I’m back! With yet another for a pair or New York Asian Film Festival 2012 reviews…
Starry Starry Night
One of the programs running this year is “Warriors and Romantics: the New Cinema from Taiwan”, which Starry Starry Night represents. A smash hit in its homeland, there’s a limited engagement run in the US scheduled for later this month (with NYAFF12 serving as the very first stop). But the most important thing to know is how it’s for kids. And simply put, it’s one of the absolute best of its kind to be produced in recent years, regardless of origin. Thing is, Hollywood fails at making all sorts of movies, as we all know. But when it comes to children’s movies, you can blame overprotective, close-mined, idiot parents. Hence why flicks starring kids that tackle “mature” themes are usually aimed at adults, but they’re equally lame. I don’t know what’s worse: movies actually for children, which are often pandering and play it too safe, or movies for basically man-children, which are often overly precious and needlessly intellectual. Sorry, perhaps it shouldn’t count, but I can’t help but be reminded of Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom. Maybe I’m justified or totally off base; I honestly don’t care enough to figure out which.
Anyhow, Starry Starry Night is about Mei, whose family is fractured in a way that’s far too relatable to many. Mom studied art in France and clearly misses the past, hence why she’s always playing French music and drinking wine at home. Dad tries to stay chipper, yet can’t help but bicker with his equally unhappy wife. Which forces their daughter to withdraw, and prompting an ultimately half-hearted attempt at running away. She also tries her best to have everyone come together and assemble jigsaw puzzles, like the good old days, but the requests fall of deaf ears. At least there’s grandpa, who’s awesome, and not just because he carves cute wooden animals for his granddaughter. He’s also the one thing keeping the family together, so once he passes away, the days are officially numbered for Mei’s parents. But in the face of such legitimately sad circumstances comes a glimmer of salvation: Jay, new kid in class, just as quiet and guarded, plus he’s kinda cute.
Jay also has an artistic bone in his body, which Mei is equally passionate about, so a friendship soon blossoms. Which unfortunately incites resentment and jealously among their classmates; you know how cruel kids can be. Around this time, both their family units completely fall apart, prompting the star-crossed b-fries to runaway, for real this time. To where Mei’s grandfather used to live, deep in the forest, so Jay can see some actual stars in the sky. They hop on a late night train and head to the mountain, and yes, what follows is an journey filled with discovery, tenderness, beauty, heartbreak, etc. All the tropes one comes to expect, but it’s so brilliantly brought together that it just flat-out works. Aside from the flawless technical aspects? the absolutely mesmerizing performances, a totally spot-on script, awe-inspiring camerawork and editing, special effects that legitimately enhances/doesn’t detract? is a genuinely heartfelt center that’s an emotional gut punch, but the kind that leaves you satisfied when all is said and done.
Oh, and the soundtrack by World’s End Girlfriend (whom I discovered at a NYAFF many moons ago, via Late Bloomer, and which was the REAL reason why I was interested in Starry Starry Night in the first place) was outstanding, as expected. Again, if you had any inclinations on seeing Moonrise Kingdom, save yourself the money and wait for this movie instead. Hopefully it’ll be playing at a large screen near you in the next few. Otherwise, a home video release is also in the card shortly after, I believe.
Couples
Each and every NYAFF is filled to the brim with Korean romantic comedies, which is usually not my thing, but when I heard that Couples was a remake of another beloved NYAFF classic, A Stranger of Mine, which I really dug as well, I had to give it a shot. The end result? The same perspective bending, time hopping tale, with the addition of super cute Korean actresses and scatological humor, another Korean staple.
At the center of it all is Yoo-Suk, mild mannered teashop owner and last decent guy on earth, according to various parties. There’s a girl that he falls head over heels for (to the point that he buys here a house, despite the fact that it would suck all the money out of him). Which is partly why this gal, Na-Ri, totally vanishes, though her bf doesn’t know this. So to find out why, he gets a detective to her down. The movie mostly covering a single day in Yoo-Suk’s life, starting with a visit to the bank, where he crosses path with Ae-Yeon, a cute traffic cop and the two become fellow hostages when the place is robbed. That’s actually one of the least wacky things to happen. Later on, Yoo-Suk gets a call from Bok-Nam, the aforementioned detective, and revealed to be his best friend as well, who says that he’s found the missing girl. This leads to a late night visit to a cafe, but not only is there no Na-Ri, but Bok-Nam totally bails as well. What sucks most is how he’s left with the bill and how his wallet is at home (Yoo-Suk was in such a rush to meet his missing lover). Thankfully that cutie cop from before is also present! Who also has a crush on Yoo-Suk, but she’s sans money as well, due to being robbed earlier that evening (yes, a traffic cop got pick-pocketed; how embarrassing).
They eventually get out of paying the bill, and Yoo-Suk even manages to convince Ae-Yeon to follow him home, after vehicles speeding through a nearby puddle have doused them both. The two honestly seem like the perfect pair, and all seems well until Na-Ri shows up out of the blue to pick up some stuff. What stuff exactly? And why the sudden appearance? Also, why does Ae-Yeon make a sudden and semi-awkward exit? Much like A Stranger of Mine before it, Couples presents one primary set of events, and then constantly goes back in time to show more of what’s actually happening from different viewpoints. Like Bok-Nam’s; while Yoo-Suk and Ae-Yeon are being held hostage, we see him do his thing as a detective. Not only does he witness Na-Ri stealing a shi*tload of money from her new boyfriend, Byung-Chan, a rich and powerful gangster, but eventually he’s suckered into helping her returning the stolen cash, only after realizing what a stupid idea that was; the attempt backfires not surprisingly. But by this point, we shift gears to Na-Ri’s side of the story, to understand why she’s doing what she’s doing.
And there’s Byung-Chan’s point of view, of course, who ends up as the one person that’s totally caught in the middle of the Yoo-Suk/Ae-Yeon/Na-Ri triangle. As well as a totally shifty cab drivers who somewhat ends up being connected to everyone and everything. Just when you think you know the whole story, Couples adds yet another layer is added on top. The chain of events gets increasingly complex and convoluted, but also increasingly cute and endearing. Highly recommended, even if you don’t like romantic comedies, and especially if you like Pulp Fiction, which is the only real comparison that comes to mind, of a movie that so effectively plays with narrative and time. The next and final showing is tomorrow, Wednesday July 4 at 1:00pm, at Lincoln Center.
