A Child with an Unbending Will – Movie review : Capernaum

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While Capernaum is a city known for the times of Jesus’ preaching in the synagogue, it also refers to a place of great chaos. The name is chosen for the film to depict the chaotic situation in which Zain, a Lebanese boy, is brought up. Indeed the movie begins with a grand aerial bird's eye shot of the slums of Beirut, preparing the audience for the plight of the boy born in extreme destitution. 

The Chinese name “星仔打官司”, on the other hand, is more representative of the main theme of the story, featuring a lawsuit Zain is filing against his parents. The court scene is interrupted by occasional flashbacks showing Zain’s struggles through life. The director is very careful with details about the treatment Zain receives in and outside the home, thus justifying his hatred for his parents, whom he considers guilty of giving birth to him.

It may be controversial whether a twelve-year-old child can sue his parents. In fact, according to the filmmaker, the film is intended to go beyond the borders of being a film; it is a cry for help. And the court case serves just the right purpose. The accusation is actually directed against the Lebanese government for its inability to address social ills such as abject poverty, child abuse, child brides and forced marriages, child trafficking and the undocumented population. The film is an appeal to the world for better understanding of the appalling situation so that more can be done to deal with the children deprived of fundamental rights. 

What impresses the audience most of all is the description of Zain’s strong and aggressive personality. There are frequent close-ups of the blank look on his smileless face. Yet,  by no means does he submit to fate. Hardly is there any tear in his eyes even when he is trampled on and spat at. The audience, who first take delight in the way he survives through his wits, have their emotions more intensely engaged when Zain’s anger gradually boils deep inside him until he finally resorts to violence to avenge his sister’s death. 

Despite its melancholic tone, the film is not short of amusing interludes. There are a few laugh lines including the conversation between the immigration officer and the eccentric old man whom Zain has met on the bus. It is fun, too, watching the tenderness with which Zain babysits the child of an Ethiopian refugee.

Credited with an arresting story and the superb performance of the actors, the movie is well worth the fame of being the Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and is undoubtedly one of the best on my must-see list.

Miracles still occur today

When asked about the possibility of miracles today, I usually affirm my belief without doubt. In fact, I can claim to have more than once experienced God’s providence, which I presume to be miracles in my life. Though they are by no means supernatural acts like those Jesus performed in His times, they have somehow enhanced my awareness of God’s presence and caring concern for me. What follows is a description of an experience of mine which can lend support to my claim.

I was on my way home after attending Mass one morning when I caught sight of a man waiting at a zebra crossing. As I approached him, I heard him repeating a question as if speaking into the air, "Can I get across now?" Seeing the walking stick in his hand, I realized that he was a blind man seeking help. I patted him on the shoulder, telling him that there were no cars at the moment and that he could walk straight ahead. Then I went on my way.

 Feeling a bit uneasy, however, I turned to see if he was all right. To my horror, I saw a few cars coming in his direction. Fortunately, a lady was there in time to help him. Though the cars stopped at the zebra crossing, their sudden arrival must have scared the poor man out of his wits!

How thoughtless I had been! I should not have overestimated his ability of self-care and should, instead, have walked with him across the road! I felt the pang of conscience for the rest of the day. I kept praying to God for forgiveness, promising Him that if I chanced to meet the blind man again, I would definitely offer my help. In reality, I was hopeless of another chance encounter with him.

But I did meet him again on the following day! Imagine my joy and surprise!It was in the street adjacent to the one where our paths had crossed previously. I went to him to offer my help without a moment’s hesitation. And he gladly allowed me to hold his spare hand.  It being the rush hour, we had to carefully pick our way between the cars in spite of the zebra crossing. It was obviously too dangerous for a handicapped person like him to manage on his own. 

On reaching the other side of the street, he told me cheerfully that he lived nearby and that he was having his daily morning stroll in the vicinity. "If I were to stop walking," he said jokingly, "my life would soon come to an end!"  When I said good bye to him, he thanked me and promised to treat me to morning tea some day.

I have gone that way several times since the incident but never again have I met him. He must still be having his daily walk with self confidence while at the same time cherishing the hope that there is always someone ready with a helping hand whenever he needs it. 

This, I believe, is one way God works miracles in our daily lives, giving hope to people who need care and concern and, on the other hand, providing the well-intentioned ones with the opportunity to volunteer their service.

I thank God for having forgiven me for my negligence and for granting me the second chance. Yes, miracles still occur if only we care to seek God’s presence and put our trust in Him.

Ka Ming ‘s talk

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At the check – in counter, I found my name topping the list of attendants. It was no surprise at all for, as soon as the talk was announced on Facebook, I lost no time to make a seat reservation. I saw it as another lesson on film analysis greatly missed since the termination of the Films Critics Program last year. In fact, the opportunity to listen to our lecturer again was too great an attraction to resist! 

Of course, I was also curious about Almodóvar’s films. The name of the talk suggested “making way for Almodóvar, the unorthodox genius”. I wondered how morally unacceptable they were to the conservative, myself included.

Ka Ming’s talk had the answers to all my questions. It focused on two main characteristics of Almodóvar’s films: on the one hand, they include bizarre elements non conforming to ethical standards and, on the other, they can be emotionally engaging with very careful descriptions of sentimental love between people. The few extracts that Ka Ming showed on the screen impressed us with the colourful display of the scenes, preferences for female personalities and obvious influences from Hitchcock’s movies.

Though intended to serve mainly promotional purposes, the talk satisfied my thirst for information about film analysis. Much of what Ka King said was reminiscent of what we had learned about filming techniques. He has also convinced me that Almodóvar’s films have good reasons for their popularity though personally, I do not find their genre appealing as I am a conservative type of person cherishing my religious faith.

Movie Review – 3 Faces

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Still with fond thoughts about the film “Where is the friend’s home” , I had high expectations for “3 Faces” (伊朗三面戲劇人生), also an Iranian film. Though less favorably impressed, I find the latter artistically appealing especially in the way it weaves through the traditional beliefs and practices in the simple Iranian villages. Some of the filmmaking techniques used are also thought provoking enough to make the film worth writing a review about.

The film begins with a video showing a girl appealing for help and later appearing to have hanged herself to death. This is obviously one of the three faces implied in the film’s name. Looking earnest and half sobbing, the girl is seemingly prepared for the suicidal act and the video ends suddenly, leaving the audience in suspense.

Following this is the close-up of Behnaz Jafari, the well-known actress who has received the video via director Jafar Panahi. It is her distraught looking face that is shown in the entire long shot while that of the director, her companion on the trip, remains hidden. She is then seen walking restlessly about, leaving the director in the car answering phone calls, hinting that Jafari, in her anxiety about the suspected suicidal case, has walked out on her job of filmmaking.

Close-ups are also used to display the anxiety on the face of Panahi when he watches Jafari walking down a trail to a cottage in the distance. What happens in the cottage is not known. However, it can be deduced that Jafari, despite her fury previously, is there seeking a better understanding of the girl, who has caused her to be on the point of a nervous breakdown. Though seemingly an outsider, Panahi is with Jafari spiritually all the while. And the long shot can achieve this effect much better than the actual scene with Jafari talking with the girl and her cousin.

During the search, Safari and Panahi come into contact with the locals, thus getting to know about the Iranian hospitalities and courtesies. Personally, I find such details an added delight, and, in fact, a warm, sentimental touch to the film. The Iranians, though conservative, some even unreasonably stubborn, are actually very kind and friendly to strangers. On the way back to the cottage after using a borrowed phone in a small street-side store, Jafari walks in the dark for some distance. I was expecting a sudden attack on her from someone somewhere. But my fear was soon proved groundless.

And I love the way the film ends. Having horned his car a few times, Panahi again sits waiting in the car, the face unrevealed. Jafari is seen walking down the long, winding mountain pass. After some time, a few cars appear, one after another, round the mountain on the opposite side. As I see it, the exchange of car horns to avoid car crashes on the narrow pass implies that patient negotiation can lead to compromise. And that is what actually happens between the girl and her family. 

The film, therefore, delivers a meaningful message and is a good choice for viewers looking for a heart warming story. It is not surprising that it won the Best Screenplay Award at the 71st Cannes Film Festival.

The Year-end Clean-up

      one of the unearthed items

I have been talking about the year-end clean-up for quite some time. What have I actually done and how much have I achieved? My original purpose was to remove the clutter piled up on my two desks and filling up their drawers to the point of overflowing. The amount of messiness to be handled, however, was so great that what I have achieved is but the tip of an ice-berg. A lot still remains to be done. Of course, I could have finished the task in a matter of hours if I had done what is demonstrated in some online shows, in which the KOLs are seen throwing everything into big trash bags thoughtlessly, leaving the place spotlessly clean and calling this an act of complete detachment, abandonment and separation (斷、捨、離).

From the very start, I was determined to be selective in the items to be discarded. In fact, I would try to retain what was still worth keeping to ensure that nothing still with value would end up in garbage dumps, adding unnecessarily to the pressure on the waste disposal unit. I thus spent a lot of time fondling every single item and examining every single sheet of paper carefully and would discard anything found worthless without a second thought. It took me even more time to sort out the remaining items, trying to decide which place it would finally settle down in before another clean-up action.

Items lying in some dusty hidden corners posed particular difficulty. I had to wipe every item clean with a wet cloth. Washing the cloth repeatedly in cold water later caused some skin rashes on my hands. But with gloves on, my hands could not work satisfactorily. That was why the work progressed at a snail’s pace.

Nevertheless, the effort has paid off handsomely. I have unearthed quite a few things still delightfully re-usable or recyclable. And I complimented myself on my success in turning a few old objects into trendy gadgets with my creative design. A small pen holder, for example, has now become the warm bed of my cell phone with a cute lovely ribbon round it. 

Some cards, letters and photos have brought back fond memories. They may not have grabbed much of my attention when I first received them. But now, they touch my heart warmly, causing my thoughts to drift back to those good old days I used to share with some friends and students. I wish I could now write each of them a reply again, expressing my appreciation for their kind thought and answering their questions which I may have carelessly neglected. They indeed kept me so emotionally engaged that it was ony some time later that I managed to pull myself out of the memory lane and resume my work again.

I now realize that clean-up work will not only reward me with a more pleasant living environment. It will help me sort out my thoughts as well. There are thoughts which, like the unwanted objects, need to be discarded without lingering sentiment. Conversely, some thoughts ought to be treasured and recycled to ensure that they contribute to a better life attitude in the same way as the recycled items can do good to the environment.

In any case I have derived great pleasure from my clean-up work. Though I may not have achieved much, I am glad to have made a start after all and can at least share about it here with satisfaction.

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

Photo from "https://mpea-plus.org/macau-20anniversary-201812/"

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”?