Two period films at the Chinese Film Festival

The second half of 2014 has seen a good number of film festivals (local and international) being held in the country thus far. We had the Eiga Sai, the World Premieres Film Festival, the Moviemov:Italian Film Festival, the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival and the Silent International Film Festival. And now, the Chinese Film Festival, being held at participating SM Cinemas from Sept. 5 to 9 (and next week, the much-awaited Cine Europa at Shang Cineplex). As with the others, this festival is free. In a country whose film industry is being heavily-monitored and -sanctioned by the so-called revolutionary government, it's interesting to find out how the Chinese filmmakers are able to manage their artistic outputs. 

The first film that I saw was "Back to 1942" (2012, 146 mins), directed by Feng Xiaogang. 

Whenever we see the horrors of the Second World War being depicted on film, it's almost always from the perspective of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich and the Holocaust. With "Back to 1942", the focus this time around is different:the drought and famine experienced by China's Henan province and Japanese imperialism during World War II. And the effect is no different. The film is incredibly harrowing and moving. Its indelibly haunting images approximate the quality of those in Shohei Imamura's "Black Rain", while its occasional stab at uneasy humor closely recalls the kind found in Jiang Wen's "Devils on the Doorstep" - and both films are likewise situated at the time of the Second World War. As with his previous film "Aftershock" (also one of the entries in the festival), Feng once again shows the magnanimous toll a social/natural disaster exacts on human lives, though unlike in the first film the dramatics are remarkably contained in "Back to 1942" (not that they weren't put to good effect in the former). There are still weepy moments in the film (especially those involving the death of a loved one as brought about by the famine), but they aren't the kind that overstay their welcome. Rather, the portrayal is just enough to tug one's heart. The film also sounds an alarm bell, in that it is quite direct in showing how the public and military officials (from both national and abroad) could actually have a sly hand in the slow and agonizing death of the citizens, by way of corruption, manipulation and evasion. Just as it was back then, so as it is up till now. Food is a very basic necessity for us to sustain our being. Thus, when it reaches the brink of becoming terribly endangered, there seems to be no hope left for humankind and all imaginable atrocities (murder, theft, prostitution, cannibalism, etc) could be committed. After seeing "Back to 1942", one would really think twice before throwing that leftover food on the plate. 

The second film that I was able to see was "The Grandmaster" (2013, 130 mins) by Wong Kar-wai. 

There are many who have imitated Wong Kar-wai's cinematics, but there can only be one Wong Kar-wai. "The Grandmaster" is utterly gorgeous, poetic, magnificent and breathtaking. Wong's films have always looked and felt good on the big screen ("Happy Together", "Chungking Express") - and this latest film of his is no exception. In the meticulously-staged martial arts fight scenes alone, every movement of the hands and feet, every moment of bodies flying through or being thrown off in the air, every drop of rain or drip of blood or haze of smoke that garnishes the fights are intimately rendered onscreen, almost in a fetishistic kind of way. It's like saying that the entire grand gesture of the fight is the sum of these minutest details. Being known as a romanticist and a poet of the lovelorn, the avid cineaste will be surely amazed at how Wong was able to deftly and delicately stage those captivating fights (not without the help, of course, of some well-known fight instructors). Though looking back, the director wasn't really a stranger to having an "action" scene in his films, as he had shown in "As Tears Go By", "Ashes of Time" and "Chungking Express". And he had even made a "sci-fi" - "2046"! More than the story of Wing Chun master and Bruce Lee-trainor Ip Man, as portrayed with subdued and dignified, yet masterly composure by Wong regular Tony Leung Chiu Wai (from the year 1932 up to the year 1972), "The Grandmaster" is about the philosophy and poetry of martial arts, the fleeting nature of time and memory, and the aching quality of a romantic yearning. If I only have one "misgiving" against the film, it's that it feels like there are still a lot more stories to be told in it, stories which are not covered enough even with a running time of a little over two hours (some feel abridged or incomplete, like the one about the Razor Man or about Gong Er's revenge). If there's indeed a longer version of the film (about four hours, they say), then such a finding gains more weight. Otherwise, "The Grandmaster" is one beautiful cinematic experience. 

(To be continued.)

("Back to 1942" (top) and "The Grandmaster" (below):Two fine pieces of period cinema at the ongoing Chinese Film Festival.)