During the talk following a local film presentation at Weng Lok Theatre yesterday evening, the host asked who among the audience had seen Macau movies only for the first time. I hesitated about raising my hand. I had seen local movies before, but those were commercials targeted mainly at tourists. The ones we had just watched, however, were novelties in terms of the artistic elements involved. Characterized by the local filming sites, they naturally appealed to our sense of nostalgia. But of course, there were other attractions, too, especially the fact that the movie, “Crash”, had won the Best Film Award in the drama category at the South Taiwan Film Festival .
The three short films are of high artistic value. Though each conveys a different message, they all give a clear picture of the ugliness of human nature. ‘The light’, the first of the three, tells about a lady who is eager for marriage while her boyfriend, a compulsive gambler, cares only about paying his debt by winning a prize in Mark Six. There are others also thirsty for money, including even a young boy of less than ten. Towards the end of the story, which could have been a tragic one because of a murder, the few characters are still arguing about their shares of the cash prize. Indeed it is a reflection of human weaknesses.
Greed is also displayed in ‘Crash’, the second film. This time it is greediness for fame and popularity. The chief character, a high school teacher who often fails to grab his students’ attention in class, becomes flattered by more and more facebook responses to his appeal for compassion for the disappearance of his mother. Another focus of the film is on the ignorance of many facebook users. Some take pleasure in sharing about themselves, whether it is something joyful or saddening. Others jump on the bandwagon without realizing what they are doing. The story has quite a surprising ending: instead of rejoicing at the discovery of his mother in a closet, he leaves her hidden there so that he can maintain the vain glory he has taken delight in.
The story about a tricyclist is another case in point. The pedicab-driver has seen a client draw money from a briefcase to pay him for his service. In his eagerness to deal with his family’s financial problem, he threatens the client with the pointed ends of the chopsticks and grabs the briefcase. But to his great disappointment, the briefcase is later found to be empty. Though the robbery has been due to an urgent need, the pedicab driver suffers from a guilty conscience probably for the rest of his life. The story is thus another moral lesson about failure to resist temptation.
During the post-screening talk, the three young directors shared about their experience of film production. As expected, they had had to overcome tremendous challenges to achieve success. What topped the list was the attempt to gain access to financial aid. There were other hurdles to iron out, of course, but none of them would dampen their enthusiasm for film making. Though they may have sometimes felt left out in the community, they were determined to commit themselves to achieving their aspirations. To them, doing what they were interested in was what had brought them real joy. Besides, they were proud to help draw global attention to Macau through their participation in international film festivals.
The three short films are of high artistic value. Though each conveys a different message, they all give a clear picture of the ugliness of human nature. ‘The light’, the first of the three, tells about a lady who is eager for marriage while her boyfriend, a compulsive gambler, cares only about paying his debt by winning a prize in Mark Six. There are others also thirsty for money, including even a young boy of less than ten. Towards the end of the story, which could have been a tragic one because of a murder, the few characters are still arguing about their shares of the cash prize. Indeed it is a reflection of human weaknesses.
Greed is also displayed in ‘Crash’, the second film. This time it is greediness for fame and popularity. The chief character, a high school teacher who often fails to grab his students’ attention in class, becomes flattered by more and more facebook responses to his appeal for compassion for the disappearance of his mother. Another focus of the film is on the ignorance of many facebook users. Some take pleasure in sharing about themselves, whether it is something joyful or saddening. Others jump on the bandwagon without realizing what they are doing. The story has quite a surprising ending: instead of rejoicing at the discovery of his mother in a closet, he leaves her hidden there so that he can maintain the vain glory he has taken delight in.
The story about a tricyclist is another case in point. The pedicab-driver has seen a client draw money from a briefcase to pay him for his service. In his eagerness to deal with his family’s financial problem, he threatens the client with the pointed ends of the chopsticks and grabs the briefcase. But to his great disappointment, the briefcase is later found to be empty. Though the robbery has been due to an urgent need, the pedicab driver suffers from a guilty conscience probably for the rest of his life. The story is thus another moral lesson about failure to resist temptation.
During the post-screening talk, the three young directors shared about their experience of film production. As expected, they had had to overcome tremendous challenges to achieve success. What topped the list was the attempt to gain access to financial aid. There were other hurdles to iron out, of course, but none of them would dampen their enthusiasm for film making. Though they may have sometimes felt left out in the community, they were determined to commit themselves to achieving their aspirations. To them, doing what they were interested in was what had brought them real joy. Besides, they were proud to help draw global attention to Macau through their participation in international film festivals.
Yes, that was my first experience of viewing Macau movies. I believe this will be followed by more in the future. I hope that more and more people will appreciate the joy of movie viewing in the cinema and will give Macau’s filmmakers special support as their efforts are worth our appreciation and encouragement.
