Change Your Image
PJ Cruz
Reviews
Hysteric (2000)
A fun interpretation of an old theme
At first, it appears that director Zeze Takahisa is just jumping on the bandwagon of "killer lovers on the road" movies that began with "Bonnie & Clyde" and wore thin with "Love & A .45" (by way of "True Romance" "Natural Born Killers", and everything in between).
But there is a poignancy to this film that is absent in the others. While other directors dehumanize their protagonists, turning them into distant media icons, Takahisa inspires a sense of sympathy for Tomoaki and Mami. As the gun-toting lovers make their way from the dreary urban wastelands, to the Japanese countryside, the audience are treated to moments of vulnerability that make the characters more well-rounded than their Western counterparts.
Zeze uses familiar plot devices to call into question the senseless materialism of modern-day Japan, and the viewer is treated to a stylized, expressionistic world of otherwise familiar sites: family-run restaurants, beach houses, pachinko (Japanese pinball) parlors, etc.
[When I watched "Hysteric" at the Hong Kong International Film Festival (2000), the organizers repeatedly emphasized that the film is based on a true crime, so I suppose that Zeze must think that this is important to note.]
All in all, it's a fun interpretation of an otherwise saturated genre.
Bayaning 3rd World (2000)
a wonderful post-modern interpretation of a hero's life
This film uses the example of Philippine national hero Jose Rizal, in order to call into question the myth-making process, and it problematizes the very method of writing history.
It is a meta-film, of sorts, presented from the perspective of two film-makers who are hoping to "reconstruct" the life of Rizal as a "mystery movie", which answers the many questions that mainstream history conveniently "forgets about", in its efforts to characterize Rizal as a hero.
Director Mike DeLeon tries his hand at pastiche film-making, using a post-modern mix of mock commercials, archival historical footage, stylized re-creations of past events, and conventional narrative film-making. The end result is a cinematic patchwork that is alternately funny, enlightening, and smart, without ever coming across as too high-brow or pretentious.
Quite frankly, this film is so complex that my words alone cannot do it justice. If you are at all interested in Rizal, historiography, or how a hero is "made"-- go watch this now, if you can!
Daun di Atas Bantal (1998)
a harrowing portrait of Indonesian street life
"Leaf on a Pillow" reaffirmed my faith in the ability of South-East Asian film-makers. It is a grim, touching story about the plight of Indonesian street kids. The film depicts a society where livelihood is dependent on small businesses, and petty crime is a downright institution. In the mean streets of Yogyakarta, senseless violence is a GIVEN. <p> Watching this is a harrowing experience, from the opening scenes of a D-I-Y piercing, to the ultimate uncovering of a Government conspiracy. It's not quite as shocking as Tran Anh Hung's "Cyclo", but it's much more brutal in the way it deals with day-to-day injustices.
The director owes much to Scorsese. He uses rich, brown hues and dramatic lighting, creating a glum, rustic atmosphere, amidst the low-rent urban sprawl. You really feel for the homeless street children, and their aging, resilient den-mother.
"Leaf on a Pillow" is an example of simple, well-crafted narrative cinema. There is no hard-ass street lingo, or fancy slow-mo gunfights-- just great film-making.This movie brought a tear to my eye-- not very common, in an age of CGI and digital gimmickery.