[Film] Tiong Bahru Social Club

 23 January 2021

“Tiong Bahru Social Club”

---A shop assistant: “Do you have a “Passion” card?”

   A Bee: “No, (I don’t have) passion.”

Release Year: 2020

Country: Singapore

Director: Bee Thiam Tan

Cast: Thomas Pang, Guat Kian Goh, Jalyn Han

Location I watched: The Projector

 

Ah Bee, a 30 year-old Singaporean man is living with his mother at Pearl Bank, an old apartment that is about to be demolished. He is quiet and mild. Even when faced with a pile of claim forms at work, he accepts all claims with a smile. Now Ah Bee gets a new job as a Happiness Agent at Tiong Bahru Social Club. The Club is like a kind of community centre, but it is a pilot project by (I assume) the government aiming for a happy local community. Ah Bee says good-bye to his beloved mother (by the way, the distance between Tiong Bahru and Outram Park where Pearl Bank is located is just one stop away by train) and he starts living in a room provided by the Club. The room is controlled by an AI which is always checking his “happiness level” using an algorithm. Making the residents (especially the elderlies) happy is the Happiness Agents’ job. The Agents themselves must be happy. Calm and obedient Ah Bee gets used to this happy smiling world and becomes the top agent. He also gets a girlfriend who is one of his colleagues under the Club’s control. Everything looks good. However, is it right?

 

Generally, it is said that Singapore is a rich country looking at GDP per capita, but Singaporeans feel less happy. Or Singaporeans like complaining. Or the Singapore Government is good at management. “Tiong Bahru Social Club” took such Singapore’s “features” and turned it into a funny comedy with satire.

 

The Tiong Bahru Social Club itself looks like a parody of a cult community. It is suspicious, and at the same time, funny. The activities organized by the Happiness Agents are also sometimes quite hilarious.

 

The Club’s neighbourhood is shot with a soft colour tone and it looks retro and cozy. The design of the Club’s main building is based on pastel pink. It also looks cozy and cheerful. On the other hand, the control room and Ah Bee’s room is combined pink and blue. So the impression is slightly psychedelic and it can be called “future retro”. This “future retro” club and old Singapore neighbourhood are matching and they successfully create a cozy and weird atmosphere.

 

“Tiong Bahru Social Club” is an interesting film. However, after I finished watching, something uncomfortable was left in my mind. Although it is unclear and difficult to explain, there is a feeling that something important is not enough in this film.

 

In the Tiong Bahru Social Club, the management is always monitoring the “happiness level’ of their Happiness Agents. The “happiness level” is decided by an algorithm based on the data of their expressions, physical condition or situation and so on. There is no privacy for the Happiness Agents. Before joining the Club, they have to sign an agreement to give up their privacy. It is quite creepy.  Especially since the Club seems to be the government’s pilot project, it is creepier. Even though the management team is not ill-intentioned. In the film, the Club itself is not criticized hard, but it is understandable because the film is a light satirical comedy and the protagonist, Ah Bee, is a very passive man. Even if Ah Bee has doubts about the Club policy, he will keep his silence and not make any trouble.

 

However, Ah Bee actually feels that something is wrong. He does not feel happy very much in the Club. So to trick the monitoring AI, he exercises in the dead spots in his room, hiding away from the AI cameras. His quick heartbeat is misunderstood by the AI as his “happy” condition (his excitement for a happy feeling). In the meantime, after taking care of an elderly resident, Ms. Wee, he is assigned to be in charge of listening to the residents’ complaints. This job is just to listen to the residents’ complaints, and he does not solve any problems. It is said that Singaporeans like complaining. This job is a kind of satire. Anyway, with this job, Ah Bee becomes the top Agent.

 

Ah Bee can accept anybody’s complaints or wishes because he does not have anything in his mind. He does not have any egoistic desire, but at the same time, does not have any passion. He is empty. Just accepting does not make others and himself really happy. Ah Bee eventually realizes that and he leaves the Club. He goes back to his mother who makes him happy and whom he wants to make happy. ------It was actually difficult to understand Ah Bee’s inner journey, so this part is all my interpretation.

 

Ah Bee hardly speaks in the film, but Thomas Pang acted Ah Bee quite well. For that, we can understand his feelings in each scene. Nevertheless, his adventure (“odyssey” in the cinema’s introduction) was somehow unsatisfying to me.

 

I think one of the reasons is because the Tiong Bahru Social Club working system is unclear. My understanding is that each Happiness Agent takes care of a partner elderly and they are also in charge of some public activity like a swimming class. The management evaluates the Agents’ work by always checking the residents’ “happiness level”. They rank the Happiness Agents and regularly fire the Agent at the bottom of the rank. The scene where they fire an Agent is quite funny. He was fired because his “Tour with a Cat in the Neighbourhood” was unpopular.

 

Ah Bee is also assigned a partner elderly, Ms. Wee, who is living alone with a cat, but he is not in charge of any activities. He is a new hire and does not get used to his job, so this situation is understandable. Then, however, after she passed away, Ah Bee is assigned to be in charge of a special room where the residents can complain of anything to him. Although the other Happiness Agents seem to have their activities as their own projects (that is why the “Tour with a Cat” Agent was fired due to his activity), for some reason, Ah Bee was not required to come up with his own activity. Besides he was not assigned any other elderlies to take care of anymore. The management seems to give only him a special job. Since Tiong Bahru Social Club is a pilot project, there may not be fixed rules to manage the Happiness Agents. However, I cannot understand why the management’s expectation of Ah Bee is so high and they give better consideration to his task.

 

Anyway, Ah Bee’s “listening to complaint” room becomes extremely popular. This is the victory of the management’ idea and assignment. Of course, Ah Bee is working hard, I guess. But the scenes in his “listening to complaint” room do not focus on his “super power” --- how much he is patient and obedient (just continue listening) or how much he does not do anything at all (again, just continue listening). The long long queue to the room alone was not enough for me to be convinced that Ah Bee was great as a Happiness Agent.

 

Besides, the attitude of the Club’s management does not make sense. About the death of Ms. Wee, it is very vague whether she died in an accident or killed herself. In any case, Ah Bee feels very sad and sorry. The Club’s manager comforts him and says that this is not Ah Bee’s fault and that she died happily. It is very nice to hear, but somehow it does not seem to make sense because the manager’s words are too ordinary. The Tiong Bahru Social Club is not normal, obviously. The management is always observing the Agents. When Ah Bee was matchmade and started living together with his girlfriend, they were in his bedroom to check whether he succeeded in making love or not. The management is abnormal like that, but the words to comfort him are too normal. If they rely on the algorithm for happiness, they should say that she died happily according to the algorithm or show the data to cheer him up. The manager in that scene is rather rational. Ironically, it seems to be irrational to me.

 

After all, how bizarre the Club is and how remarkable the existence of passive Ah Bee is - both are not enough to be expressed in the film. For that, his adventure in the Club is unsatisfying and his inner journey is difficult to understand. That is probably why I felt something that is uncomfortable. Although the film has the title of “Tiong Bahru Social Club”, its “Club level” is not enough for me.

 

Lastly, one of the main locations in “Tiong Bahru Social Club” is the Pearl Bank Apartments before the building was demolished. Generally, the design of recent condominium buildings is not so interesting for me. But the Pearl Bank Apartments, built in 1976, is unique and formidable. In the film, we can enjoy the overwhelming appearance. One of my former colleagues used to rent a room in Pearl Bank. It was in about 2006. She called Pearl Bank a “haunted house”. When her tenancy agreement finished, she started looking for a new room. The room she found is again in Pearl Bank. Maybe she actually liked that old building. Such memories came back to me with this film. (20 May 2021)

[Film] House of My Fathers (Mouna Kaandam/Nomiyana Mathakaya)

07 December 2018 
“House of My Fathers (Mouna Kaandam/Nomiyana Mathakaya)” ---Singapore International Film Festival
Release Year: 2018
Country: Sri Lanka
Director: Suba Sivakumaran
Cast: Bimal Jayakodi, Pradeepa
Location I watched: The Cathay

Story from the programme booklet:
In this political parable set in the primeval forests of Sri Lanka, the civil war has left a terrible mark on two villages---one Tamil, one Sinhala. A ‘death strip’ separates the two due to their constant fighting. And no child has been on either side of the barbed wire for some time.
The villages receive messages from their respective gods that they are each to send a representative to an isolated place, where they will find the secret to renewing life. However, only one will return. As the Tamil woman and the Singhalese man chosen to heal the villages enter into the Forest of the Dead, they are forced to confront both provincial secrets and their own personal pasts.

 
Two villages confronting each other have been hit by the curse of infertility. To solve this crisis, a representative from each village, one man and one woman are sent to “the Forest of the Death” (I just call it a magic forest). The man, Asoka is a former soldier and now an outcast. The woman, Ahalya is a widow who also lost her son. The film is a kind of fantasy and also an allegory. However, for some audience, its presentation as a film may look boring.

For example, in this magic forest of night, four soldiers are suddenly coming toward Asoka and Ahalya with the crunch of walking footsteps. It is an impressive scene. Nevertheless, this forest --- where the dead are wandering --- itself looks like an ordinary and loose forest. It does not look too mysterious.

Both characters entering the magic forest are wearing casual clothes. Asoka’s fashion --- wearing a shirt and carrying a travelling bag --- is like an Indian uncle whom I see everywhere here in Singapore. Their clothes are not for camping in the forest at all, but since this film is like an allegory beyond realism, it should be OK.

The actress played Ahalya is not a stunning beauty, but her breasts are huge (it is obscene comment, but I could not help noticing that). She was beautifully shot, and it is an outstanding point of this film. Her existence is the key in the story. Only one can return from the magic forest. That one is, of course (I have to say), the man. After the woman gave birth to a magic baby in the forest, she had to die (since this baby boy was born immediately after conception, I just call him a magic baby). The man brought back the baby to his village. On the other hand, the woman, the baby’s mother was not mentioned afterwards.

Although the mysterious power of the magic forest manifests, eventually I read the story of this film as a tacit conspiracy of the two villages hating each other. Faced with the fatal crisis of infertility, the two villages cooperate each other to save their own clan. Instead of cutting the barbed wire separating the two villages, they use their own villager regarded as an “unnecessary” person---“a traitor” and a widow without children.

In the last scene, the audience realizes that the narration is done by the grown-up magic child. He laments the death of his mother and uterine brother whom he has never seen. Then, I was a little startled and felt an ache in my heart. “House of My Fathers” was a requiem for a mother who had been never mentioned, thus never had a requiem. (16 May 2020)

Going to the magic forest in casual wear

[Film] Transit (Transit)

04 December 2018

“Transit” ---Singapore International Film Festival

Release Year: 2018

Country: Germany, France

Director: Christian Petzold

Cast: Franz Rogowski, Paula Beer

Location I watched: Filmgarde Bugis+

 

Story from the programme booklet:

As German forces close in on modern-day France. Jewish refugee Georg is desperate to evacuate the war-torn continent. His golden ticket comes in the form of transit papers to Mexico, belonging to a recently deceased author. Georg assumes this identity and flees to the port city of Marseille---then finds that the transit visa was not the only thing the writer left behind.

 

Although the story from the programme booklet is a little bit vague, the storyline is not so complicated. Georg, a Jewish man, tries to evacuate to Mexico using a transit visa by pretending to be a deceased author. However, the invitation from the government of Mexico includes the author’s wife, Marie, too. She had left the author, but wishes to reunite with him, not knowing that her husband had already died. Georg accidentally meets Marie and falls in love with her.

 

The original novel, “Trandit” written by Anna Seghers was a story set during World War 2. In this film, France is similarly occupied by German forces. This is, however, not a period drama; it is set in the present times. Replacing a past era with the present is common when presenting Shakespeare’s plays. “Transit” took the same approach and became a film beyond a story about the persecutions of Jews by Nazi Germany. As the result, the film succeeded to suggest a universal and contemporary problem, intolerance in the world.

 

There are people who choose to kill themselves, who are broken up with their family or who are arrested by the forces. Tragedies in the past look like our current happenings, but since they are not directly belonging to our era, there is no uncomfortable feeling to be pushed too much. After watching the film, I was quietly impressed.

 

As Georg is disguising his identity, the audience feels suspense when his real identity is revealed to the authorities and when he tells the truth to Marie. It is an entertainment element in this film. I was watching in suspense and thinking what on earth he will do at the end.

 

The end of the film---an illusion he saw and the truth he knew---that bitterness is a fear of war. (10 May 2020)

[Film] Killing (斬、)

02 December 2018

“Killing (斬、)”---Singapore International Film Festival

Release Year: 2018

Country: Japan

Director: Tsukamoto Shin'ya (塚本晋也)

Cast: Ikematsu Sosuke (池松壮亮), Aoi Yu (蒼井優), Tsukamoto Shin'ya (塚本晋也), Nakamura Tatsuya (中村達也)

Location I watched: National Gallery Singapore

 

Story from the programme booklet:

Swordsman Mokunoshin Tsuzuki earns a peaceful living as a labourer on a rice paddy in the outskirts of Edo, the former capital of pre-modern Japan.

Maintaining his sword skills through daily sparring with farmer’s son Ichisuke, who himself harbours dreams to serve the shogun as a samurai, Mokunoshin’s idyllic life is threatened when talk of an impending civil war reaches his remote village. When a stoic older samurai recruits him for a capital-bound task force bent on easing the civil unrest, Mokunoshin’s reluctance to kill is challenged as the surrounding violence escalates.

Film should be experienced with our body first. To be thought in our brain will be followed only after that. “Killing” directed by Tsukamoto Shin'ya manifests its truth just like his other films.

 

The setting of this film is very minimalistic. The camera stays within the area around the remote village set in the mountain. Because of that, the coming civil war or loyalty to the shogunate mentioned by the characters sound quite vague or unrealistic. The protagonist, Mokunoshin (Ikematsu Sosuke) says he wants to work for the shogun, but on the other hand, he does not want to kill anybody. He also feels that he will not die even if he goes to Edo and joins a task force. For him, death in war is still something far. Although he has quite superior sword skills, his ambivalent thinking is like any ordinary young man who wants to escape from choosing or deciding for himself. Mokunoshin’s sparring partner, Ichisuke has a sister, Yu (Aoi Yu) who secretly loves Mokunoshin. Yu simply thinks that war is scary because her loved ones may be killed. An older samurai, Sawamura Jirozaemon (Tsukamoto Shin'ya) knows that war is killing each other. He also believes that sword skills are for the cause of supporting the nation.

 

Interestingly, Sawamura comes to be haunted to defeat Mokunoshin at the end. His aim has turned into overcoming himself through the fight with Mokunoshin. On the other hand, although Makunoshin accepts Sawamura’s recruitment, he is also doubting that personal sword skills can even save a small village from a group of bandits. To kill people with a sword does not make a good solution for the village. In that case, what are his sword skills for? His challenge, a sense of duty, perplexity, fear and futility…all his ambivalent feelings collide together in his last fight with Sawamura.

 

In the end, the vague ideology about the nation is left behind and individualism is appearing. The two men fight just for themselves. The story aims for ultimate individualism. That is Tsukamoto Shin'ya’s film.

 

Tsukamoto has been describing violence, but the violence is always one and indivisible with the body’s pain. He seems to be more interested in pain caused by violence than violence itself. Feeling pain is proof that we are really alive. In “Killing”, pain seems to be more important than violence itself. Behind the personal pain, there is an individual who is struggling and distressed to live. Tsukamoto’s individualism is the opposite pole of nationalistic ideology.

 

“Killing” may be regarded as an allegory. Taken by other filmmakers, this subject potentially can produce films that are too conceptual and boring. However, Tsukamoto Shin'ya’s “Killing” is an entertainment film with full blood. How realistic and exciting it looks, when the characters are crossing swords! We experience the film with our body, via the image and sound. We experience the fear, tension and anger of the struggling individual. Then, we will think and consider.

Music and sound are quite important to characterize Tsukamoto Shin'ya’s films. They are essential for the audience to experience his films with their body. The music in “Killing” is as splendid as his other films. Unfortunately, this film is the last work of the composer, Ishikawa Chu who scored almost every Tsukamoto’s films. I only recently discovered that Ishikawa Chu has passed away at the age of 51. (2 May 2020)

[Film] Fly Away Home (Maikäfer flieg)

18 May 2017

“Fly Away Home (Maikäfer flieg)”---European Union Film Festival

Release Year: 2016

Country: Austria

Director: Mirjam Unger

Cast: Zita Gaier, Ursula Strauss, Gerald Votava, Konstantin Khabenskiy

Location I watched: National Gallery Singapore

Story from the programme booklet:

Vienna 1945: The powder keg of war and the Russian occupation as seen through the innocent eyes of nine-year old Christine. Bombed out and penniless, she and her family are put up in a fancy villa in the outskirts of Vienna, a moment when class differences get amplified and all families in the house just want to survive. After the German soldiers capitulate, the Russians take over the house. Everybody is scared of the Russians, except Christine. Based on a novel by Christine Nöstlinger, the most popular children’s book author in Germany and Austria.

On the day before this screening, I saw a lady who came to the venue at the wrong time and watched “Kincsen - Bet on Revenge” instead of “Insyriated”. Now, I have made a similar mistake, too. This “Fly Away Home” started from 7pm, but I mistakenly thought the start was 7:30pm. I was near the venue at 7pm. However, thinking I was early, I was innocently eating dinner. When I saw there was nobody in the lobby of the venue, I realized my mistake. I assume that I missed the first 15 minutes or so. When I started watching the film, the protagonist, Christine and her family were already in the villa and her father has just returned to his family.

Generally, I do not like films with children or animals very much. The nine-year old protagonist, Christine is restless and selfish. She is not a likable person for me. “Fly Away Home” is describing the world seen through her eyes, so the camera movement is active like her. As she is a child, she still does not completely understand about war. However, she experiences many things.

There are some memorable scenes. Christina’s mother used to work for Mrs. von Braun, the mistress of the villa. That is why she got Mrs. von Braun’s offer and Christina’s family could stay in her villa. When Mrs. von Braun arrived with her small son later, she found Christine’s father who was hiding there. (Christina’s father is a soldier with the German Army, but he got injured and deserted from the hospital.) Then, Mrs. von Braun voluntarily started telling them how her husband had died by this war, and she did not say anything else. However, both ladies---Mrs. von Braun and Christine’s mother---looked like they understood each other. It does not matter which class people are belonging to. Everybody is suffering from war, but it is precious that we are still surviving. I think that they shared such feelings.

Christina became friends with one of Russian soldiers, Cohn who was in charge of cooking. She asked Cohn to bring her to her grandparents’ place in the town. Christina was proud that her grandmother was a brave woman. However, the grandmother that Christina saw in their apartment had become paranoid for fear of the war. It made Christina disappointed and sad. That scene is also impressive.

After bringing Christina to her grandparents’ place, Cohn was regarded as a deserter and arrested. Christina felt a sense of responsibility to that he could not return. She insisted on sleeping in his hut to wait for him. I did not like her initially, but from this scene, I began to have a good feeling for her.

Finally the Russian troops were departing from the villa. Actually Mrs. von Braun had an affair with the Major of the troops to take advantage of them. When Christina knew they were leaving, she told Mrs. von Braun that the Major would probably visit her again. However, Mrs. von Braun coolly said that she would forget him. Christina did not understand adults’ “situation”. She thought that Mrs. von Braun likes the Major and tried to comfort her. Now I felt Christina more adorable.

Friendship with a kind Russian cook, glancing at the world of adults... through many-sided experiences like a prism by a nine-year old girl, this film describes many things in the “empty” time at the end of the war; hunger, violence, changed people and unchanged family’s tie... It was terribly sorry for me to miss the first part. (5 January 2019)

[Film] Kincsem - Bet on Revenge (Kincsem)

17 May 2017

“Kincsem - Bet on Revenge (Kincsem)”---European Union Film Festival

Release Year: 2017

Country: Hungary

Director: Gabor Herendi

Cast: Ervin Nagy, Andrea Petrik, Tibor Gaspar

Location I watched: National Gallery Singapore

Story from the programme booklet:

Hungarian aristocrat and supreme horse trainer Sandor Blaskovich was accused of treason and killed by his former friend, Austrian officer Otto von Oettingen. His son, the dashing Erno Blaskovich (Ervin Nagy) has lost everything in the aftermath of the 1848-1849 Hungarian revolution, including their family castle which von Oettingen takes over forcing him to move into a labourer’s cottage. Erno’s bohemian lifestyle gets a chance of redemption in the form of Kincsem, the miraculous horse who wins every single race across Europe. Fate offers a shot at revenge, giving Erno the chance to beat his nemesis and father’s murderer, fellow horse owner von Oettingen. However, their rivalry takes an unexpected turn, when Blaskovich falls in love with Klara, von Oettingen’s daughter. Can love triumph revenge?

A man who has lost everything, seeking revenge, falling love with his enemy’s daughter... The first impression from the programme booklet story is that this is a serious film. However, “Kincsem – Bet on Revenge” is actually an enjoyable entertainment film. It is a luxurious, spectacular and light period drama without dignity which is sometimes required for period dramas.

The theme of falling in love with his enemy’s daughter might sound old-fashioned, but the film does not make it so. Erno and Klara, von Oettingen’s daughter, know each other at the beginning of the film. Erno was a hopeless horse owner who bets on other’s horses instead of his own horse. However, he met Kincsem which could not be easily tamed. When Kincsem escaped from Klara’s riding ground, Ermo accidentally chased after this horse. Then he turned to be serious for Kincsem. Eventually Ermo got Kincsem’s ownership from Klara and started to train her. In the meantime, Klara got to know Erno’s talent for horse training and paid respect to him. As the film title shows, Kincsem, the female horse is the center of the story. I like that the film does not go off the track with Kincsem’s story. The last shot in the film is of he (Erno), she (Klara) and of course, the horse, Kincsem.

Although Kincsem is a real racehorse in the 1870s, “Kincsem – Bet on Revenge” is a fictional story, I think. However, since this film is for Kincsem, the most important fact, Kincsem’s unbeaten record cannot be changed. Kincsem is so famous that a lot of audience may know her legendary record even before watching this film, 54 wins out of 54 races. In that case, how was this well-known fact developed into a story to attract the audience?

Firstly, the owner’s character is initially set as a loser. To change his life, he must win with Kincsem. That is why her debut race scene is so exciting. When Kincsem won for the first time, Erno looked as if he almost started to cry and faint before he congratulated himself on this victory. This scene was convincing and funny. Secondly, a special situation is created where the owner does not want Kincsem to win. Erno’s love for Klara, his enemy’s daughter prepares for this situation, too. This unbeaten horse must lose in this film? It makes the audience uncertain and engages them in the race, even if we know Kincsem’s real history.

By the way, when the film ended, a lady sitting next to me asked, “What time will “Insyriated” start?” “Insyriated” is another European Union Film Festival (EUFF) title, a Belgium film about a Syrian family who is desperately trying to be together in their apartment while a war rages outside. Although I have not watched this film, obviously it seems to be a serious film, a perfect opposite of “Kincsem”. I answered her that “Insyriated” is scheduled from 9 pm after “Kincsem”. Then, she said, “Alamak! I watched a wrong film!” Actually she bought a ticket for “Insyriated”, but she came at the wrong time. (For some reasons, the ticket taker did not check the film title of her ticket.) Even after the film started, she did not realize for a while that she came at the wrong time. Since some EUFF screenings show a short film before the main program, she thought that “Insyriated” would start after this “short” film. Of course, “Kincsem” is not a short film, so she noticed her mistake on the half way. But eventually she watched through “Kincsem” till the end. She said, “It’s OK, it was an enjoyable film, right?” (October 7, 2018)

[Film] Miracle (Stebuklas)

15 May 2017

“Miracle (Stebuklas)”---European Union Film Festival

Release Year: 2017

Country: Lithuania

Director: Egle Vertelyte

Cast: Egle Mikulionyte, Vyto Ruginis

Location I watched: National Gallery Singapore

Story from the programme booklet:

It is 1992 and Lithuania has shifted from communism to capitalism, leaving the small collective pig farm managed by Irena, in dire straits. She struggles to keep the farm and her workers afloat when a handsome American, Bernardas, arrives, pledging to save the struggling enterprise and turns Irena’s family life and the village’s routine upside-down. As Irena falls for his charms, she realizes that his intentions may not be entirely innocent.

In the programme booklet, “Miracle” is categorized as Drama/Comedy. But if you expected a comedy, you would be disappointed with this film. Although there are some scenes that try to make the audience laugh, basically this is not a funny film. Like Irena, the protagonist, the film is earnest. Irena’s town is going to be swallowed by the drastic change of society. She does not know what she can do, but anyway she is trying to do something to make the situation better. Then, a suspicious American man appears. The film seems to reflect those days and it is not fun.

Eventually Irena lost everything：the pig farm with the memories of her late father, the pigs, her husband and her love. However, when she lost everything, ironically she got pregnant. She was blessed with a baby despite already having given up. In the last scene of the film, she visits a church. She may have felt it a kind of revelation, but she does not pray. I do not think that she has got her faith by this incident. “Miracle” is a story about a middle-aged woman reaches the turning point of her life with society’s big change. Everything does not go well. I am not sure if Irena’s pregnancy under this situation is a joyful happening or not. However, she still tries to restart her life. She sets off alone. Even though the basic tone of the film was gray, the ending was something refreshing.

By the way, Bernardas, the American, came to Irena’s pig farm because his late mother told him there is prosperity under a maple tree located in the farm. However, the result just gave Bernardas disappointment because the “prosperity” was just a family secret related to his birth... Mother, you should have told him such an important and personal matter directly. Why did you tell him such a vague story? Didn’t you like him? (September 21, 2018)

[Film] Tulipani: Love, Honour and a Bicycle (Tulipani: Liefde, Eer en een Fiets)

12 May 2018

“Tulipani: Love, Honour and a Bicycle (Tulipani: Liefde, Eer en een Fiets)”---European Union Film Festival

Release Year: 2017

Country: The Netherlands

Director: Mike van Diem

Cast: Ksenia Solo, Gijs Naber

Location I watched: National Gallery Singapore

Story from the programme booklet:

It tells the story of a romantic Dutch farmer named Gauke (Gijs Naber) who after losing his farm during the floods of 1953 is determined to never ever have wet socks again. He cycles to the sizzling hot south of Italy to start a new life. Due to his miraculous tulip trade, his passionate love life and his turbulent scuffles with the dubious local business practices, he becomes a living legend – to then suddenly disappear. Thirty years later, an Italian police inspector (Giancarlo Giannini) attempts to unravel the story, but struggles to distinguish fact from fiction. With the help of a young Canadian woman Anna (Ksenia Solo) he discovers what truly happened.

European Union Film Festival came back this year. Last year, when I watched a Dutch film, “Beyond Sleep”, I saw many quite tall people in the audience. This year at the screening of “Tulipani”, I saw many quite tall people in the audience again; I suspect maybe Dutch people. The film features tulips, a bicycle and a legendary Dutchman in Italy---three things praising the Netherlands. The bicycle is actually not related to the story very much. The first scene is set in Canada and the main scenes are set in Italy. For that reason, attending this screening were not only the ambassador of the Netherlands, but also the ambassador of Italy and the High Commissioner of Canada.

The programme booklet says, “he (the police inspector) discovers what truly happened”. However, it is slightly doubtful whether the past events from thirty years ago are true or not. I think that is also the reason why “Tulipani: Love, Honour and a Bicycle” is a charming film

When the film starts, the protagonist, Anna is cycling to see her mother in the hospital in Canada. Before Mother passes away, she asks Anna to bring her ash to her hometown, a village in South Italy. Anna turns her down because doing that is not allowed by law. But Mother replies that if you put it to a container and secretly bring it overseas, nobody will notice that. After her death, Anna finds that Mother has already prepared a cheap plastic container. Although the film begins with the death of Mother, it is already funny.

Anna travels to Italy with the container. In the next scene, she is carried on the back seat of a motorcycle. She is lying her face down and exposing her injured buttock with panties. The motorcycle is running through the deserted brown lands and a small village with stone pavements. In spite of her injury, Anna is happily laughing for some reasons. After Anna is admitted to a hospital for treatment, a police inspector visits her. He says that he came to arrest Anna on suspicion of murder. From here, Anna, the motorcycle driver and his mother (a widow who is her late mother’s friend) start telling the inspector the story of what happened after Anna came to their village nine days ago. They also tell the story of what happened after a Dutchman called Gauke suddenly came to their village thirty years ago, just like the current Anna.

Anna was laughing as she was carried with her injured buttocks exposed in public. That shocking scene grips the audience’s heart from the film’s start. Why is she so happy? Eventually that funny mystery is revealed at the end of their story, but as mentioned before, the story, especially the parts told by the widow, seems to be doubtful or exaggerated. For example, according to the widow, Gauke came to their village after riding a bicycle from the Netherlands to Italy in just five days. If it is true, to come straight to Italy, he must have crossed the mountains in Switzerland or Austria by bicycle... Understandably, the inspector interrupts them when he comes to a point where it is difficult to believe the story. Gradually, however, he becomes attracted by that suspicious story.

There is a story having Gauke as the protagonist thirty years ago. And there is another story about Anna who heard Gauke’s story. However, these two stories are told later as one connected story in front of somebody completely unrelated. This structure is quite effective for this film, I think. It is like an oral tradition. The entire story sounds to be true, but some parts are too unrealistic and fantastic to believe. However, when the story mixed with fantasy is told, that storytelling makes Gauke the legend of the village. After all, in the end, the inspector has chosen to believe the story as Anna had believed before him. For me, this probable and improbable story is funny, touching and enjoyable. In this film, the only disappointing point is Computer Graphics for an explosion scene in a cave. The fire did not look like real fire very much.

After the screening, when the audience left the venue, beautiful live tulips were handed out one by one. The Netherlands Embassy was working very hard to promote their country. (September 18, 2018)

The tulip I brought back home

[Film] Happy Together (春光乍洩)

6 May 2018

“Happy Together (春光乍洩)”---Singapore Chinese Film Festival

Release Year: 1997

Country: Hong Kong, Japan, Korea

Director: Wong Kar-wai（王家卫）

Cast: Leslie Cheung（张国荣）, Tony Leung Chiu-wai（梁朝伟）, Chang Chen（张震）

Location I watched: Capitol Theatre

The 6^th Singapore Chinese Film Festival (SCFF) was held from 27 April to 6 May. The festival picked Chinese language films from not only Mainland China but also other areas like Southeast Asia. For the retrospective section, this year featured a Hong Kong actor, Leslie Cheung, who passed away at the age of 46 in 2003. Actually I am not a fan of Leslie, but eventually I watched 3 out of 4 films featuring him during the Festival. This film, “Happy Together” was the closing film of SCFF this year. The venue was Capitol Theatre. This beautiful restored heritage building was fit for Leslie Cheung, one of the most gorgeous Hong Kong stars. The screening had a good crowd. About 900 seats in Capitol Theatre were almost full. I realized then how popular Leslie is still… When SCFF programmed the retrospective of a director King Hu, everybody did not come. How come? The King Hu retrospective was very good and I really enjoyed it… I resented this situation a little bit. Anyway, “Happy Together” crowd was diverse; young ladies, not so young ladies, gay couples and cinephiles and so on. At the venue, I bumped into a film friend. He was interested in “Happy Together” because he could not watch this film when it was first screened in Singapore back in 1998. “Happy Together” is rated at R21 in Singapore… Even if I had been in Singapore in 1998, I could have watched this film without any issues.... The 1990s felt recent for me; it is like just 5 years ago. In fact, it is more than 2 decades. 1990s has already become a part of history.

I do not know why I did not go to watch “Happy Together” when it was first released in Japan. Maybe Wong Kar-wai was very popular at that time in Japan. I used to be a bit of a twisted youngster. Or maybe I did not like the plot of 2 beautiful male stars being a gay couple. To me, it felt like flattering female audience. I used to be a quite twisted youngster. After I missed the original screening in the cinema, I did not have any other chance to watch this film. Sometimes this happens. I think it must be a destiny between me and the film. On the other hand, there are some films I have seen many times, although I do not have a strong interest. For example, I have seen Pier Paolo Pasolini’s “Pigsty” two times in the cinema. 1^st time was in Japan and 2^nd time was in Singapore. Each time I finished watching it, I always thought that I did not like this film very much. Maybe it is a destiny between me and “Pigsty”.

Anyway, this time around, the destiny between me and “Happy Together” came together. I suddenly felt like watching this film and bought a ticket at the last minute. In 2018, I watched this film with a fairer heart. It was a good film. The storyline was clearer than what I had expected. Actually the story is simple. A gay couple is just repeating fighting and bonding. Lai (played by Tony Leung) and Ho (played by Leslie Cheung), they travelled to Argentina from Hong Kong to “start over”. On the halfway of the trip, they used up all their money, and now they are stuck in Buenos Aires. The protagonist, Lai cannot escape from his femme fatale boyfriend, Ho (for me, the protagonist is Lai, not Ho). However, Lai finally decides to leave him and departs from Buenos Aires alone. To make this simple story interesting, one of the important elements is how Ho played by Leslie Cheung is a diva. Because of that, the relationship between Lai and Ho is sometimes funny and sometimes painful. They are connected so thick that it attracts the audience and drags into their story.

On the other hand, the third man, Chang (played by Chang Chen) is like the character of Wong Kar-wai’s films in my memory. Unlike Lai and Ho living their life on the screen, Chang rather seems to embody a mood, which Wong Kar-wai creates. I used to feel that the mood was very like the 1990’s. When I was young, I did not like that point so much because it was too cool for me. In “Happy Together”, the mood of loneliness in a metropolis is beautifully created. The images coloured the film let us feel like having something metaphoric. In there, even a lame jacket Tony Leung is wearing magically looks cool. The story happening from an intimate relationship, and the mood with suggestive images---“Happy Together” is a film created between narrative and non-narrative. The film is attractively drifting between them and has become an unforgettable one.

The venue, Capitol Theatre, it is like a building in a Wong Kar-wai's film

By the way, I was impressed by Lay’s vitality to earn money in a foreign country. If I were him, I do not think I could save money and go back to Hong Kong. (5 July 2018)

The entrance of Capitol Theatre