四個春天

昨晚在戀愛館看了一部很清新、樸實、很有人情味的紀錄片。製作人把他父母的日常生活很真實地記錄下來。在他鏡頭下，是一對很可愛的年老夫婦，他們的可愛在於對生命的熱愛和積極樂觀的生活態度。八十多歲的老先生簡直是一位萬能士，寫得一手漂亮的書法， 也可以用幾種不同的樂器奏出動聽的音樂。老太太也很有本領，她可以縫製衣服鞋襪，也可以為款客弄一桌美味的菜餚！

兩夫婦相處得很融洽，令人看得很舒服，老伯伯為太太染髮，到後來太太為他剪髮。兩夫婦經常並肩上山採藥，看著兩老偶爾走過一些不太平坦的山路時，也很替他們擔心，但他們握著手杖，踏着輕鬆的腳步， 慢慢向前走，偶爾還唱著歌，跳起舞來呢!

他們熱愛生命 ，關懷身邊的人，也對身邊事物產生好奇，在屋簷上築巢的燕子 、小池塘的魚兒， 以及不知從哪裏寄來的一箱蜜蜂，都為他們的生活帶來希望和樂趣。老伯伯經常說 “好玩!” ，顯示出他樂天及知足常樂的性格，雖然經歷親人離世的痛苦，仍然不減他們對人生的熱愛。他們對最新的網絡通訊，還唧唧稱奇，老太太在使用手機時開心的笑聲，逗得觀眾也禁不住笑了出來！

正如電影的名字一樣，故事以四個春天為主線，描述老夫婦和家人度春節的情景。 雖然沒有一般賀歲片般熱鬧搞笑 但其樸實和溫馨的作風，更加討好，讓我們對人生、對來年有更多的體會。

Film Review - Ah Ming's Macau

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The film “Ah Ming’s Macau” is about Macau at a time when there was a lot of uncertainty about its future. As the name suggests, the film describes Macau as viewed from the perspective of Ah Ming, who was trying to raise fund for the production of a film to serve as his graduation project.

While waiting for sponsorship and collecting information to enrich his script, Ah Ming went around the city trying to observe what was going on. He also interviewed people from different walks of life. He thus learned that people were at a loss as to how they could cope with the unforeseeable changes that would come along with the transfer of Macau’s sovereignty to China. While some were considering emigrating overseas for better political stability, Macau’s shrinking economy also caused some others to look for better job opportunities in places like Taiwan. All was due to a lack of confidence in Macau’s future.

The director is also keen on showing Macau’s increasing dependence on the gaming industry and support from China. There is a shot focusing in on Hotel Lisboa and the Bank of China facing each other, the former being a gaming giant and the latter symbolizing China’s increasing influences. The imminent approach of the transfer of sovereignty is also depicted in another shot showing the Portuguese flag drooping on one side and the Chinese flag flying on the other. 

On the other hand, Ah Ming also found himself at a dilemma: Should he persist with his project with a budget so huge as to scare off the prospective sponsors, or should he look for a job to remove the worries of his family? He raised doubt about whether it was necessary for a person to be working in employment to assure himself of his own value. 

Though for the main part the film tends to impress the audience with the unpredictability of life, it also brings hope in the form of support from Ah Ming’s family and encouragement from his friends. In particular, it has captured the deep sense of intimacy between Ah Ming and his mother. While nagging repeatedly about Ah Ming’s hanging around doing nothing, she could not hide her love for him. The scene with Ah Ming carrying his mother on his back for fun brings unexpected cheers and shows his optimistic nature despite the setbacks he encounters.

Watching the movie now, more than twenty years later, we are of course well informed of Macau’s situation after the handover. Likewise, we also know what happened to Ah Ming’s project finally. But this will not lessen our interest in the film. It guides us on a trip down memory lane. It also shows us how a young man can struggle to have his aspirations accomplished with intangible tenacity. I have one question, though: will the director consider making another movie with the name “Ah Ming’s Macau at present”?

An inspirational talk about reading

The moment I spotted the announcement on Facebook about Mr. Rai Mitsu’s talk in Pui Ching Middle School, I left a comment requesting the opportunity to attend it. I was curious about his path to success as a novelist and columnist. Besides, I would like to learn from him how reading could be nurtured among school children.

Mr. Rai’s talk was more than the mere promotion of reading. It was a sharing of his life experience and his long-term dedication to reading. Referring in turn to the books that had accompanied him through his teenage years, he explained how literary works had been his source of satisfaction as well as the guide towards his life goals. He first got fascinated with books in primary school as they were available free of charge from the library. Reading had also helped him through setbacks and frustrations in his secondary school life.

Besides, he considers reading a useful source of information as books provide a boundless sea of knowledge and skills. Reading for the sake of learning something interesting can make one a happier person. Moreover, through reading, we can learn to dig out questions, while, on the other hand, reading can also help us seek answers to the questions. In addition, as reading enables us to understand more about people and about life, people who read extensively can get along with one another more easily and can better accommodate human imperfections. 

His list of books included a few comics, a bit surprising to me at first, though. But I was convinced that it is usually the fun of reading that keeps the reader glued to the book.  Mr. Rai has actually got inspired by a few comics and even his pen name is related to a character in one of them.

He encouraged the students to do extensive reading. According to him, one must read ten books to be able to write one. To win someone in love, one must first be a love worthy person himself. There are indeed endless life lessons to be acquired from books. He concluded that though we may not gain much from reading, we will definitely suffer great losses if we do not read.

I just can’t wait to share about Mr. Rai’s talk, which was inspirational and philosophically appealing, with my grand niece and nephews. I hope I can convince them of the attractions of books while they are still in their teens. I will also get back to my own reading as soon as possible.

A Movie with a Philosophical Appeal : “Every Day a Good Day”

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Taken literally, the film’s name “Every Day a Good Day” delivers a simple message. A far more thorough implication, however, can be derived from the story as it slowly unfolds.

The story is about how Noriko, the chief female character, stumbles into sadō (the way of tea) and gradually grows fascinated with it until it becomes an integral part of her life. 

The film focuses on the various sessions of the tea ceremony class. The elderly Takeda-sensei (the instructor) demands strict adherence to details: the number of steps to be taken when moving across each square of the mattress, the way to fold and unfold a fukusa (small cloth), how to allow the tea to drip from the tea ladle and where and how to place the ladle, etc. There are, in fact, many details for careful attention, details that we may take for granted and may even consider negligible. 

Such demand for accuracy, however, does not make the training monotonous or tedious. Conversely, it is a pleasant experience of using all five senses to appreciate the beauty of the art. As Takeda-sensei puts it, when the skill is well acquired, the hands will do their part smoothly and gracefully.  This is reminiscent of Noriko s mother’s previous comment on the uniqueness in the way the instructor bows. It is thus understood that sadō can affect the way the tea preparer carries herself in her daily life. 

Another focus no less inspiring is that during the training, the student is inevitably attracted by a wall hanging bearing a short phrase written in what seems to be Chinese calligraphy. The wall hanging is changed occasionally and the phrase chosen is coherent with the seasonal changes. There is, for example, one phrase that refers to the autumn breeze and another to the winter snow. This is accompanied with the beautiful garden scenes viewed through the windows of the parlour. And that is perhaps how Noriko comes to be aware of the sound difference between boiled water and cold water dripping down the ladle. 

As the film shows, not only seasons change with the passing time. Change is inevitable in life. This is the truth that Noriko learns as she gradually grows in age. In fact, things happen to her and to the people around her out of her expectation as time rolls by. According to Takeda-sensei, most of the things that happen in life are beyond our control. Noriko thus learns to appreciate the beauty of even trifling matters in the daily life; she exclaims in admiration each time she unwraps the lovely sweeties served before the tea. 

The film thus has a philosophic appeal, inspiring us to treasure every beautiful moment while it lasts. This is perhaps the message implied in the title “Every Day a Good Day”. Though I may not have the interest in or even the opportunity of learning sadō, I have got inspired by the philosophy to treasure the wonder of the present moment, and, definitely, I will derive greater joy from the simple act of tea drinking from now on.

The Icing on the Cake

I have taken an interest in the films selected for the Cross-Strait cum Hong Kong and Macao College Student FilmFestival at Cinematheque.Passion. I enjoy the films partly because they satisfy my curiosity about the skills of young directors still in the infancy of their exploration into the filmmaking world. My greatest pleasure, however, is attending the post screening talk. To a certain extent, I find it identical with a class in the Film Critics Program, from which I have derived so much joy and satisfaction.

Guided by the host, each individual director shares about his/her experience of film production and the message he/she wants the film to deliver. And there is inevitably discussion about some techniques used. To my great satisfaction, some of the techniques mentioned happen to be those I focused on while watching the film. On the other hand, I also get happily inspired by some details I have left out.

The interaction between the guest speakers and the audience is a great highlight, too. It reminds me of the Q & A session of the Film Critics class. But this time, instead of our lecturer explaining the techniques, it is the director talking about his own movie. As mentioned previously, questions usually arise on my mind while watching a film or afterwards. What can be more delightful than having the questions answered by the director himself?

During the talk after the movie “The Premise”, I asked a question about its Chinese name “Egg Wash”. In his answer, the director explained that the expression “egg wash” referred to a deliberate explosion in protest against an unfavourable condition. In the movie, people throw eggs at a farmer’s window in an attempt to make him agree to sell his farm. And the director’s mentor, who was among the audience, further explained the implication of the expression, referring even to its relation to democratic movements. This is a detail we audience may not have expected to learn from the movie.

I was particularly impressed by the director of a Hong Kong film named “Bomb of Love”. The pretty young girl’s sharing clarified some of my doubt about the film. Then a lady beside me raised questions about a few shots used. Obviously a director herself, she spoke so fast in PuTong Hua that I could not figure out what it was that she wanted to know. But seemingly without much thinking, the director responded to the questions fluently, also in PuTong Hua. I marveled at how the young girl took the challenging questions in stride. 

That is why I enjoy the post screening talks so much. In my opinion, while a well presented movie is already an art of self-expression, the director’s interaction with the audience is the icing on the cake.

Be appreciative

I was in Hong Kong attending a spiritual retreat organized by the Macau Biblical Association over the past weekend. Prior to that, we had been assigned a few paragraphs in Pope Francis’ Encyclical Letter “On Care of Our Common Home” for our reading. We thus went with the expectation for a message from God through our contact with Nature.

The retreat began with a hiking trip in the Pak Sin Leng Country Park in Tuen Mun  (八仙嶺郊野公 園),  Hong Kong. Upon our arrival, we had a leisurely walk along the Lau Shui Heung Country Trail (流水響郊遊徑), stopping occasionally to admire the breathtaking scenery. The trail was lined with trees of different kinds. In spite of the approach of winter, most of the leaves remained fresh and green. We were particularly captivated by a rectangular-shaped pond with rows of trees forming what seemed to be a green curtain on one bank while their shadows cast on the water looked like a green carpet covering part of the pond. And in one area there was a large patch of flowering plants with a delightful pink that broke the monotony of the greenness. 

Fascinated by the scenic beauty of the place, we could not resist the camera urge. It seemed as if photo taking were the only thing we could do to show how much we appreciated the beauty of Nature. In fact, we saw the beauty as a rarity in Hong Kong, a city so prosperous and so filled with boisterous activities.

On our return journey, we met a number of school boys coming in the opposite direction. As a few walked past me, I heard one of them saying with excitement, “I’ve just scored a goal!” I then noticed the mobile phone in his hands. Obviously absorbed in his game, he walked unsteadily as he was making his way along the narrow path. I was about to call out to him to mind his steps but thought better of it when I caught sight of a young man who was probably the teacher.

When I got back to my reading later that evening, I started searching for the verses which had arisen on my mind during the hiking. One of them was verse 97 of “On Care of Our Common Home”, which tells how Jesus has taught us with his exemplary deeds to be in constant touch with Nature and to be attentive to its beauty.

In addition, verse 215 stresses the importance of the relationship between a good aesthetic education and the maintenance of a healthy environment. If we learn to see and appreciate beauty, we learn to reject self-interested pragmatism and consumerism. On the other hand, people who do not learn to stop and admire something beautiful tend to treat everything as an object to be used, thus abusing without scruple. It further draws attention to the need for education on a new way of thinking about human beings, life, society and our relationship with Nature.

The new way of thinking, as I see it, refers to being appreciative of beauty in its natural sense. Only when we appreciate the beauty of Nature will we show genuine concern about environmental conservation. When I was admiring the towering trees along the country trail, I wondered how long they could survive. Would these trees fall victims to increasing urbanization one day? On the other hand, people who care only for material gains from a prosperous economy and do not see the beauty of trees would find deforestation a means to an end and turn a blind eye to the resultant damage to the environment.

An awareness of the beauty of Nature ought to be aroused among the people, especially the youngsters. The school kid whom I met on the trail was so engrossed in his game that he was hardly aware of the trees along the way, far less admiring their beauty. Their teacher had done a good job arranging for them a visit to the country park but more efforts were needed to educate them on the right concept about the beauty of things. If youngsters like that one do not learn to appreciate the natural environment, and, instead, constantly indulge themselves in material goods, how can they be trusted to contribute to environmental conservation? 

We have got a lot of inspiration from the retreat. And my reflection focuses on one particular message from God: we must learn to appreciate the beauty of Nature, our common home, and take great lengths to ensure its sustainability.

What Damages the Boy’s Beauty – Movie Review: Beautiful Boy

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“Beautiful Boy” is a movie telling a plain story. The few preview shots already give a sketchy summary of what it is all about. In his interview by Los Angeles Times, David Sheff, a veteran journalist, relates his long struggle to get Nic, his son, out of the abyss of misery into which he has fallen as a result of his drug addiction. However, by no means is the movie weakly plotted. Though without an interesting dramatic story to captivate the viewers with, the movie serves well to draw attention to long established facts in relation to teen drug abuse problems. And, to achieve this aim, the director has used very impressive filming and editing techniques.

To show David’s repeated attempts at helping his son stop drug taking, the editing uses a number of “jump-cuts”, in which a continuous shot is suddenly broken and the image jumps to another background or even the same background but at a different time. At one shot David is reporting the loss of his son to the police and the next moment finds him talking with the latter at a different scene. Similarly, Nic, who is the sweet innocent teenage boy, suddenly becomes the drug addict that he has later turned out to be. This may be the director’s intention to show the father’s unfailing love for his son since his childhood. Hence, the temporal continuity of the scene is broken up from time to time, sometimes even in a rather confused fashion. 

Good sound effects are also used to keep the audience engaged emotionally. Very heavy rock music accompanies the boy driving a car in a heightened mood under the influence of a drug. Jazz music shows that the father is high on meth when he tries its effect for the purpose of research. And there are repeated multimusical beats getting louder and louder as the worried father is waiting in the hospital for news about his son. There is dead silence when the couple is watching their kids singing and dancing on stage, signifying David’s obsession with Nic’s critical condition. In addition, the appropriate use of canned music to punctuate a scene enhances the mood to be created. A few classical songs such as “Sunrise, Sunset”, “Heart of Gold” are an occasional welcome relief from the sadness of the family. And John Lennon’s “Beautiful Boy”, the theme song, is undoubtedly the most soothing piece. Sounds, on the whole, are carefully constructed and manipulated with more satisfactory effects than what dialogues could have achieved otherwise.

We are all aware of incessant efforts to raise public concern about the serious harm done to the drug addicts and their families. And, in this aspect, “Beautiful Boy” is doing a good job. And, viewers are advised to stay till the end of the closing credits and be prepared for an amazing presentation.