Zhang Yimou's Hero

This week’s film, Hero, directed by Zhang Yimou, was totally different than any other film I had seen before. While the beautifully choreographed fight scenes and colorful landscapes were striking and set this film apart from many other low-budget Chinese films, I found its general plot outline difficult to follow. Different elements, including the constant flashbacks, unusual names, trickery and unfamiliar cultural customs, contributed to the film’s confusing nature. There was little interaction between the characters in the story and audience members. As viewers, all we could do was admire the artistic qualities of the film, instead of relating to the characters and their situation. However, it was a fascinating look at part of China’s culture. The reverence for high powered officials and country leaders may have been astounding to some, but this inside look at the ancient cultural traditions were vital in progressing the movie’s themes and plot line. Another element I found particularly fascinating was the blending of history with more futuristic elements. From the beginning, we see how this is part of the story of the unification of China, and yet the director introduces many components that give the film a modern-day feel. The graphic nature of the film, especially the dominance of single-color schemes created a contemporary and fresh experience for viewers. While the fluid motions and theatrical fight scenes in which the character fought in Chinese gardens, forest clearings or above a lake pushed viewer’s sense of what is possible, their exaggerated movements created a melodramatic and sensational tone.

Zhang Yimou's Not One Less

The film Not One Less, directed by the award winning Zhang Yimou, is the story of a young girl in poverty-stricken rural China on which extreme responsibilities are placed. These include running the local school and teach the 28 children enrolled their daily lessons without help and with only meager supplies. Charged with the duty of making sure that not a single other student drops out, she is convinced that she must follow one of her trouble-maker students who has gone to the city looking for work to help his indebted family.
While a touching story line, my mind could not help but wander as I sat and watched Not One Less. What could have been the purpose of this film? What message was the filmmaker trying to convey? Was it to teach others of the state of rural China? To show us a story of fearlessness and steadfastness? Who was this film targeted at? Was it trying to reach the people of China, to let them know of their brothers’ troubles? Or was it directed at those who have probably never imagined such poverty? While it may have intended some of these lofty goals of education and exposing current affairs, it fell drastically short.
Our main character, Wei Minzhi, shows absolutely no expression throughout the entire length of the film, until the very end when, in a desperate plea, cries for Zhang to return. She bullies her students, forcing them to come up with a bus fare for her and solve their problems amongst themselves. Her stubbornness is not an endearing quality, as she repeatedly reveals her lack of understanding of many of today’s customs. She does not accept what others tell her and continues on whatever path she was on, whether it is weaseling money out of the construction site manager or trying to find the TV station manager. As a main character, she proves unrelatable and simply frustrates audience members with her ineptitude and bumbling persistence. While the fact that she is only 13 could excuse her from many of her decisions, the fact that the audience cannot derive any emotion from her blank stares and repeated orders serves to make this film feel irrelevant to our everyday lives and unsuccessful in whatever its original goal was.

Swades, Ashutosh Gowariker

In his film Swades, director Ashutosh Gowariker not only tries to portray the problems facing the nation of India, such as its lack of proper infrastructure, overpopulation ad rampant malnutrition, but also attempts to illustrate how a nation’s culture is important in the everyday lives of its people. When Gita rebukes Mohan for running off and forgetting his history and for trying to argue that the American culture is better simply because it is more organized and prosperous, she states that without its history, traditions and culture, a country would be nothing and argues that India’s customs are just as defensible. The director hopes to show audiences how, even though the country may be underdeveloped, it is still a prosperous society. However, along with the message comes the truth about India's poverty levels and state of affairs. When Mohan travels to a “nearby” village, he cannot help but feel devastated by the poverty and heartbreaking story of a weaver who, when he tried to change with the times, was not accepted into society. This, coupled with his at first futile attempts to bring new and old children into Gita’s school, illustrates how while every society in the world today has its positives each has shortcomings and weaknesses of its own. Gowariker is able to accurately and successfully balance the good and bad of a society throughout this film. While in India, Mohan encounters not only a nation in a state of disorder, but one that is unified and grateful. He sees not only the lack of modern tools and a disadvantaged population, but also new and exciting ceremonies and a culture grounded in their traditions and satisfied in their way of life.

Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding

Monsoon Wedding is Mira Nair’s story of an Indian family preparing for the extravagant wedding of their daughter, complete with all of the family drama that goes along with such occasions. The father, Lalit, is struggling to come up with the money to pay for the event while trying to impress all of his and the groom’s family; the wedding planner, PK Dubey, is distracted from his duties when his desires become fixated upon the family’s maid Alice; niece Ria is struggling with the idea of going to America for school and also with the fact that she was abused by one of her uncles who has come back for the occasion. Then of course there’s the bride herself, who is still sneaking off to see her ex-boss and lover, a married TV producer and is altogether uninterested in marrying the person her parents have chosen for her. All of these stories intertwine and overlap to create a lively examination of a typical family in modern day Delhi. Nair’s look into the lives of this family during one of the most important and hectic times in their lives not only makes for a good story filled with family drama, old secrets and new loves but also lets us take a look at their culture and the ways that it has come to butt heads with western ideals and traditions. Unlike its traditional Indian equals, Monsoon Wedding is more than the same old tired love story-plot with a few flashy dance numbers thrown in; it delves into the deeper and usually avoided topics such as child abuse, a gay child, class disparity and the disloyalty that can stem from arranged marriages. This new direction for Indian cinema is refreshing and takes the same old story to original and exciting lengths.

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s Amores Perros

The first thing that will grab you about Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s Amores Perros will be the fast-paced car chases and fiery love-triangles. However, unlike most other action movies with a few romantic or hot scenes thrown in for good measure, it is the characters and the statements made on society that you will remember most. Made up of three stories, on the surface the thing that connects the characters is a horrific car accident caused by one, which injures another and is witnessed by the third, but in reality these characters have much more in common. Although they come from different classes in society, they all deal with the same issues and have the same troubles. Octavio becomes mixed up in the world of dog fighting and, for a while, is coming out on top. However, his winning streak cannot go on forever and eventually the resentments of fellow dog fighters and the increased violent tensions between him and his brother over Susana, his brother’s wife, lead to his demise. In the next segment which begins by portraying the glitzier and cheery life of Valeria and Daniel, a model and an advertising exec who left his old life with his wife and children behind to begin a new one with Valeria, we see how the same relationship breakdown can occur between people on the opposite end of the spectrum. When Valeria’s lap dog disappears and she is left totally alone in the apartment all day, her and Daniel’s relationship begins to fall apart as they are forced to confront their shallow connection. We see the reality of their relationship now, instead of the billboards and TV appearances, it’s the days spent alone and vicious arguments out of nowhere hiding deeper conflicts. In the final segment, we learn how El Chivo, one of the characters we’ve been watching throughout the film, became the wandering destitute man he is today. We watch as his relationship with the dogs comes to resemble human relationships, replacing the connection he lost to his daughter years ago. In the end, Amores Perros shows the realities of life without any sugar coating - and successfully illustrates how, despite the division by society, we all share the same issues and troubles.

L’Enfant and the Dardenne Brothers Representing the Belgian Film Industry

Writers, directors, photographers and brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne are able to describe their style of filming in the paradox “the aestheticisation of reality requires the de-aestheticisation of art” (Bickerton). The newest of their films, L’Enfant, represents this statement by illustrating the simple, understated methods of communicating the vision that they have come to be recognized for. Throughout the years their collection of films has come to be known for its genuine and authentic take on reality, with stories of the hardships of lower-class living in modern industrialized Belgium. No sugar coating here. As Michael Phillips puts it, “the brothers' documentary-trained methods--hustling, hand-held camerawork, naturalistically convincing portraiture, an absence of conventionally scored music--take the melo- out of the dramatic equation.”
L’Enfant is the story of two foolishly childish young lovers who have just had a baby of their own. Viewers watch as the couple, constantly in desperate need of money, must suffer through sleeping in homeless shelters and the sense of unease and anxiety that comes from the uncertainty of their situation until the new father, Bruno, sees the opportunity to turn their new burden into a bargaining chip to pay off the debts he has accumulated through petty crimes and small-time thefts. The film then centers on the endeavors of Bruno to regain the child and pay off his debts after he desperately sells the infant boy in a black-market adoption scheme. Upon returning to his girlfriend with the simple comment “we’ll make another,” her shock and disgust cause him to reevaluate what he has done, retuning to take back the baby. After this, the magnitude of his debts is revealed and we follow him as he attempts further purse-grabs and dealings in order to make up for his losses, learning in the process a little about responsibility and life as an adult.
The film, set in the industrial and manufacturing suburb of Seraing, Belgium, makes use of the gritty and unfriendly town as the backdrop of these two adolescents’ lives. The rain, the grey skies, the muddy river, the dirty bar and the abandoned apartment all contribute to the sense of desolation and misery that plagues the main characters. We see little life out on the streets where Bruno and Sonia spend a majority of their time; besides any innocent bystanders who fall victim to Bruno’s theft, the only life comes from the constant droning traffic, which proves to be the only soundtrack to the film. Not even the ending credits are embellished with music; they roll by simply and unadorned. Bickerton quotes the Dardenne brothers as saying “it [the music] blinds you to the image.” This theme of simplicity continues elsewhere and is apparent throughout the film in its dialogue, which is sparse and absent of dramatic or comical lines to be remembered. She observes how this lack of embellishment gives viewers “the space to sense the very rhythm of the film, [and] we feel and follow the movements of bodies, are conscious of surrounding traffic noises, and notice the little habits and accessories that define the characters.” While this dreary setting has the central purpose of communicating the dismal lives of its characters, it also allows the film to translate to other cultures. This indistinctive city could be any industrialized town; because it lacks defining characteristics and details that would give away its locality, viewers can apply their own experiences when watching and feel a connection to the location, whether or not they have ever been to Seraing, Belgium.
However, despite the roles the setting and background play, the characters in this film are the main tools for illustrating the directors’ opinions on social issues. Their unique behavior and relationships, not only with each other, but the world around them intrigues viewers and draw them closer, forcing them to study their distinctive take on everyday life. Most viewers, no matter where they hail from, are not used to main characters so difficult to sympathize with. The constant poor decision making of both parents leaves audiences dumbfounded and unsure of with whom their loyalties lie. It is difficult for the average viewer to relate to and be supportive of a character when they vehemently disagree with their decisions and actions. Their extreme unpreparedness as parents makes the film less moving and audiences are less likely to feel the same joy as the mother when she receives her child back or when the father displays his regret in the end. The story line of the film also helps with reiterating many of the Dardenne brothers’ stances on the recent social issues of Belgium. Their illustration of irresponsible lovers detached from society and each other focuses its attention on the latest generation of teenagers. Bruno, who probably has never held a steady job, lives for pick-pocketing and scamming innocent passersby. However, whatever he makes through one scheme he must immediately spend on an outrageously expensive and unnecessary item, such as a fine leather jacket (or two) and car far beyond his family’s means. It is more than Bruno’s simple lack of responsibility when it comes to managing money however, which drives the events of the film. Bruno, at age 20, and Sonia at only 18 are equipped neither financially nor mentally to take care of another human being. They can barely take care of themselves.
The Belgian film industry must work hard to compete with outside films eating up its profits in theaters. A large percentage of sales go to American made films, while a very small portion comes from co-productions and nothing from purely nationally financed films. In 1999, the recent success of films such as the Dardenne brothers’ earlier Palme d’Or winner Rosetta, contributed to a long-awaited renaissance at the box office for homegrown product. Box office receipts for Belgian co-productions in 1999 were up by a staggering 248% on 1998, when Belgian fare accounted for a paltry 2% of the cinema-going audience (Stern). L’Enfant, which was co-produced by film production companies in Belgium and France, represents one of only a handful (but a growing number) of films to receive critical acclaim nationally and abroad. It received the Palme d’Or award at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for Best Film and Best Actor at the European Film Awards. Much of this attention was no doubt brought on by previous praise for other Dardenne brother’s films, but their body of work has helped to establish a niche for stylistically similar films currently being produced. In his article about the Belgian film industry, Charles Masters describes how the film “beat out a gaggle of heavyweight auteurs at Cannes to scoop their second Palme d'Or in six years,” and “has subsequently been picked up by Sony Pictures Classics for the U.S.” No doubt an impressive feat, films by the Dardenne brothers have solidified a place for Belgian film in the international market and festival circuit. It was also chosen as Belgium's official entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 78th Academy Awards. While it failed to secure a nomination, its recognition in the United States further improved its repute with other foreign markets.
While the Dardenne brothers constantly waive off charges that their films are purely political in nature or politically motivated, one cannot help but take from their films a new understanding of the culture of lower-class Belgium. This new style of expressing societal opinions comes from their character studies and often from the economic or social classes their characters find themselves in. Coupled with their innovative approach to following characters throughout their daily life, these studies prove most convincing and compelling. In the end, their style of simplistic and gritty filming has come to represent a culture and a class all its own.




Works Cited

Emilie Bickerton (2006, April). REINVENTING REALISM: The Art and Politics of the Dardenne Brothers. Cineaste, 31(2), 14-18,61. Retrieved February 28, 2008, from Research Library database. (Document ID: 1021463871).

Masters, Charles. "World Taking Note of Belgian Film." Hollywood Reporter - International Edition(July 2005). MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. 5 Mar. 2008 .

Mosley, Philip. Anxiety, Memory, and Place in Belgian Cinema (in "Sights" of Memory) Yale French Studies, No. 102, Belgian Memories. (2002), pp. 160-175. Stable URL: http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0044-0078%282002%290%3A102%3C160%3AAMAPIB%3E2.0.CO%3B2-1
Phillips, Michael. "Innocence Out of Place in 2 Hard Lives: 'L'ENFANT.'" Chicago Tribune 14 Apr. 2006. Newspaper Source. EBSCO. 6 Mar. 2008 .

Stern, Andy. "Int’l Kudos Lift Belgian Film Biz Spirits." Variety (October 2000). MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. 5 Mar. 2008 < url="http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=" db="f5h&AN=" site="ehost-live">.

The Wind Will Carry Us

This film complies with the ways Dudley Andrew believes a foreign film and its study should be. It is very ‘international’ not because it is spoken in a language not our own or because it is set in a foreign country with an unfamiliar backdrop, but because it shows us elements of another culture without spoon feeding the answers to students. Viewers are definitely “smothered” by the international dimension. However, I do not believe this film is able to communicate well with outside viewers. While one of its goals may be to inform viewers about the culture, customs and way of life in Iran, it is ultimately unable to relate to its audience because it lacks the necessary qualities needed for a film to feel applicable and relevant to the lives of its audience. The film may have had many things to say about the way we live our lives now, in such a fast-paced, success driven society or about how old traditions have been put at odds against the new traditions of modern society. However, because the filmmakers chose such a different and unfamiliar way of unfolding the storyline, when there is little plot action and the character development moves at such a slow pace, the movie looks at first glance to be nothing but conversations between the visitor and the locals about different insignificant everyday things. And while many other elements could be successful at helping to keep viewers interested or developing the story line, the film ultimately fails because the narrative seems continual and unending. These elements, such as the breathtaking backdrop beautifully captured by the filmmakers and the unique private look into an unfamiliar society’s culture, are in the end proven to be inadequate at making up for the loss stemming from the inability to relate to its audience.