing, as it felt rather hollow to me.
A good film though. Not quite on the level of Last Life but a solid follow up by Ratanaruang, which ought to cement his respectable reputation, and I remain mystified as to why more attention hasn't been paid towards this work. I'll continue to look forward to his future releases.