Café Lumière

While Hou Hsiao-hsien's Café Lumière (2003) is clearly a tribute to the Japanese director Yasujiro Ozu, it is still distinctively Hou's film. The film's slice of life narrative follows a wandering Japanese woman who comes to terms with life and independence.

It is interesting to compare this film to Ozu's films because Café Lumière is the closest thing to a modern Ozu film. Japan has hugely changed in the past decades and the result is somewhat puzzling. Family and unity have become irrelevant to the individual - this point can be seen in the film's main character, Yoko. The biggest pro of the film is certainly its calm and observant attitude towards its main characters and life in general. Yoko is fascinating and Yo Hitoto's performance is prominent - she can even rival Tadanobu Asano's performance in the film, which should be worth something.

The form is clearly Hou-like: static shots, long takes and the habit of revisiting the same compositions can all be found in the film. There is a lot of great train (and train station) imagery in the film and it certainly satisfied my strong obsession towards trains (and train stations). As well as being beautifully shot, the pacing is nigh perfect.

In the end, Café Lumière is "only" a good film: it works well in every department, but it never plunges deep enough into its subject and its form is not that fascinating when compared to Hou's other films.

Score: 8 out of 10

Sukiyaki Western Django

No matter how you try to describe it, Takashi Miike's Sukiyaki Western Django (2007) will always sounds silly - because the film is utterly silly as well. It is a Japanese western which - at the same time - both pokes fun at the entire genre and works as a respectful tribute for the genre. Combine that with Miike who chooses the extremely absurd and tongue-in-cheek way to approach the story. Initially, the film's story is very similar to Kurosawa's Yojimbo (the story of which was altered for Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars as well): a skilled gunman gets mixed up with two warring clans who are looking for a treasure. The peculiarness can be spotted from the get-go, but at some point the story spirals out of control and - in a way - turns into something that is really hard to describe for someone who has not seen the film.

Sukiyaki Western Django is too funny to be taken seriously at any point - even though it seems to take itself seriously at a few points. It doesnt really have a lot to say about anything, it's simply BONKERS. The whole cast speaks their line in English (with only one line spoken in Japanese) only because it sounds funny. However, the joke doesnt remain funny throughout the film and becomes a little dry and weary by the end of the film. Luckily Miike's playful form makes the film somewhat funny: bright colors, silly Dutch angles and wild editing. The explosive and ridiculously complicated finale was a pleasant surprise after the unevenness that the rest of film suffers from. Quentin Tarantino's small role is a nice addition to the film, but it is forgettable in the end.

Sadly, Miike does not succeed in controlling his absurdity, unlike in Visitor Q and Ichi the Killer. He loses himself into poking fun at everything and the messy narrative. He isnt even able to craft unforgettable characters in this film. There are a few moments of true brilliance and the form is fine most of the time, but ultimately the film is more or less a mess. It is too self-aware for its own good.

Score: 5 out of 10

Goodbye, Dragon Inn

Tsai Ming-liang's Goodbye, Dragon Inn (2003) is the director's tribute to cinema. A movie theater is about to be closed and for the last day a special screening for old films is held. We see vague characters wandering around the silent, ugly and trashy theater.

There are two characters that the narrative follows most of the time. The first is called "Ticket Woman" (in the credits, at least) who takes care of the theater along with the projectionist seen at the end of the film. She limbs along hallways and climbs up and down stairs very slowly. Some sort of a romantic relationship is suggested between her and the projectionist, but it is never directly implied. The other "main character" is a shy man who tries to make contact with the other people watching films, but to some degree fails in the end. There are also a few other people often seen in the film. I would like to mention two elderly men who shed tears at the end of the screening. I interpret that as them mourning for the loss of cinema.

I think it tells a lot about the "nature" of this film that there is almost no dialogue. If you dont count the dialogue coming from the film(s) they watch, there are roughly 10 lines spoken- in fact, it might actually be less than 10 lines. The ticket woman's slow movement and the silence emphasize the "death of cinema" (or the death of cinema-going experience) Tsai tries to portray in this film.

The film lingers on carefully framed shots for minutes and there isn't a lot that happens onscreen. For example, there is a 5-minute shot of an empty theater which felt like Tsai's true moment of respectful silence for cinema. The camera never moves and the few cuts set the film for a really calm and slow pace that annoys some viewers. This is why there are people who criticize the film for being "too boring", but for me it is the complete opposite. The respectful and honest take on a nostalgic subject kept me glued to the screen. Even the 30's Mandarin pop song at the end of the film is closely tied to the idea of "dying cinema" because it's a song about how hard yet bittersweet it is to let go of the past.

Despite being so calm and silent, there are a few moments that are absurdly hilarious. It is Tsai's trademark to have these moments of comedy gold in middle of a quiet film. Most of these funny bits come from the lack of communication (or failed attempts to communicate) between the characters in the film.

Goodbye, Dragon Inn isn't easy to watch by modern blockbuster standards. But if you are willing to give it a chance, you will find a bittersweet and caring tribute for cinema. It is a truly stunning film.

Score: 10 out of 10