Best International Film Reviews: China, India, And Japan
Author: Claudio Alves
For many, this year's Best International Film competition will be remembered with an eternal star, a reminder that the outcome would have been different if India had presented RRR instead of Last Film Show . This is not a comment on artistic quality, just a price prediction. The action plan continues to receive praise, while the country's official submission remains undisputed. If one of them doesn't make it, the sad trend at the Oscars continues. As one of the world's leading film industries, it is noticeable that India has been overlooked in the history of these awards, highlighting the biases of AMPAS and the sometimes surprising possibilities of presenting "India".
As we ponder India's fate, let's take a look at the titles picked by Asia's other major film nations...
BEAUTIFUL VIEW (China)
The last time a Jackson Yee film entered the Oscar race, we found ourselves with one of the most unexpected nominations in years. It's not like Nice View and Better Days are very similar. In fact, Yee's performance could not have been clearer. In the 2020 Hong Kong teen melodrama, the actress took on the silent role, enhancing her wounded vulnerability in a violent environment. This year's Chinese drama, directed by Muye Wen, takes a much more mainstream register, far from the delicious mystery of the other project. Fortunately, the young star's charisma lays the foundation for a sweet love story that has nothing to praise but its main character.
This is Jing Hao, a 20-year-old boy who lives in Shenzhen City with his younger sister. Her mother is dead, now a victim of the same disease her daughter suffers from, a situation made worse by the family's tight finances. There is an operation that could save the girl's life, but there is no money to pay for it. Then, by fate or potential fate, Jing Hao stumbles upon a business opportunity while working at a phone repair shop that offers Nice View . It's a risky business and there are plenty of obstacles, but entrepreneurship coupled with community support can pave the way for a happy ending. Endurance is the main ideal, a principle value that defines the image's moral message, its inspiring aspirations and its propensity for well-being.
If you've ever dipped your toe into the well of traditional Pablum in modern China, Nice View won't surprise you, as it follows every cliché in the book with preacher zeal. For example, Chao Huang's score is so juicy that you'll want to make an appointment with the dentist after the film is over. Still, the cast is solid overall, with Jackson Yee delivering star quality and cinematography Chao Huang crisp as a whistle. After all, it's not often that a movie invests as much in phone fixes and breakdowns as it does in the visual arts. Ultimately, Nice View is deadly serious, almost propagandistic schmaltz that, for better or worse, gets what it wants. vs.
FINAL FILM RELEASE (India)
Before the Last Screening of the Film begins, a title card features a photo of the director's parents and a thank you note. Recipients of special thanks include Brother Lumiere, Muybridge, etc. If that doesn't prepare you for a project like Last Film Show , nothing will. Full of genuine admiration for movies, it's one of those love letters to the medium that's so popular these days. Only Nalini is not as interested in self-invention as some of her contemporaries. Of course, there are many commemorative intentions that guide the image, locations, and dynamics of the family. However, the path taken seems more related to Tornatore's Cinema Paradiso than Spielberg's Fabelmans .
Instead of reflecting on his childhood, Nalin updates his story to the early 2010s, as cinema moved from celluloid to a digitally dominated world. This change is often chillingly dramatized in this last spectacle of cinema , as a series of wordless visions detail the discarded film melting into plastic trinkets, the lanterns shattering into cheap containers. However, before this catastrophe occurs, the public must learn to appreciate cinema, including the physical form, as much as the director. Light also plays a big role. According to the characters, stories are made of light and movies are made of history. In this case, the story born from the fragment is that of a nine-year-old child whose name means time.
It is about Samay, a young man from Chalala, who divides his days between school - although he mostly plays - and working for his father, who works as a tea seller on the railway. One day, the patriarch takes the family to see a strange film that honors his religious beliefs. It is the first time that Samay enters the magical world of cinema and it is love at first sight. From there, the passion of the moment leads to a life-changing obsession. He strikes a deal with the sleazy projectionist, trading his mother's home-cooked meals for free screenings and a film education that is soon put to the test when the son and his friends start an illegal film club. They use the scraps to make a handheld projector and play the stolen roles with it.
The film leaps across the abyss of sentimentality and avoids such pitfalls by focusing on bitter emotions, economic stress and general honesty in its social portrayals. Instead of raw nostalgia, Last Film Show aims for something more poignant: elegy. On the other hand, we also note a hilarious invention that brings out the best elements of the project, whether it's embracing Samay's creative breakthroughs or capturing the poetry of everyday events. A rainbow of vegetables prepared with love, light filtered between pieces of colored glass, the walls of a prison and the constant movement of a train are the possible sources of the film. Nothing is too small when shopping for impressive photography accessories.
Finally, the Last Film Show review wouldn't be complete without mentioning the MVP picture. Swapnil S. Sonawane is the cinematographer behind the film's impressive visuals, shimmering images filled with soft colors and dazzling plasticity. In the hands of such an artist, how can you resist falling in love with cinema? B+
PLAN 75 (Japan)
No event in modern history has better exposed society's contempt for the elderly than the global pandemic. Those who are far from the prime of youth are often perceived as a burden, abandoned by the whole world and thus condemned to lead a lonely life, the dysfunctions of the system make everyday life even more difficult. Institutions are often more concerned with pragmatically disposing of the elderly than with keeping them alive, healthy and happy. So it's fair to say that while the origins of Chie Hayakawa's 75th Plan may predate the disaster of COVID-19, the context in which it's set makes the film's themes all the more poignant.
Developed from a short film the director made in 2018 under the tutelage of Hirokazu Kore-eda, this drama depicts a dystopian future not too far from our present. In this fictional Japan, a government plan encourages citizens over 75 to choose euthanasia, frees the younger generation from the responsibility of caring for them, and thus helps guide the destiny of a rapidly aging nation. Incentives like a cash prize encourage decision-making, while a network of staff ensures that participants don't drop out at the last minute. Lack of investment in social services indirectly upsets the balance, making it almost impossible to choose life when death is so much easier.
The ideas explored in this grim scenario are complicated to an unimaginable level, bordering on the demonization of assisted suicide at a time when the topic is so hotly debated around the world. Also of concern is the risk of drawing sharp generational lines, casting some as victims and others as oppressors. Fortunately, Plan 75 was written in humanistic terms and used a variety of viewpoints to sympathize with people in the sentient system. He is never a monster, and the underlying anger in the story is directed only at the system. Specifically, the film divides its attention between three protagonists.
Michi is an old unemployed and homeless woman. On the other hand, Hiromu is a 20-year-old who works on the show and finds an uncle among the contestants. Finally, there's Maria, a Filipino immigrant who gets paid more to care for the dead than the living, an opportunity this mother of a sick child can't turn down. The camera sometimes follows other people through the main stories, such as B. Michi's growing desperation as a social worker. This bureaucratic clockwork breaks the rules and meets a woman who must lead to an early death to reconsider his actions.
But the 75th Plan recognizes the difficulty of dealing with social structures far larger than individuals, and this taints its political urgency with desperation. From the opening punch to Sagamihara's stabbings to Sunset's finale, the film oscillates between sublimated anger and outward melancholy, trying to find a balance it never achieves. Another unbalanced element is Maria's minor importance in the story, despite being the supposed protagonist. Yet through its muted approach, Plan 75 somehow makes the underlying violence of its story seem more immediate than it would otherwise be.
Amidst all this, Chieko Baishō's performance as Michi is a standout performance that defines a sweet character whose sweet death will break the viewer's heart. Given its fate, it's tempting to compare Plan 75 to the two versions of The Ballad of Narayama , other reflections on how Japan is dealing with its aging population. Just as these films looked to the folkloric past, Hayakawa's vision looks to the future. In both cases, narration is about presence, to hold the mirror up to the audience. B
Lucky at the Oscars? If voters want to watch Last Film Show , it could be a serious contender, despite the RRR smell controversy. In fact, I wouldn't be too surprised if he makes the shortlist and gets a surprise nomination from there. It's the kind of narrative the Academy would turn to if given the chance. Nice View in China feels DOA, although its sentimental factor may appeal to a large percentage of voters. Unfortunately, Plan 75 is too dark and unassuming to go far in the race. You never know, though, and Japan's recent win with Drive My Car could result in viewers paying attention to her appearance.
