Hands in the Hair
Since returning from China with more than a hundred DVDs, I watched two movies about Shanghainese barbers. I enjoyed them surprisingly much until the final scenes, which are both disorientingly abrupt and strangely optimistic. The denouement always appears to be missing, as if the director has to fit the movie into 100 minutes... and is the "angsty but finally happy barber" a new trend in Chinese cinema or what?
For some strange reason, I adored this movie (up until the final scene, that is). It could be because of the acting, the character development, or the way it was shot, which is a cross between household drama, Hollywood romantic comedy, and Wong Kar-Wai. I actually liked the Hollywood romantic comedy element, simply because though it sometimes looked like one, it definitely never felt like one.
Another reason I may have liked it is that I had reasonably low expectations. The story didn't appeal to me very much when Dad read it from the DVD cover, as it reminded me of Unfaithful (Diane Lane, Richard Gere), which had a pretty random plot and an absolutely two-dimensional "young hunk." The characters here were much more believable, much more tragic, and why does A-Hua remind me of Marcus Tanneberger, that German violinist who won 3rd place at the MIMC in May? :P
Possibly what saves this movie the most is the complete, elegantly-performed modern violin concerto that was composed for the soundtrack. With a different soundtrack, this movie would never have worked. (Well, maybe not never; I hear it working with Nat King Cole and jazz and Brazilian trip-hop, a la Wong Kar-Wai, but then it might as well become a Wong Kar-Wai film. Also, the last Wong Kar-Wai film I watched had a baroque string ensemble play during the sex scenes, right?) This may or may not also explain why the last scene didn't work; the soundtrack switched to the upbeat Hollywood romantic comedy OST.
I guess I'm only complaining about this movie because I would have ranked it up there in my list of Chinese favourites, with In the Mood for Love and Farewell My Concubine and all, were it not for the fact that the hairdresser doesn't die at the end. This may sound stupid, but watch the movie and you will understand that romantically and artistically and narratively and everythingely speaking, the hairdresser must die at the end. (Dude, he totally had liver cancer and knew it and wasn't telling anyone...)
Or maybe I'm just more pessimistic than the screenwriter?
For some strange reason, I adored this movie (up until the final scene, that is). It could be because of the acting, the character development, or the way it was shot, which is a cross between household drama, Hollywood romantic comedy, and Wong Kar-Wai. I actually liked the Hollywood romantic comedy element, simply because though it sometimes looked like one, it definitely never felt like one.
Another reason I may have liked it is that I had reasonably low expectations. The story didn't appeal to me very much when Dad read it from the DVD cover, as it reminded me of Unfaithful (Diane Lane, Richard Gere), which had a pretty random plot and an absolutely two-dimensional "young hunk." The characters here were much more believable, much more tragic, and why does A-Hua remind me of Marcus Tanneberger, that German violinist who won 3rd place at the MIMC in May? :P
Possibly what saves this movie the most is the complete, elegantly-performed modern violin concerto that was composed for the soundtrack. With a different soundtrack, this movie would never have worked. (Well, maybe not never; I hear it working with Nat King Cole and jazz and Brazilian trip-hop, a la Wong Kar-Wai, but then it might as well become a Wong Kar-Wai film. Also, the last Wong Kar-Wai film I watched had a baroque string ensemble play during the sex scenes, right?) This may or may not also explain why the last scene didn't work; the soundtrack switched to the upbeat Hollywood romantic comedy OST.
I guess I'm only complaining about this movie because I would have ranked it up there in my list of Chinese favourites, with In the Mood for Love and Farewell My Concubine and all, were it not for the fact that the hairdresser doesn't die at the end. This may sound stupid, but watch the movie and you will understand that romantically and artistically and narratively and everythingely speaking, the hairdresser must die at the end. (Dude, he totally had liver cancer and knew it and wasn't telling anyone...)
Or maybe I'm just more pessimistic than the screenwriter?