Review: "Still Life" (2006)

“Still Life”, directed by Zhang Jia Ke, is a detailed and contemplative slice-of-life drama that shines a spotlight on contemporary working-class China. Set during the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, Zhang weaves together two distinct stories of outsiders coming to the village of Fengjie to search for lost spouses.

In the first narrative, a middle-aged coalminer arrives from Shanxi Province to reunite with his ex-wife whom he hasn’t seen for sixteen years. Upon learning that she has moved to another town to work and only sporadically visits Fengjie, he decides to stay on indefinitely to work on a demolition project while awaiting her return. The second story focuses on a young nurse who is trying to track down her missing husband who abandoned the family two years ago. She is helped in her quest by her husband’s friend, a local archaeologist. Through the time they spend in Fengjie, both characters come to understand the impact the dam project has had on the local people and how it has influenced their own lives.

As the human drama unfolds, “Still Life” also explores the story of the construction of the Three Gorges Dam which looms as an important character in itself, shaping everyone’s lives. The dam can be viewed as a metaphor for dislocation and the cycle of destruction and renewal. We see the impact on the local inhabitants who have no choice but to adapt as old buildings and entire villages are demolished and established ways of life are lost. This theme of destruction/reconstruction is also mirrored in the stories of the two main characters.

The documentary visual style of “Still Life”, with its detailed attention to people and places, heightens its emotional impact. We realize that what’s been captured on film is a historic transition, an archival record of the human cost of China’s rapid fire modernization.

Review: "Ashes of Time Redux" (2008)

“Ashes of Time Redux” is Wong Kar Wai’s venture into the martial arts genre. However, energetic action and narrative clarity take a backseat to the visual poetry that contemplates wounded hearts, loneliness and the memories of lost love that cut deeper than any sword. Best appreciated as a sensory experience, “Ashes of Time Redux” unfolds as a series of beautiful yet melancholic images like the soft brush strokes of a Chinese landscape painting. Even the swordfights are shot as swirling, hallucinatory dreamscapes. The haunting desert landscape gorgeously captured in saturated colors by cinematographer Christopher Doyle, a brooding cello score by Yo-Yo Ma and the beauty of the actors (an all-star Hong Kong cast) contribute to a movie experience that both pleases the senses and engages the heart.

Review: "A Touch of Zen" (1969)

“A Touch of Zen”, directed by King Hu, is a masterful and thoughtful martial arts film that seamlessly connects a ghost story, a political thriller and a mystical battle between a Buddhist monk and his earthly foe. Based on a story by Pu Song Ling, “A Touch of Zen” focuses on the plight of Yang Hui Ching, the daughter of a Ming Dynasty official murdered for attempting to warn the Emperor of a corrupt Eunuch within his ranks. Pursued by the Eunuch’s agents, she relies on her kung fu skills and the help of a Buddhist monk, a scholar and a couple of her father’s loyal aides to escape.

What elevates this movie beyond the standard kung fu flick is the graceful execution of the “flying swordsmen” fight scenes and the exploration of the philosophical underpinnings of “wu xia”, the honor code by which a man or woman uses martial arts skills for the general good rather than personal goals. This code is embodied most thoroughly by the Buddhist monk who also possesses the best martial arts skills. The showdown between the monk and the evil commander of the Eunuch’s army is not only stunning action but a reflection of Buddhist virtues.

Kudos must be given to the gorgeous cinematography and settings as they contribute immensely to establishing the dark, haunting tone which enhances the sense of fantasy and horror. Also noteworthy is the editing (in lieu of digital effects): jump cuts are used during some of the fight scenes to increase suspense.