Rags to riches stories are a dime a dozen but this one stands out for being so unapologetically dark. Adapted from the novel that won the Man Booker, the conception of this film makes for a fascinating story as well. The novel’s author chose Adarsh Gourav, a college friend, to direct it, famous actress Priyanka Chopra asked to be involved after reading about the production on Twitter and the lead role was given to a relatively unknown actor Adarsh Gourav. This is not a subtle film and it is plot-driven rather than character-driven but it is undeniably effective at rousing your emotions against the injustice you see in it.
The last and easily my favorite of the Isle to Isle documentary screenings is one about Tsai Ming-Liang, perhaps the most renowned director to emerge from Malaysia though he is probably considered Taiwanese by now. Pleasingly this one was made by a very young filmmaker who is himself Malaysian Saw Tiong Guan and focuses largely on Tsai’s childhood in Kuching, Sarawak. By pulling on the nostalgic power of old music and shots of Tsai walking the streets of Kuching, this documentary consciously strives for, and somewhat achieves, the atmosphere of Tsai’s own films. This makes it one of the most effective documentaries I have ever seen.
I’m viewing these documentaries as part of the Isle to Isle event on the CloudTheatre platform so I’m sure the organizers must have noticed the thematic similarity between this one and André and His Olive Tree. This one is about Chang Ga-tau, the founder of one of Taiwan’s largest independent record companies Taiwan Colors Music, agonizing over whether to retire after 20 years in the business and selling his company. Once again I think it overdramatizes this decision for the sake of a making a film, and they even lampshade this in the after credits, plus the story of a record label owners probably isn’t as interesting as that of the artistes but it is a decently interesting look into Taiwan’s music scene.
André Chiang is feted as Taiwan’s first and so far only Michelin-starred chef and is apparently considered one of best Chinese-born chefs in the world, making him a great subject for a documentary. Yet the climax that this entire film builds towards is the closure of his famous restaurant in Singapore, apparently quite a shock to everyone at the moment, making the film itself feel rather different from other celebrity biographies. There were times when I felt annoyed by this documentary as it felt too much like a posh advertisement for Chiang but it improves immeasurably after the man lets down his guard a bit in his native Taiwan and allows his more personal side to be shown.
There ordinarily wouldn’t be much reason to watch this very old pre-Hays Code American film except it is set in China at the height of the Chinese Civil War. We have plenty of Chinese films and television shows set during this tumultuous period but this is an American film made while those events were still ongoing in China. This I had to see. The film was entirely shot in the US but the sets look convincing enough that it had us wondering. The Chinese extras in it all speak Cantonese which we all know to be wrong for the location but I’m still impressed that they managed to get enough Chinese and realistic enough props to pull off this fake China.
Earlier I talked about the wave of Asian-American cinema we’re seeing and here’s one about the Korean-American experience and it’s even set in the 1980s. This one seems at least partly autobiographical on the part of its director Lee Isaac Chung who indeed was born of a South Korean immigrant family and grew up on a farm in Arkansas. It’s so specific in its detail that it feels authentic. At the same time it’s the kind of slice-of-life that doesn’t really lead anywhere and so didn’t leave a particularly deep impression on me. It’s still a strong film that deserves its many award nominations and wins.
This is a tremendously successful and well known documentary, having won an Oscar for its category last year. I held off on watching this for a while however as its title seems incredibly presumptuous and having read a little of its premise, it seems likely to be a just-so story made up in the editing. Now that I’ve seen it, I’m pleased to say that it doesn’t go so far as to say that the main character tamed an octopus while the images they captured are absolutely amazing. I could have done with less dramatizing but this is a truly impressive documentary.
