[Film] My Happy Family (Chemi Bednieri Ojakhi)

15 July 2017

“My Happy Family (Chemi Bednieri Ojakhi)”---The O.P.E.N. (Singapore International Festival of Arts)

Release Year: 2017

Country: Georgia, Germany, France

Director: Nana & Simon (Nana Ekvtimishvili & Simon Gross)

Cast: Ia Shugliashvili, Merab Ninidze

Location I watched: The projector

Story from the festival website:

A literature teacher, Manna lives with her parents, husband and grown-up children in a crowded apartment in Tbilisi, the Georgian capital. As family and friends gather to celebrate her 52^nd birthday, Manna calmly packs a suitcase and, to her guests’ surprise, announces she is leaving.

 

First of all, the above “Story” is partly incorrect. After her birthday when Manna, the protagonist had to celebrate with her family, relatives and friends, she packs a suitcase in front of her family and leaves. After many years working outside and inside for her family and piling up stress, Manna finally decided to live alone in a flat she has already found. I think “My Happy Family” is not a story about women’s independence. It is a film with a contemporary theme about current women who have to take many roles in society. Even after her children grew up, they still rely on their parents. Her daughter is already married, but the couple is living in the same house because they are not economically independent. This situation is not rare now. The next situation is also common. As Manna and her husband are working fulltime, her old mother has been keeping the family’s kitchen. It might be helpful, but in Manna’s case, she has to hear Mother’s complaints and scoldings instead. Manna’s husband however does not look troubled by this messy daily life. Only Manna is feeling the rising doubts about her own life and her family.

When she finally decided to live alone, a big fuss happens not only among her family, but also her relatives. In contemporary Japan, a unit of family is not big and the relationship among relatives is not strong so much. However, for some races, some societies or some cultures, family is quite important and the definition of family is wide. A family unit does not mean only parents and children. It also includes grandparents, siblings’ family or cousins’ family and so on. A “clan” might be a better description for this. For them, gathering together and maybe eating together is quite important.

In Japan, it is not so common that all relatives and friends visit somebody’s house to celebrate his/her 52-year-old birthday. But in Singapore, being invited to celebrate somebody’s birthday is not rare, even if the person is a full-grown adult. After Manna left the house, all the relatives are assembled and a family meeting is held with her attendance. That situation is also familiar. In Singapore, even if an old father or mother needs to see a specialist in a hospital, it turns to a big event and an important discussion topic among all grown-up sons and daughters. Generally, they tend to have their family (on wide definition) on their mind more than people in Japan, I think. In Georgia, the culture looks being similar. A social life included especially with family or relatives is important there.

Manna’s relatives think that family should be together. For them, Manna’s action is quite a shocking incident, especially for her husband after their long marriage. This incident caused a big fuss among her family and relatives, with a heavy discussion and argument. They try to convince Manna to go back home, but of course, they fail. Funnily, all their discussion or argument does not go anywhere. There is no development and no effect. Just the same things are said, again and again. This looping conversation makes me feel the reality of a family meeting. What a family!

The angriest person from Manna’s decision is her mother. She is so angry that she looks as if she is almost going to die. The noise she makes in anger is quite funny. However, when Manna visits her family in a while after she left, her mother calmly receives her at the door. Mother has already put Manna’s daily cup back to a shelf in the kitchen, but she welcomes Manna. It looks like she has already accepted this situation for some mysterious reasons. So where did all her anger go to? That point is funny. On the other hand, Manna’s elder brother tries to solve this “problem”, but of course, he cannot. Finally, all he could do is to ask some neighbors in Manna’s new apartment to watch her. Her brother is worried that Manna has a new man while she is living alone. That “arrangement” makes her furious, of course. From her brother’s point of view, he must do something for his sister in “trouble”. He feels that it is his responsibility. That is why he has done a totally unnecessary and silly thing. What a family!

This film has many crowded scenes. For example, Manna and her family’s daily life in their apartment, her birthday party, the family meeting with relatives and her school reunion etc. There are always many people squeezed in a small space. Even when Manna bumped into her old friend in a wet market, the narrow passageway causes people to constantly pass by between them. People in such crowded scenes look cramp. But, at the same time, their ensemble is terrific. The camera smoothly moves around them taking in each different movement. The crowded scenes are too beautiful to stop being drawn.

After leaving her noisy and crowded family life, Manna finally gets her own space and time. She starts enjoying her single life. It gives her an opportunity to see her family from the outside. Even after she left, new different issues appear. She is still involved in them as a wife, a mother and a daughter, but now she can keep a detached attitude. But on the other hand, she discovers a gossip between her and her husband. Her husband had an affair that she did not know about... After getting married, they have been raising children, taking care of parents and working hard to support all their family. Probably Manna did not have time to think about this. But now, she starts thinking, “What is a husband and wife from the start?”. She becomes more unsure about her husband than before she left. It could happen to any couples. Once you start to slow down your life, you might ask this question to a man in front of you like Manna, “Who are you?” (19 August 2017)

  

[Film] Harmonium (淵に立つ)

13 July 2017

“Harmonium (淵に立つ)”---The O.P.E.N. (Singapore International Festival of Arts)

Release Year: 2016

Country: Japan, France

Director: Fukada Koji（深田晃司）

Cast: Furutachi Kanji（古舘寛治）, Tsutsui Mariko（筒井真理子）, Asano Tadanobu（浅野忠信）

Location I watched: The projector

Story from the festival program:

Toshio hires his old acquaintance Yasaka to work in his garage shop at his home that he shares with his wife and their 10-year-old daughter. Yasaka, who has just been released from prison, begins to meddle in Toshio’s life.

 

Although it is just a prejudice, I think Singapore film fans like Asano Tadanobu for some reasons. I do not like him very much, but I am not negative against him. Anyway, in Harmonium, Asano plays Yasaka, a mysterious man who came from the dark past that Toshio does not want to remember.

The story is divided to two parts. In the first part, Yasaka appears in front of Toshio and starts living together at his house. The second part shows Toshio and his family 8 years after Yasaka disappeared. Even though Yasaka is absent in the second part, he is in the center of the film.

As the direction is clear, the audience can easily understand each situation without verbal explanations. Before Yasaka comes, Toshio’s family is ordinary and living peacefully. Although, the relationship between Toshio and Akie, his wife is not so strong. In there, suddenly the mysterious Yasaka appears. A secret about Yasaka is revealed and, at the same time, a melodramatic cliché between Yasaka and Akie is developing. It is quite thrilling. The audience in Singapore seemed to enjoy that, saying “Oh, my God!”.

However, in the second part, we had to watch this film with more serious feeling. After a tragic “accident” at the end of the first part, Toshio’s family is falling apart. Toshio revealed to Akie his shared secret past with Yasaka. He said to her, “When that “accident” happened, I was actually relieved because I could feel being punished for what I had done on Yasaka.” He also said, “We became a true husband and wife through undergoing that “accident””. What Toshio said is very ugly and a cliché excuse. It made Akie furious and desperate.

“Harmonium” is an entertaining thriller about a family whose happiness is going to be destroyed by an unexpected event. However, despite the clear direction, only Yasaka is a vague character. What was his purpose? Was what he confessed to Akie his real feelings? What did he do during that “accident”? Everything is uncertain. On one hand, by Yasaka’s vague existence, it might be said that this film becomes a drama for the audience to think about “family”. On the other hand, it might be said that the film makes the audience uncomfortable after an entertaining first part.

By the way, the Japanese original title of “Harmonium” is “Fuchi ni Tatsu (淵に立つ)”. The literal meaning is “Standing in deep water”. Actually there is a scene where the characters literally stand in deep water. But anyway, this title sounds a little bit strange. Following the director-writer’s intention, the figurative meaning is “Standing at the edge of deep water”. In Japanese, the words for edge and deep water, “fuchi” shares the same pronunciation (but with different Kanji characters). I guess here, both meanings are used in mix.

Lastly, Asano Tadanobu looked very big in this film. Scary… (12 August 2017)
 

[Film] The Giant (Jatten)

09 July 2017

“The Giant (Jatten)”---The O.P.E.N. (Singapore International Festival of Arts)

Release Year: 2016

Country: Sweden, Denmark

Director: Johannes Nyholm

Cast: Christian Andren, Johan Kylen, Anna Bjelkerud

Location I watched: The projector

Story from the festival program:

Rikard is an autistic and severely deformed man, who was separated from his mother at birth. Thirty years later, he is convinced that he will get her back if only he wins the Scandinavian Championship of boules (a version of lawn bowls). He tries to do the impossible with an unlikely ally, a 200-foot giant.

Petanque (“boules” in the above Story) is a game to compete how close you can toss or roll a steel ball to a small ball. This unspectacular sport is the center of “The Giant”. The protagonist, Rikard is suffering from many disabilities, but he aims to win the Scandinavian Championship of petanque. If he achieved the victory, he could report it to his mother, living separately due to her mental illness. She would be glad and might finally see him. That is Rikard’s goal and he has devoted himself to petanque for that. Petanque is everything in his life.

Now, under the unique situation, a typical sports drama unfolds. Conflicts with other team members, hard practice, reconciliation and the decisive competition --- petanque should have been an unspectacular sport, but its drama is quite hot. Not only Rikard, but other players are also eager to play petanque. But actually petanque does not seem to be a major sport in Scandinavia. Funnily, even the Scandinavian Championship of petanque has to share the venue with a beach volleyball competition. I think it is because both sports need sand grounds. The audience for the beach volleyball is much bigger than for petanque. The audience for petanque there is equal to the players. A little bit lame people who are devoting to such a plain sport fighting so enthusiastically are next to beach volleyball players in bikini. This championship situation is unique, and funny.

The film poster of “The Giant” shows a 200-foot giant. This giant is probably a kind of illusion or dream Rikard has. However, except for its illusionary images of the giant, this film pursues realistic scenes like Rikard’s daily life with other disabled folks in a nursing home, his mother’s disordered room (she is living in an apartment with nursing-care), the dull indoor ground of Rikard’s petanque club, and so on. Particularly, the meeting scene when the petanque club tried to remove Rikard from the team and Rikard’s birthday party scene at the nursing home look like a documentary film. As a contrast, the scenes when Rikard is daydreaming or during his epilepsy attack are fantastic. In there, the petanque balls become stars to compose a galaxy. A giant is walking grandly, striding over forests or hills. That giant could be Rikard’s unknown father or himself. The visual effects used do not look so expensive. But, they are quite effective and beautiful. Balancing between reality and fantasy, this sports drama about an unspectacular sport became a unique film with strange atmosphere like an old fairytale. A nostalgic tune of a harmonica played by Rikard remains in our ears. (10 August 2017)

[Film] Autumn, Autumn (Chuncheon, Chuncheon)

08 July 2017

“Autumn, Autumn (Chuncheon, Chuncheon)”---The O.P.E.N. (Singapore International Festival of Arts)

Release Year: 2016

Country: South Korea

Director: Jang Woo-jin

Cast: Yang Heung-ju, Lee Se-rang, Woo Ji-hyeon

Location I watched: The Projector

Story from the festival program:

Ji-hyeon longs to escape his stiffing hometown of Chuncheon. A job opportunity comes and the young man goes to Seoul for an interview. On the train back, he meets a middle-aged couple, Heung-ju and Se-rang, who presumably are revisiting the places they once saw when they were young.

A young man and a middle-aged couple on the train.

I went into the screening about 5 minutes late and I am sorry for that. Anyway, Chuncheon is located about 80 minutes by train north of Seoul. It is famous for its beautiful lakeside landscape. Although I missed the first part of the film, I assumed that the film began with the last train to Chuncheon taken by a young man, Ji-hyeon and a middle-aged couple, Heung-ju and Se-rang. Ji-hyeon’s job interview from the above Story is just a setting. While the 3 of them meet in the train as mentioned in Story, they do not get to know each other. Ji-hyeon sat down next to Heung-ju. When he left his seat, he asked Heung-ju to watch over his bag. That is all. They meet as total strangers and get off the train as total strangers. After that, their lives never cross each other.

When the train reached Chuncheon, at first, Ji-hyeon’s story---how he spent 2 nights and 2 days there---begins. After his story finished, the time goes back to Chuncheon station the last train reached and the story of the couple, Heung-ju and Se-rang begins in the same way. Actually the couple is not a husband and wife. They have their own family, but they are not having an affair with one another. They are accompanying each other on a sentimental journey to Chuncheon. Like Ji-hyeon, they also have a problem in their own lives. In Chuncheon, Ji-hyeon and the couples never encounter, but they visit the same places. For example, the couple visits the same temple on the mountain Ji-hyeon visited. They have lunch at the same restaurant where Ji-hyeon was helping. Ji-hyeon looked at a mantis on the ground. The couple also saw a mantis in the restaurant and talked about a mantis. The day after the three of them arrived is the day of Chuncheon Marathon. There are scenes where both of them encounter the race crowd.

“Autumn, Autumn” is a film about the life of ordinary people who never shares intersecting moments in spite of being close each other. At the same places people go and come, they just pass by one another. But each one will have a different story like me or you. In one way, it sounds beautiful. However, in another way, this is a feature film made by combining two boring stories from ordinary people. Life is amazing for everyone. At the same time, any life---even for a billionaire or a king---is also not so interesting. That is why I think that at least film is a way to make life glamorous. What I mean with “glamorous” is not related to sexual allure or production design. For example, filmmaker Sono Shion’s early work, “Bicycle Sighs” was a story about 2 lackluster young men and shot on 16mm film. However, that film was glamorous for me.

A scene that was not good for me is when the couple is having lunch in the restaurant. While they are chitchatting, they are lighted or shaded by sunlight, depending on the drift of clouds. The scene was taken by one take. It may be expected that the lighting gives some special atmosphere or suggests something significant. However, I felt annoyed that I had to listen to their long chitchat (which is not so meaningful) under the poor lighting. Some scenes of the film are good and memorable, like a scene Ji-hyeon passing by his old friend on the escalator of Chuncheon station. Also the actors playing the couple were good. As a couple they do not know each other well, their awkward atmosphere is interesting and a little bit suspenseful. The second half of the film is more dramatic than the first half, but the couple’s awkward tension is not enough to draw me. This film lacked a strong appeal for me who likes something gorgeous. (04 August 4, 2017)

[Concert] Spectres Live

01 July 2017

“Spectres Live”---The O.P.E.N. (Singapore International Festival of Arts)

Country: Singapore

Performance: Zai Tang, Fuzz Lee, Shark Fung, Wu Jun Han (for the 1^st of July)

Location I watched: 72-13

“Spectres Live” is an electronic music performance as a response to an audio-visual installation, “Spectres”. I did not go to watch “Spectres” and watch only “Spectres Live”. For reference, here is the introduction from the festival program about what kind of installation “Spectres” is.

“Spectres is an artistic response to the Anthropocene epoch, a geological time when human activity has been the dominant influence on climate and the environment.

Evoking dystopian narratives of a future in which the wildlife of Singapore has all but vanished, Spectres takes the form of an immersive audio-visual installation. Its environment is haunted by the remnants of sounds that once inhabited this island.

Derived from artist, composer and sound designer Zai Tang’s archive of field recordings in local natural habitats, Spectres brings these deceased sonorities back to life, re-animating them using digital imaging and sound visualisation techniques.

Yet, these ethereal images and sounds no longer resemble the creatures from which they originated. They have metamorphosed into myriad phantasmagoric forms and disfigured expressions, embodying a deep, full vision of a desolate horizon.” (from the festival program)

This is a publicity image from the show.

From my understanding of this introduction, “Spectres” is an audio-visual installation by using audio recordings of natural sounds to express dystopian future when nature is destroyed and life is extinct. The present natural sounds are processed and used to express the future sprits (spectres) from a dead nature.

In “Spectres Live”, Zai Tang, the artist of “Spectres” collaborated with some experimental musicians to produce live performances following the theme of “Spectres”. “Spectres Live” is shown for three continuous nights and every night, different musicians play with Zai Tang. The program of the day that I went is as follows:

The first set: Fuzz Lee, Shark Fung

Short break

The second set: Zai Tang, Wu Jun Han

Short break

The final set: Zai Tang, Fuzz Lee, Shark Fung, Wu Jun Han

The venue, 72-13, I do not like because it is far from any train stations or any bus stops despite being located in the centre of the city. Whenever I go there, I am always wondering which route is the most efficient. This makes me feel irritated.

Anyway, for “Spectres Live”, when I reached 72-13, the first set has already started. I was 10 minutes late, but this performance does not require for you to stay there all the time. When you go in the venue studio, there is a stage with music equipment (an electric guitar, mixing desk, cassette tapes etc.) in the centre. Around the stage, many big white cloths are hanging from the ceiling and different images are projected on them. While you are listening to the musicians’ play, you can walk around among the cloths or sit on the floor. You can even lie down on the floor. I saw somebody sleeping.

This image taken during the performance

I do not have good ears and I do not properly understand it, but for some reason, I like listening to experimental music or sonic installation. That is why I was sitting on the cold floor of 72-13 studio among the young hipsters or geeks. Actually I did not feel dystopia or something ethereal from their performance. Anyway I was sometimes browsing and sometimes chilling on the floor under the cloths. I was half thinking about today’s work from the office (I went there after work on that day) and half absent-minded during watching and listening. How to spend time like that is OK to me and I enjoyed that. In all the 3 sets, the 2^nd set sounded the most friendly because it had a rhythmic tempo.

There is one request I have. As I have a backache, sitting on the hard floor was tough for me. If only there had been some cushions, sofas or a mat covering the floor… (20 July 2017)

The venue, 72-13

[Film] The Death of Louis XIV (La Mort de Louis XIV)

01 July 2017

“The Death of Louis XIV (La Mort de Louis XIV)”---The O.P.E.N. (Singapore International Festival of Arts)

Release Year: 2016

Country: France, Spain

Director: Albert Serra

Cast: Jean-Pierre Leaud

Location I watched: The Projector

In August of 1715, “Le Roi Soleil (the Sun King)”, Louis XIV feels a pain in his left leg after going for a morning walk. From that point, “The Death of Louis XIV” scrupulously shows the king’s condition until his death by gangrene of his leg on the 1^st of September.

 The camera does not leave the palace building, just like the King who has to be stuck on his bed. As the windows are not opened, even in daytime, his bedroom is left in the twilight. At night, the room vanished into the darkness. The small light from the outside or a candle is focusing on the King. Around him, his doctor or valets are working like shadows in the vague dark.

Even if he is suffering from a serious disease, the King has to be king. He still has to wear a wig and receive his courtiers in audience. On the other hand, the King is taken care of by many people. Not only people who are working in the palace, but also scholars from the Sorbonne come for him. The King lies down on the luxurious bed and drinks water from a crystal glass. Expensive and nutritious food is always served for him. What a high life with duties! However, the death of the King does not have a significant difference from death in our own day. While the disease is covering his body, he is getting weaker and weaker. At first, he cannot stand up, and then he cannot sit up in bed, and cannot swallow food. Finally he cannot drink even water. The slow death would possibly happen to us in a present day hospital room with much more advanced medical technology than the King’s era.

The most impressive point is that the King does not easily pass away, while he is enduring such severe pain that he wished to cut off his leg. Priests were invited to his bedroom many times, but the time does not come. Once priests are invited and starting the Communion service for people around the King’s bed, the King is still eating a piece of biscuit and sipping drink. His body is dying, but his eyes facing the camera are still burning with the will to live. Humans’ strength to stay alive is amazing. However, humans are not immortal. The King even tried “medicine” brought by an impostor (it is like we try a suspicious folk remedy in desperate condition), but nobody can save him. Finally the fire of the King’s life is snuffed out, in a natural and quiet way. It would also possibly happen on us.

“The Death of Louis XIV“ was screened at 8 pm on Sunday. It is a good film, but after watching such an uncheerful theme film on a Sunday night, I did not feel like going to work tomorrow morning. (July 15, 2017)