Two Asian films over the weekend.
One, not completely, revisited parts of ‘In The Mood For Love’ – deleted scenes and selected scenes in youtube and all scenes that accompany the haunting theme music – the only scene in which both the couples are present, with the lead pair walking in and walking out of the room - the scene at the noodle shop - simply enchanting. This one is way up in my favourites, creates the mood for love impeccably. Mis-en-scene at it’s best.
Two – flavor of the season, current Asian sensation, the vaLarum kalaignar whose name can only be copy-pasted from Wiki , who made the film which has this-title-that-begins-with-Uncle-Boonmee-and-many-more-words-following-it that won the recent Palme d’Or - Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Sud Pralad. (In case you missed the apostrophe, the first two words are the director’s name and the later two the film’s name). English title – Tropical Malady. Bewildering experiment. orE the astonishment & orE the impressive. By calling bewildering I mean mystifying more than confusing as I was more impressed with its tone and approach rather than what it intended to say. The metaphysical baggage, the allegorical references etc., looked too literal at first, but was captivating as it proceeded. I can already see this one becoming a favorite after repeated viewings. Popular critics and trusted bloggers call this one as the film of that decade. Already chewing on this film like a lazy cow. Those chilling moments, defining moments etc., Lined up his earlier films as well. And for people who are blessed with both the inability to sit through prolonged shots of darkness & sleep troubles – this is a must watch.