SF Int'l Asian American Film Festival Wrap-up, Part I
Wow, I've been an SFIAAFF groupie for three years now, working my way from a power-tripping volunteer usher to someone with actual (marginal) power from the outside - a film critic. Woohahahaha! My three reviews, aka how I got into nine films and a hopping par-tay for free:
Chinese Restaurants: Three Continents
Monkey Dance
Cavite. Check out the movie website, with cool scratchy images.
A quick rundown of other movies I saw but didn't review:
The Motel. Insightful, powerful and hilarious, this film portrays the awkwardness of adolescence through the eyes of 13-year-old Ernest, a fat Asian kid with glasses who lives in the seedy motel run by his controlling mother. This film is brilliantly written, bringing to life a cast of characters that includes bullies, drunks, bimbos and unattainable love interests, through sharp dialog and complex personalities. The Motel was the festival's San Francisco closing night film, and was followed by a Q&A with the cast and crew. I was most impressed with Jeffrey Chyau, the 13-year-old actor who plays Ernest. He was bright and well-spoken, exhibiting the poise and modest confidence of someone much older - like a high school kid. My friend Christine and I swooned when Sung Kang (who plays Sam and was in Better Luck Tomorrow) appeared on stage, but I think we were both disappointed over his slacker apathy and inarticulate responses. We caught up with him outside the theater afterwards and asked if Christine could have her picture taken with him. He nodded but barely cracked a smile, as if it were such a hassle to have women constantly fawning over him. Excusez-moi!
Dumplings. A dark, twisted comedy about a woman who makes "special" dumplings that keep skin looking youthful. The secret ingredient raises moral questions with her customers, but most of them are desperate enough to push past their initial gag reflex. The dumpling lady is my favorite character, a sly, independent and savvy entrepreneur who has clearly made peace with any moral dilemma she might have had procuring and serving mystery meat. It's impressive and darkly satisfying to watch her go about her business and imagine how strong - or insane - she must be to be able to compartmentalize the anxiety and bad conscience that most people would have doing what she does. With unapologetically graphic scenes and sometimes caricature-grade characters, the film points out how much more accessible external youth and beauty are than personal happiness and the depths of one's soul. Also notable are the hilariously magnified noises for the most delicate sounds, and horror movie style pacing and visual effects. If you have a strong stomach and a taste for the macabre, this is the film for you. But go out for dumplings before you watch this film.
Mini-reviews for these films in the next installment:
The Grace Lee Project
Year of the Yao
A Fond Kiss
House of Flying Pancakes (shorts programs)
Visit the SF International Asian American Film Festival website at http://www.naatanet.org/festival/2005/html/. Festival ends Sunday but there's always next year!
Chinese Restaurants: Three Continents
Monkey Dance
Cavite. Check out the movie website, with cool scratchy images.
 | Here I am looking really happy to be hanging with the cast and crew of Cavite at the closing night gala. From left, Ian Gamazon (lead actor, director, writer, producer), Neill Dela Llana (director, writer, producer), me, Quynn Ton (producer), and Taro Gato (festival staff member and babe). |
A quick rundown of other movies I saw but didn't review:
The Motel. Insightful, powerful and hilarious, this film portrays the awkwardness of adolescence through the eyes of 13-year-old Ernest, a fat Asian kid with glasses who lives in the seedy motel run by his controlling mother. This film is brilliantly written, bringing to life a cast of characters that includes bullies, drunks, bimbos and unattainable love interests, through sharp dialog and complex personalities. The Motel was the festival's San Francisco closing night film, and was followed by a Q&A with the cast and crew. I was most impressed with Jeffrey Chyau, the 13-year-old actor who plays Ernest. He was bright and well-spoken, exhibiting the poise and modest confidence of someone much older - like a high school kid. My friend Christine and I swooned when Sung Kang (who plays Sam and was in Better Luck Tomorrow) appeared on stage, but I think we were both disappointed over his slacker apathy and inarticulate responses. We caught up with him outside the theater afterwards and asked if Christine could have her picture taken with him. He nodded but barely cracked a smile, as if it were such a hassle to have women constantly fawning over him. Excusez-moi!
Dumplings. A dark, twisted comedy about a woman who makes "special" dumplings that keep skin looking youthful. The secret ingredient raises moral questions with her customers, but most of them are desperate enough to push past their initial gag reflex. The dumpling lady is my favorite character, a sly, independent and savvy entrepreneur who has clearly made peace with any moral dilemma she might have had procuring and serving mystery meat. It's impressive and darkly satisfying to watch her go about her business and imagine how strong - or insane - she must be to be able to compartmentalize the anxiety and bad conscience that most people would have doing what she does. With unapologetically graphic scenes and sometimes caricature-grade characters, the film points out how much more accessible external youth and beauty are than personal happiness and the depths of one's soul. Also notable are the hilariously magnified noises for the most delicate sounds, and horror movie style pacing and visual effects. If you have a strong stomach and a taste for the macabre, this is the film for you. But go out for dumplings before you watch this film.
Mini-reviews for these films in the next installment:
The Grace Lee Project
Year of the Yao
A Fond Kiss
House of Flying Pancakes (shorts programs)
Visit the SF International Asian American Film Festival website at http://www.naatanet.org/festival/2005/html/. Festival ends Sunday but there's always next year!
posted by Justina at 11:16 PM
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