I’ve always been a movie goer and thus when a good film comes by, I can vouch for its 5-star rating.
The movie I’m going to review is Brave Story, yes I know it sounds cheesy and all. But please, don’t be fooled by its simple title.

Brave Story is about a protagonist named Wataru with everything that an 11-year old needs in life, until it all comes crashing down. Left alone in the world with a father who abandoned his family, followed by a mother who is lying in bed fighting for her life.

Presented to him is an opportunity of a lifetime – Go through a magical gateway to the world “Vision”, collect 5 gems to grant him a wish — to save his mother and get back his father.

But the movie is way more than that, on the quest to seek the 5 gems in the world of “Vision”, a world set in the era of an estimated AD200, where humanoid-animals and humans are the norm. Wataru’s kind heartedness and humility found him in the comfort of many friends like Kee-Keema the lizard, Meena the human-like cat, the pet baby dragon, and The Highlanders.

On the other hand, the antagonist of “Brave Story” is Mitsuru, an 11-year old boy like Wataru, who went into “Vision” to change his undeniable destiny that tore him apart. But Mitsuru is nothing like Wataru in his conquest for the 5 gems which would grant him a wish. Mitsuru, being a magician in “Vision” would unscrupulously abuse his powers to destroy anyone or anything that stands in his way to get those gems.

“Brave Story” is a movie which undeniably shows strong friendship bonds and also trust in each and every individual; and that behind every bad act, there’s always a good reason for it. For example, Wataru makes the wish of restoring back the world of “Vision” and to rid it of all the released demons — instead of making the wish to get his family back.

To top it off, what makes this movie even more touching was it’s theme song; it reflects the very film itself by providing an atmosphere of “Love and Hope” which is what most of us are looking for in life. I believe that many who have caught the movie would most likely have googled for it’s theme song – Ketsu no asa ni.
Ever since, I’ve always replied with the answer “Brave Story” when someone asks what my favourite movie is.

To sum it all, this movie is not just your typical heart warmer which ends nicely but one that teaches you on values in life like selflessness, and to accept new changes when it comes along your way.

Lee Zhen Cheng

Simplicity is beauty. Hayao Miyazaki must have had that in mind when he produced the animation My Neighbor Totoro. Unlike most of Studio Ghibli’s earlier films, it is less action packed. However, My Neighbor Totoro makes up for that by telling a story that is simple, comfortably paced and relates to the audience on a personal level.

The film evokes both the wonders and terrors one experiences as a child. When a child becomes an adult, things would never be the same. My Neighbor Totoro invokes nostalgia in its audience about the days when they were children.

Two sisters, Satsuki and May, move to the countryside when their mother is hospitalized due to an unspecified illness. In this strange new environment, they discover a magical wonderland filled with an adorable trio of furry, woodland guardians that only children could see.

Totoro itself, who looks like a combination between a kitten, rabbit and bear, is probably the most memorable character in the film.

May, the younger sister, stumbles into it’s dwelling which happens to be underneath the biggest, tallest tree in the forest. Locals call it the Camphor tree.

Totoro, the forest guardian, was slightly annoyed when May woke it up from its afternoon nap. But it soon warmed up to her, letting her sleep on its enormous furry belly.

Satsuki met Totoro too when she waited for her dad on a rainy day at a bus stop. Totoro was pleased when she offered it an umbrella and even more delighted with the sound of the rain falling on it. Happy with the gift, Totoro gave Satsuki a couple of acorn seeds.

Satsuki and May planted the seeds in their backyard when they got home. That night, Totoro paid them a visit and helped the little seeds grow into a gigantic Camphor tree. He then took them on a breath-taking flight around the countryside on his magic spinning top.

The creation of this entire amazing new world open only to the eyes of children must have needed a lot of creativity and hard work. The design of Totoro was unique, and it sticks in the mind of the audience. The other characters were beautifully designed and animated too. The animation has bright, cheerful and colorful visuals, creating a positive mood for the entire story.

May and Satsuki had their own individual qualities that were clearly shown as the film went along. May was naïve and charmingly innocent as she was very young. The older sister, Satsuki, is more mature and prone to negative thinking but she cares for her younger sister very much. When May went missing after Satsuki lost her temper, she searched high and low for her all over the countryside.

The music composed by Joe Hisaishi complemented the film with great effect. “Path Of The Wind” was a perfect accompaniment to the scene where Totoro makes the seeds grow into the Camphor tree. The music begins softy then gradually becomes louder and louder, just like a tree growing taller and taller!

This animation is a definite must watch. In fact, I would recommend all animations from Studio Ghibli to you. They have a penchant of producing great animations like Spirited Away that won an Oscar for best-animated feature.

Theon Leong

Preface:

Since the 1920s, Hollywood has been dominating the film industry and in most cases, it is not unusual to find someone who has not watched a film that is produced by his own country. Thus, national films, especially those from the Asian region suffer as Hollywood films draw away their audiences.

In recent years however, there has been a rapid surge in international recognition of Asian films. Though this is partly due to them being more readily available on video and DVD, films from Asia are also increasingly winning top prizes at highly respected film festivals across the globe. As an Asian myself, I feel a strong connection to the current state that Asian film industry is in and the need to focus on Asia because of its potential growth in the global film industry.

With that being said, the primary focus of this study is to investigate the chances of Asian cinema ending Hollywood’s strong and lasting dominance in the world film market, and eventually achieving an equal status as Hollywood across the globe in the coming years. In this study, I will attempt to explore the standings of a few representatives of Asian cinema against the industry bully, Hollywood.

Introduction

Often considered as one of the youngest art forms, the motion picture industry is just over a century old with majority of its existence dominated by Hollywood.

“Hollywood films account for about 80 percent of the global market, American TV products occupy about 90 percent of worldwide airtime, American music makes about 85 percent of the profits in the music business: such a situation should be regarded as dramatic for the whole of mankind!’’ said executive director of the Korean Coalition Yang Gi-hwan (Bertolin, 2006, para. 8).

Despite occasional successes attained by non-Hollywood films within their own native countries as well as overseas, films produced by Hollywood ultimately dominates the international box office. Such a trend can be traced back to the 1920s, during which Hollywood and the studio system that it created came to dominate the movie industry across the globe (Ross, 2002, p. 68).

With its huge domestic base and its formal creation of a cartel, the major Hollywood studios began their worldwide film domination in full-fledged integrated fashion, producing, distributing and exhibiting natively and abroad. Its star system, publicity machinery and prestigious grand cinemas were placed into action and further expanded with the high returns flowing to the cartel. In simpler terms, it was a business strategy meant for a loaded cartel, forced into cinemas across the globe, which led to more profits and an even greater control over the world film market. Using its generous budgets to its advantage, Hollywood further made it impossible for other nations to compete on the same level (Segrave, 1997, p. 281). Today, the average cost that Hollywood sets aside for a film is $100 million (Jon, 2008, para. 2).

In most Asian countries, their national films suffer while Hollywood films continue to draw in more audience. In fact, Hollywood accounts for an astonishingly high percentage of the box office in several of its Asian counterparts – 96% in Taiwan, 78% in Thailand and 65% in Japan (Lee, 2005, para. 5).

It is then no surprise that the worldwide film revenue for Hollywood has soared from $34.9 billion in 2007 to an estimated $41.6 billion by the end of 2011 (Business Wire, 2008, para. 3). But even with such great success, Hollywood continues to fight even harder to maintain and expand their worldwide film domination by complaining of discrimination and lack of access to Hollywood products in countries where it has long controlled 80% or more of the screen time. (Segrave, 1997, p. 281). Along its path to worldwide domination, the Hollywood juggernaut has destroyed the glory of many local film industries like the Philippines and Singapore, while it continues to thrive in its success.

The Three Musketeers: Asian Cinema’s Hope

While there is no denying that this pattern of box office domination is evident in majority of the Asian film markets, there are exceptions. Paul Willemen, a professor of Critical Studies, reveals that “some countries (especially in Asia) have managed to prevent Hollywood from destroying their local film industry”. These countries worth noting are India, Hong Kong, and South Korea.

Located in South Asia, India’s motion industry continues to flourish as both Bollywood films and regional films dominate their nation’s box office, leaving no room for Hollywood films to penetrate through. Here, Hollywood fare accounts for a mere 8% in the world’s second most populous nation (Khanna, n.d., para. 15). A similar picture can be seen in South Korea whereby homegrown films of Hollywood standards receive a fair share of the box office with Hollywood. Finally, another exception who has escaped from the tyrant’s clutches is Hong Kong where films from the bully have failed to make an impact on the local film consumption. In fact, its national films outsell Hollywood’s by a factor of four to one (Williams, 2002, p. 35). Besides its formidable defence, Hong Kong has also exercised its own dominance within its region, filling up cinemas and video shelves of its neighboring audience like Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan (Cinema of Hong Kong, 2010).

India

Often considered by many to be the heart of the Indian motion picture industry, India is the world’s largest motion picture producing country, churning out nearly 1000 films annually and receiving positive receptions in Indian and in its neighboring nations. Even though the format of Bollywood films has undergone several changes over the years, the movies are typically melodramatic, 3-4 hours long, full of music and dance numbers, intensified with elaborate and brightly colored costumes and sets, and essentially revolve around traditional values such as family and religion. Amongst all these is usually a love story, where lovers overcome hardships in order to be together. But what makes the Bollywood films truly unique is the fact that most of them are musicals.

Indian film producer and director Bobby Bedi said that, “We are very optimistic that within the next five years a Bollywood movie will match the success of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in the global market.” Much like the Indian economy, the Indian film industry is also globalizing. As a matter of fact, the motion picture of India has prided itself as being the largest film industry in the world. As mentioned previously, India produces on average a 1000 films a year, compared to a relatively modest 600 films produced by the US. This figure, however, does not translate into an equally proportional figure in terms of revenue. In 2006, the seemingly high revenue of $2.1 billion brought in by the Indian film industry sadly matches up to what takes only 4 Hollywood films to generate. As for why there was a low income turnover, two factors contributed to the growth of it. Firstly, tickets in India were made as affordable as they could be for everyone to enjoy a movie. In fact, the price of a ticket is considered a lot way cheaper when compared to other countries. Secondly, growth in piracy has also prevented the filmmakers to earn their desired income from the home video market.

Hence, for Indian filmmakers, distributing their films abroad seems like a lucrative route to take as going global provides a promising opportunity to rake in greater sales, higher profit margins and much added visibility. Additionally factors like changing content, international avenues for financing, increased star power, and the popularity of satellite as well as other distribution channels has further induce India to enter globalization.

While the route to globalization seems attractive, it does not come without its own set of problems. The evolving nature of globalization for Indian cinema also carried its own set of business implications. Indian filmmakers wonder if the future generations would one day flock to watch a Bollywood release as regularly as a Hollywood blockbuster while studio executives considers the big threats that Indian films pose to Hollywood. As these thoughts continue, one thing was certain: both Bollywood and Hollywood have no intention of destroying each other’s markets and losing the millions of audience they have garnered around the world in the process. Instead, both are tightening their film ties through film collaborations like Slumdog Millionaire and Kites and are becoming highly vested in each other’s markets (Lakshmi, 2009). With the hopeful mindset of “Bollywood versus Hollywood” now out of the way, we take a look at Hong Kong’s cinema.

Hong Kong

One can draw considerable satisfaction from the achievements of Hong Kong cinema and the influence it have had on filmmaking around the world. Be it film stars or directors, names such as Jackie Chan, Jet Lee, and John Woo have become household names headlining several blockbusters, including those from Hollywood. Along its path of success tag along numerous Western filmmakers who are exploring and employing the visual dynamics of Hong Kong movies, fusing their own film styles with hyperkinetic martial arts action, “wire-fu”, and graceful gun battles to the mainstream audiences through films like The Matrix and Kill Bill.

However, despite attaining such accomplishment overseas, the luster on Hong Kong’s native motion picture industry has faded quite drastically as the Hong Kong film industry is met with crisis. Within the homegrown market, Hong Kong’s market share has reduced significantly by 40% with a decrease in box office earnings as well. As mentioned previously, Hong Kong is one of the countries that managed to thrive in the face of Hollywood dominance. This, however, no longer stands true as its famous predominance in the homegrown market has been increasingly diluted with Hollywood products. For the first time in nearly 30 years, the Hong Kong cinema has given way to its western counterpart who managed to gain a secure foothold in its market. Such phenomenon can be first observed in 1993 when Jurassic Park became the highest grossing film of all time in the Hong Kong box office (Teo, 1997, p. 253).

The downfall of Hong Kong’s film industry has been due to a number of reasons even though the biggest culprit to blame is the handover of Hong Kong by the British back to the People’s Republic of China, which brought with it its own set of problems for the film industry, not least among them stricter censorship (Carter, 2007, p. 61-62). Spurred by the uncertainty that aroused during the handover back to Mainland China in 1997, the best and brightest players have also jumped on the bandwagon as these valuable human resources have been drawn into the bright lights of Hollywood, resulting in a considerable “brain drain” in Hong Kong’s film industry (Yoon, 2006, p. 63). Adding on to this loss is the deaths of two of its most popular performers: Leslie Cheung and Anita Mui.

Similar to India, Hong Kong’s industry is also threatened by the widespread of piracy, which puts films out onto the streets at a fraction of a cost of a movie ticket as they get released into theaters (Leong, 2002, p. 1). Year 2003 proved to be particularly disastrous for the industry. In addition to the already prominent economic woes, the SARS outbreak made people even more reluctant and afraid to go cinema. Film productions also came to a halt for 4 months. In fact, only 54 films were made that year. Efforts made by the government to promote investment in films by banks have also been futile as banks still see films as a high risk investment (Carter, 2007, p. 62). Moreover, the “shoot fast and cheap” mentality of Hong Kong’s film industry has not helped either, with studios producing bad quality and disposable offerings.

Indeed, there are films that have helped to brighten up Hong Kong’s current film industry, such as the recent success of Stephen Chow’s Kung Fu Hustle and Johnnie To’s Election (Cinema of Hong Kong, 2010). But on a wider scope, the magic of the so-called “Hong Kong New Wave”, Hong Kong’s golden era, is all but gone.

South Korea
Just as all hopes seem lost for Asian cinema when two of its biggest players, India and Hong Kong, have been removed from the façade of Hollywood’s domination, South Korea’s film industry has been gradually climbing its way up into success. Accustomed to fighting for survival, South Korea seems like Asia’s only hope in propelling Asian cinema to greater heights, thus bringing Asia’s glory back in the process. When that day comes, only then will Asian people be able to rejoice as the sun rises from the East again.

Over the last decade, the motion picture industry of South Korea has transformed remarkably. Since the 1970s, the native motion picture industry of South Korea was already considered quite strong, even though Hollywood films dominated 80% of the market until recently whereby South Korea’s national films have increased their stakes to slightly over 50% of the film market. Though not dominant, this figure is definitely considered far greater than what most Asian countries could occupy combined (Yoon, 2006, p. 63 – 65).

The roots of Korean cinema, the melodramas and exploitation films have given rise to a new generation of filmmakers. Educated aboard and heavily influenced by the contemporaries across the globe, this new wave of Korean filmmakers is molding the industry with daring art films, big budget action flicks, thought provoking dramas and subversive satires. In some places, South Korean is speculated to being the next new “Hong Kong” and even the “Hollywood of the East” with its indigenous film industry on the verge of propelling onto the world stage (Leong, 2002, p. 1-2). Indeed, this is strikingly similar to the “Hong Kong New Wave” that managed to launch Hong Kong and its groundbreaking directors into international spotlight and recognition in the past. In fact, some Korean films like Shiri have already found success in the world market, including its rival’s market through limited release. The filmmakers behind the success of the films are also being wooed by Hollywood studios for lucrative remake rights, such as the recent deals for Joint Security Area and My Sassy Girl (Cinema of Korea, 2010).

Part of the reason behind the success is because of the vast improvements in quality as well as quantity recently. A wide range of genres has also been developed to cater to the masses. The size of investment placed on its national films has also dramatically increased. Also, the industry structure is undergoing reorganization as it arms itself for globalization (Yoon, 2006, p. 65).

Over the course of reform, Korean filmmakers have closely followed the Hollywood model and it took only a while before the Korean film industry transformed its distribution and exhibition system to match that of Hollywood’s. South Korea used to have small scale locally owned cinemas and distributors. Today, that has evolved into two big distributors that control 70% of the local market, and 4 big multiplex owners that occupy most of the screens. The production system of South Korea is the last aspect that the film industry wants to change. In South Korea, directors are given autonomous control over creative decisions in film productions rather than the producers. Crew members and engineers are trained by masters and paid very little. Now, the film people are mobilized for restructuring by contending the adoption of Hollywood’s system. As a result, producers are getting more authority in film production. Additionally, Argent Web, which was just set up recently has a close partnership with CAA, one of Hollywood’s biggest agencies.

Today, the film industry of South Korea is actively involved in the course of globalization and it does so not only by exporting of films and human resources, but also the reformation of its native film industry. Its rival, Hollywood has been getting more interested in Korean films as they attain success natively and internationally (Yoon, 2006, p. 66).

With Hollywood continuously buying distribution and remake rights from Korean films, international recognition of Korean films is bound to rise in coming years. And as people around the world starts to open themselves up to Korean cinema, there will definitely be more export opportunities for the Korean film industry, which will in turn lead to greater international sales for filmmakers to leverage to ensure a smooth flow of returns on their products, thus promising a overall good condition of the Korean film industry.

Conclusion
There is almost no doubt that South Korea is following in both Hollywood’s and Hong Kong’s footsteps. However, one question remains and that is whether South Korea will be able to better Hong Kong and India in parts where they have failed by sustaining its native industry’s extraordinary growth through perseverance, innovation and emphasis on quality, or crash into the same walls that have befallen what were once Asia’s hope of standing up against the industry bully. Only time can tell.

Written by Jacky Yen Zi Shyun

References

Bertolin, P. (2006, May 21). Koreans, French fight Hollywood domination. Retrieved January 24, 2010, from http://www.bilaterals.org/article.php3?id_article=4796

Business Wire. (2008, May 20). U.S. Major Studio Film Entertainment Revenue Will Approach $42 Billion By 2011, According to New AMR Report. Retrieved December January 24, 2010, fromhttp://www.allbusiness.com/media-telecommunications/movies-sound-recording/10512814-1.html

Carter, D. (2007). East Asian Cinema. United Kingdom: Kamera Books.

Cinema of Hong Kong (2010, January 27). In Wikipedia. Retrieved February 1, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinema_of_Hong_Kong

Cinema of Korea (2010, February 3). In Wikipedia. Retrieved February 1, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinema_of_Korea

Gi, H. Y. (2008, September 12). Why UNESCO Should Adopt a Convention on Cultural Diversity. Retrieved February 1, 2010, from http://www.coalitionfrancaise.org/actus/doc/yang.pdf

Jon. (2008, March 8). Average Hollywood Movie Now Costs over $106 Million [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://www.romow.com/entertainment-blog/average-hollywood-movie-now-costs-over-106-million/

Jones, Arora, Mishra, & Lefort. (2008, July 9). Can Bollywood Go Global?. Retrieved February 1, 2010, from http://jis.pe.kr/road/attachment/1265646572.pdf

Kerrigan, F. (2010). Film Marketing. United Kingdom: Elsevier Ltd.

Khanna, P. (n.d.). Next Bond movie opening in India before premiering in the US. Retrieved February 1, 2010, from http://www.masala.com/7396-hollywood-fare-fairing-well-in-india

Lakshmi, R. (2009, March 7). Bollywood, Hollywood Tightening Film Ties. Retrieved February 1, 2010, from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/06/AR2009030603060.html

Lee, D. (2005, December 1). Hollywood’s Interest in Asian Films Leads to Globalization. Retrieved December 14, 2009, from http://uniorb.com/ATREND/movie.htm

Leong, A. C. Y. (2002). Korean cinema: the new Hong Kong: a guidebook for the latest Korean new wave. Canada: Trafford Publishing.

Ross, S. J. (2002). Movies and American society. United Kingdom: Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Segrave, K. (1997). American films abroad: Hollywood’s domination of the world’s movie screens. United States of America: Mcfarnland & Company, Inc., Publishers.

Teo, S. (1997). Hong Kong Cinema. United Kingdom: British Film Institute.

Williams, A. (2002). Film and nationalism. United States of America: Rutgers University Press.

Yoon, S. (2006, November). Asians in Hollywood: Globalization or localization. Retrieved February 1, 2010, from http://www.eptic.com.br/arquivos/Dossieespecial/espacoeidentidades/CulturaePensamento_vol%201%20-%20SunnyYoon.pdf

Geishas were depicted fairly often in Mizoguchi’s films. Perhaps this stems from his humble background, which played a major role in the development of geisha themes in his films. In 1905, his father went bankrupt after a failed business venture at the end of the Russo-Japanese war. Film historian Le Fanu (2005) states that “the failure necessitated a childhood move from a relatively middle class area in Tokyo to a more plebian district close to the theatre and brothel quarters” (pg.22). This move coincided with the birth of his younger brother and the disappearance of his elder sister, Susumo, who was a drain on family finances. It was shortly discovered that she was sold intogeishadom. However, Susumo continued to play a huge part on Mizoguchi’s young life, enabling him to acquire his first job through her professional contacts,and bringing Mizoguchi and his brother under her shelter when their mother passed away. There is a “parallel between the trajectory of Mizoguchi’s adolescent life and the plots of numerous melodramatic shimpa dramas” (LeFanu, 2005, p.23), which recount the sacrifices made by geishas on behalf of the men they are involved with. This aspect of Mizoguchi’s adolescent life is extremely apt because the subject of women’s suffering is fundamental in all his work; while “sacrifice – in particular, the sacrifice a sister makes for her brother” –has a ubiquitous presence in many of his films in the 1930s. (Le Fanu, 2005,
p.25)

Osaka Elegy and Sisters of the Gion are two Mizoguchi films worth a mention. Although the milieus depicted in the two films differ greatly (only Sisters of the Gion is specifically set in the world of Geisha), their spiritual affinity is obvious when observed closely. Both films are centrally concerned with what it means to scrabble for patronage. In the pre-war Kyoto Geisha world depicted in Sisters of the Gion, Omocha and her sister search for an elderly rich client to
support them financially. This search for patronage is not quite as formalized in Osaka Elegy, where Ayako, the heroine is a lowly company employee, rather than a “bird in a gilded cage” (Le Fanu, 2005, p. 71). But in a way, she is a bird in a cage too as her quest is the same. In these two films, Mizoguchi explores circumstances, which force beautiful yet desperate women to exchange freedom for money. Mizoguchi thus seems to possess a fondness for revealing the true nature of distressed women in times of turmoil in a male-dominated society, main
reason being that his sister herself fell victim to family circumstances and societal norms.

To many critics, Mizoguchi is an impassioned defender of women’s rights who feels that women have little choice under the Japanese patriarchy but to sacrifice themselves. Their only way out is to “develop spiritual strength to transcend their oppression” (Noletti & Desser, 1992, p.32). One such film, in which this occurs, is The Life of Oharu. The heroine, Oharu, falls from a high position in society and eventually becomes the lowest type of street prostitute. In accordance to authors Noletti, Jr. and Desser (1992), critics have frequently asserted that Oharu has “attained transcendence by the end of the film” (p.33). It is interesting to note that because of Japan’s deep-rooted patriarchal system, Mizoguchi could explore the repressed plights of women compared to Japanese men, as men’s plights could never be as inherently piteous.

Ozu Yasujiro is another famous Japanese director whose films often encompassed the role of average Japanese women. His most acclaimed film, Tokyo Story, examines the disunion between a stereotyped “traditional”Japanese female and the characteristics that embodied the “modern” Japanese women in the early 1950s. The film’s main theme centers on the disintegration of the family spurred on by post-war urbanization, demonstrating how this shaped the demeanor of the female protagonists, complex in their intricate fusion of Japanese and Western, emotional and pragmatic, modest and independent.
(Sato, 2003, pg.3)

One example of this complexity of the feminine is Shige, the eldest daughter and impudent wife. She fits the stereotype in some ways, but in other ways she does not. Working at home as a hairdresser, her “domestic occupation has been practiced by women since pre-modern times”. (Sato, 2003, pg.6). However, her casual behaviour around her parents indicates the blase attitude frequently associated with latter-day womanhood.

A clear example of this would be in one scene where Shige deliberates with Koichi, her brother, concerning an imminent visit to their debilitated mother. Shige, still unsure of the critical state of their mother’s affliction, placidly asksKoichi whether they ought to pack mourning garments. Surprised at her insensitivity, Koichi hesitates before replying unenthusiastically. Shige immediately responds with “Settled. Let’s pack them in case”. Despite her purported filial piety, her judgment of the circumstances disturbs the frequently expressed perception of Japanese women. (Sato, 2003, p.7).

Film Historian Sato (2003) states that Shige’s unembellished servitude of family claims to the demands of her work makes Shige a “disquieting image of domesticity” (p.7). In spite of that, Shige occasionally embodies a hybrid of ‘old’ and ‘new’, and partakes in an effort to place herself within broader social customs, such as those of urban and professional working women. It is the working daughter-in-law Noriko who ostensibly reveals the attributes of an
independent woman, professionally industrious in a broader society, and not Shige herself. And yet, Noriko complies with befitting female traditions within the family. While Shige and Koichi are too self-absorbed to perform family-related activities, Noriko prevails as the personification of filial piety, uncomplainingly leaving work in order to entertain her parents-in-law during their Tokyo visit.

Subsequently, also staying by the father’s side after his wife’s death, long after the rest have paid their desultory respects and left. Noriko’s image as the “prevailing stereotype of the modern single woman” (Sato, 2003, p.9), contradicts her behavior, as it is she who resides independently in a modern apartment, traveling daily to her desk-bound clerical job. Ultimately, Ozu wanted to show the conflicts that Japanese women faced as they emerged from the traditional and rigid old-world customs to the more liberal emancipation of working women.

In conclusion, the portrayal of women in Mizoguchi’s and Ozu’s films are starkly different, both carried out in a different fashion, with different stylistic devices and different approaches in different circumstances. However, one similarity between the two directors lies in the need to showcase the plight of Japanese woman in a patriarchal old-fashioned society, and also as not just an object of desire and subservience, but also what it means to possess an indomitable spirit.

Written by Suzie Knight

List of References

LeFanu, Mark. Mizoguchi and Japan, Londo: Cromwell Press, 2005.

Mizoguchi, K. (Director) Fujiwara, T. (Writer) & Osaka, S. (Writer) & Yoka, Y. (Writer) (1938)

Osaka Elegy. [Film DVD]. Japan: Daiichi Eiga.

Mizoguchi, K. (Director),. Kuprin, A. (Novelist) and Mizoguchi, K. (Writer). (1938).

Sisters of the Gion [Film DVD] . Japan: Daiichi Eiga.

Noletti, Jr. & ;Desser,D. Reframing Japanese Cinema: Authorship, Genre, History. Indiana University Press, USA, 1992.

Mizoguchi, K.(Director), Ihara, S.(Novelist) & Mizoguchi, K. (Writer). (1952).

The Life of Oharu [Film?DVD]. Japan: Koi Productions

Sato,B. The New Japanese Woman: Modernity, Media, and Women in Interwar Japan. Duke University Press, USA, 2003.

Ozu,Y.(Director), Noda,K.(Writer) & Ozu,Y. (Writer).? (1953).

Tokyo Story.[Film DVD]. Japan: Shochiku Kinema Kenkyûjo

Summer Wars is the story is about a young high school student, Kenji Koiso, a math genius who has just started his summer break and is asked by his secret crush, and older student, Natsuki Shinohara, to go with her to her family home for a summer job, he agrees to it immediately, only finding out later that his “summer job” requires him to pretend to be Natsuki’s fiancée. As Kenji tried his best to keep up with Natsuki’s back stories of himself, he receives a strange message on his “keitai” (which are mobile phones of Japan) asking him to solve a ridiculously long mathematical problem and of course, being a math genius, he cannot resist solving it. In doing so, he unleashes something terrible in the Internet world of OZ.

Mamoru Hosoda’s latest original comes out in theaters on February 25 2010. And on the weekend of the 21st and 22nd of November, I was lucky enough to catch Mr. Sevakis of Anime News Network with Mr. Hosoda live on stage at the Anime Festival Asia (AFA) for a discussion panel about this new movie!

Mr. Sevakis started by asking about the basis of Summer Wars, which used the world of OZ to mock the Internet and social networking sites of the digital society. Mr. Hosoda tells us that this is not a ploy to tell everyone that the new form of media is evil, however, he enjoys using the Internet and thought that an action movie about the Internet world would be fun.
Sevakis goes on to ask about inspirations for OZ, where avatars are made to represent real people, suggesting popular names like, Facebook, Second Life and Gaia, but Hosoda tells us that a Japanese site called, Mixi which is only available in Japan, or by invitation, Twitter would give you an idea of a similar network.

Another important motif in the movie was that of large families. In our modern-day world, not many people from many different countries live in large extended families anymore, including us here in Singapore, and people living in Tokyo. Families tend to be smaller. (Sevakis did a quick poll to ask all of us whether we lived in big or small families, the number of hands showed that most of us lived in small family units.) Apparently, Hosoda felt that the feeling of a large family all living under one roof was “more lively and nostalgic”
We also found out that many of the same people who worked on, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, would be working on Summer Wars as well. But, Hosoda made clear that this was a completely different movie, just so we all knew we wouldn’t be getting a Girl Who Leapt Through Time 2. Some of the more important staff that was mentioned was, Satoko Okudera, who wrote the screenplay, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, character designer, who also did character design for Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Sevakis continued to ask about the art direction of Summer Wars, and the simplistic feel of it, similar to The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. Hosoda wanted to make it “simple and sharp” instead of using lots of CG effects. Why? “It’s more cool that way,” Hosoda replies.
When asked what other anime inspired Summer Wars, Hosoda said, “My Neighbor Totoro, Ghost in the Shell, too many things.”
After a few more joking comments from the host and Mr. Hosoda himself, we went on to questions from the audience.

One asked about Mr. Hosoda’s next project, after Summer Wars.
Mr. Hosoda replied that he was still thinking about it, however, the contents of a “next movie” would be very simple, like The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. It was a simple movie, with a simple plot and a few main characters, whereas Summer Wars was far more complex, with the story revolving around many more characters. That’s why his next movie is going to revert back to being simple.
Another person asked if Mr. Hosoda would rather work on TV anime series rather than anime movies. Mr. Hosoda replied that he used to work on TV anime series, but he preferred movies, since they call to a larger audience are easier to distribute. However he does not mean that movies are a piece of cake. “Each movie takes three years to complete! One year for planning, second year for scripts and the final year for the film-making.” He also mentioned that the hardest part of the production is usually the planning part, since they have to “try to think about what can make people happy, and what people enjoy.”

The final question asked if there was a difference between the Japanese perspectives of the Internet compared to the rest of the world. Mr. Hosoda says, “I guess it’s a little different, probably.” He used Facebook in America as an example, where people used their real names and information, while on Mixi in Japan, people used online handles, preferring not to reveal their true identities, especially when a situation can lead to trouble. Mr. Hosoda said, “Personally, I feel it would be more fun if people use your real names.”
Mr. Sevakis said, “Unless you get into trouble.”
To this Mr. Hosoda replied with a big smile, “That’s part of the fun.”
As a result of Hosoda’s ethics, the characters in Summer Wars all use avatars that look nothing like themselves, but their real names in the world of OZ.
“If you use your real name,” he said, “people trust you more.”
A last comment from Mr. Hosoda before the panel was closed was, “When you go to watch Summer Wars, bring someone else to watch it with you. It’s a movie about love and family, so don’t watch it alone.”

I recommend that any anime fan, or fan of Mr. Hosoda’s work go to watch this when it’s out in theaters. Some people may not like it, but just like the different perspectives of people who use the Internet, we all have different perspectives of movies as well.

- Winona

The screenplay adapts the most prominent battle in Three Kingdoms, the Battle of Chi Bi (Red Cliff). Soon after Cao Cao self-proclaimed as the prime minister of the Han Dynasty, he began his road to the unification of China, exterminating any forces or any people who are in his way. His next target is Liu Bei, an extremely distant relative of the current Han’s emperor. With the help of his strategist Zhuge Liang, Liu Bei’s forces form an alliance with Sun Quan. They now need to prepare to engage a battle with Cao Cao at Red Cliff.

One seldom seen transition in movies nowadays is being heavily used in Red Cliff – wipe. As a type of transition that is viewed as cheesy in film theory, Red Cliff had successfully show how wiping can be more than appropriate. As set in the olden days of China, the wipes of the movie can be related to as the scrolls being used then. And being adapted from a novel, the idea of a rolling scroll can be seen as us the audience is reading the good old classic.

The humour added in this serious plot helps bring out the character’s personality rather then nonsensical gags. Zhuge Liang’s “I know a little” of this and “I know a little” of that showcase the humourous side and humble side of him. The juxtaposition between the Shu and Wu generals is also well shown; we see how strict the Wu generals were while the Shu generals mix and bond with their soldiers and civilians. Some people, however, might find one of the comical scene a little morbid as there is dehumanization occurring (the scene where all the Cao’s troops were captured by ropes with just one last soldier left helplessly before being killed).

Despite the many characters in the film, each and every one of them are clearly showcased and introduced. All characters’ first appearance strongly introduced them and creates great impact. Zhuge Liang was pumped with stronger emotions, as compared to the historical counterpart of him, which makes him more lively and likeable. Sun Quan’s character became more focused on his inner struggles and this make him stands out. Liu Bei is also much more assertive, as compared to the more well known wishy-washy version of him. Cao Cao had the greatest changes; he was made totally ruthless, unreasonable and invaded Eastern Wu for wanting Xiao Qiao (Zhou Yu’s wife). Cao Cao’s reputation is totally smeared for the great cause of creating a great force of evil in the film to show a contrast of the Shu-Wu Alliance’s righteousness.

This film serves as a perfect platform for introducing all the characters and introduces the conflict of the story. This sets everyone to be ready for the real Battle of Red Cliff in its sequel. As an action film that balances both action and character development, Red Cliff is definitely one of the best Asian action films of all times.

4.5 out of 5 stars

- Ng Wee Kiat

Speedy Scandal is a Korean movie directed by Kang Hyeong-Cheol and was released in the year 2008.
The story revolves around the life of Nam Hyun-Soo (Cha Tae-Hyeon), a popular radio deejay, after his “unexpected” twenty-two-year-old daughter and six-year-old grandson emerged in his life.
The movie itself is worth watching especially for those who enjoy watching comedies. A KOREAN COMEDY as the theme suggests, would not be a successful movie without some tearful moments AND the most adorable and “OH-MY-GOD” young Korean actor, Hwang Seok-Hyeon acting as the six-year-old boy, Gi Dong.
I enjoy watching the movie because it shows how Nam Hyun-Soo changes from an independent and liberal man to a responsible and caring father (and grandfather) to his daughter, Jung-Nam (Park Bo-Yeong).
As someone who gets annoyed by the presence of children, he has a pretty tough time spending his time with Gi Dong, his grandson. Their relationship eventually becomes strong through the games they play and Gi Dong helping out his grandfather to win his pre-school teacher’s heart (Jung Nam’s mother passed away when she was still young).
Jung-Nam and Gi Dong have hidden music talents, just like Hyun-Soo. Hyun-Soo helps Jung-Nam in living up her dream to be a singer through a talent competition organised by his radio station.
However, the three of them has to keep their relationship a secret from the public because it may trigger the downfall of Hyun Soo’s career as a famous radio deejay.

So, when the secret about their relationship almost leaked out to the public, Hyun-Soo selfishly tells Jung-Nam and Gi Dong to leave his house. This means, Jung-Nam’s dream to be a singer will have to be destroyed (or at least, it will be hard for her to be a singer since her father who has a strong influence in the music industry is no longer there to help her achieve her dream).
Aww…this is the moment where I remember crying a lot because of Hyun-Soo missing his (adorable) grandson and his time spent to build up the twenty-two years of absence in Jung Nam’s life as a father. This part itself shows a lot about the message of the movie that was definitely the importance of family in our lives.

So, in the absence of his daughter and grandson, Hyeong-Cheol finally realises the importance of their presence in his life. He then disclosed the truth to the public.
Overall, I think the movie is pretty successful in sending the message across. It is indeed a pretty good movie for families to watch together. The actors acted really well as their roles. I rate this movie 8/10. Two thumbs up!

Done by: Nur Amalina Shalan

Zhang Yimou and Li Yang may be as different as day and night in the films that they did, but the similarities cannot be ignored. Thus, it may only be right to first point out the similarities before the differences when the common factors between them are integral to the essay. Both Zhang and Li has the same motivation for making films. Li Yang mentioned in an interview that: “The focus of my film…was not simply to show the brutal situation in which the miners live, but to express the struggle, conflicts and contradictions in their lives. I wanted to portray how human nature degenerates under the attraction of money, and the good side of humanity in this transitional period.” (Chan, 2003). While Zhang said that: “with the Cultural Revolution as the background, I want to show the fate of people… and the most valuable things in human nature that survived this recent period of Chinese history” (Cardullo, 2007).

Both directors are interested in the portrayal of human nature in their films. When Zhang made his first film, Red Sorghum, he had also started out with a very low budget. Both Red Sorghum and Blind Shaft (Li’ s first film) are Social Realist films. While Red Sorghum speaks of a poor woman who was sold off to marry a rich leper in exchange for a mule – “Gongli’s portrayal of the headstrong owner of a winery in Red Sorghum was a breakthrough in terms of the representation of women in Chinese films”(Cornelius, 2002, p. 79) ,

Blind Shaft touches on the modern day society in China where two men makes use of the corrupted system in the Mining Industry to earn money – by committing murder – to provide for the education of their children back at home. Blind Shaft speaks on the issue of Humans in the era where people are seen to be disposable. The two crooks establish fake family ties in order to earn the compensation money for the death of a kin. And in the film, a character mentioned that China lacks everything but people(Chow, 2007, p. 167-179). And this might be where the similarities end.

Comparing Red Sorghum to Blind Shaft, Red has achieved a lot more awards and recognition. From winning the Golden Bear Award at the Berlin International Film Festival and other awards for Best Cinematography, Sound, Music and Artistic Achievement, the film has also been marketed overseas as well as succeeding in box office takings in Zhang’s home-ground, China. “Many critics regard Red Sorghum as a milestone of Chinese cinema that marks an end to avant-gardism and a beginning of commercialism… Red pleased a wide spectrum of audiences with its sophisticated cinematic techniques and lavish ethnographic elements. Unlike previous fifth generation films, which gathered praise abroad, but failed in the domestic market, Red proved a box-office success in China.”(Zhang, 2004, p. 238) On the other hand, Blind Shaft has won its fair share of recognition overseas. Praised for being truthful and critical, the film has won the Silver Bear Award in the BIFF, along with awards for Best Film, and Best Narrative Feature. However, the film has been banned in China.

There are many ways to prove a point, some more discreet, some more straightforward. The more discreet methods may not be ineffective. The more straightforward methods may not be the best. The film style of Zhang and Li differs, although they wanted to tell similar stories and both had limited funds available. Li Yang mentioned that his simple and direct style is crucial in that it does not make the movie seem exaggerated. (Teo, 2003) Without adding music, having the camera only placed at the height of a human’s eye level, and hand holding the camera for every shot, his idea was that this simplicity of style would be more effective in endearing the audiences to the characters and the narrative (Teo, 2003). Li has a background in making documentaries. However, he did not intend for Blind Shaft to be one. Adapting from a book ShenMu, Li made substantial changes, making the story in the movie stronger. Li added the element of suspense, so that “the audience can continue watching, to anticipate how the two miners will kill the boy.” (Teo, 2003, para. 60) As Li puts it, “you’re telling a story and you want to tell it well, to make the audience watch.” (Teo, 2003, para. 59)

Zhang, on the other hand, insists on the importance of visuals in his movies. He mentioned that “you cannot afford to get self-indulgent or too isolated and self-involved.” (Cardullo, 2007). But he emphasizes that he does not mean for films to look like Hollywood commercial movies. He said that what he makes in his movies look good, in the visual art sense. (Cardullo, 2007). His films have a very high production value. The cinematography in Red Sorghum is very well accomplished. Red is a symbolic color in the movie. Sex is not explicitly shown like in Blind Shaft, but implied. Other than the look, he also makes sure that the audiences understand his movies.

However, Red Sorghum may be an accomplished movie but it has come under criticism for a weak storyline and underdeveloped character arcs. “Red Sorghum is a visually sumptuous film, rich in symbolism… (but) I said once in another review that cinematography alone can never save for me a film with a poor story line.” , said a film critic under the online name of Metalluk (2006).

Both Li and Zhang does movies for the audience, but they have different views. Li puts more emphasis on story and characterization in Blind Shaft as compared to the story and characterization in Red Sorghum which is weaker. However, Red Sorghum is more visually stunning than Blind Shaft can be. Blind Shaft can contest for story and direction, but would stand no chance against other films for music and other artistic elements. There is no music in Blind Shaft other than the occasional whistling, and the singing in the KTV.

Further more, Zhang thinks that: “Looking back now at films like Yellow Earth and Red Sorghum, I can tell you that they both have warm blood and intense life, which are missing from the works of the Sixth Generation. I think this is because the Sixth Generation was subject to too many practical considerations…the need for money, the dilemma caused by censorship, the awards offered at international film festivals.” (Cardullo, 2007).

Another thing we should discuss in Film Style is the way Zhang and Li prefer to put across their messages. Censorship is a bane for both generations. Zhang prefers the discreet manner, while Li’s style is more straightforward. In Red, the bride can be said to be practicing collectivism. As her background was poor as well, she request the workers to join her in the winery rather than work under her, although she has control over the winery (Metalluk, 2006).

In the film, if one had not thought of such political backgrounds, one would not have thought twice about the bride’s statements which consist of dialogues like “If we are able to do the business well, everybody has one share” and “there is no grading thing in our winery” (Red Sorghum, 1988). In Blind Shaft on the other hand, corruption in the mining industry was clearly put forward in the scene where the crooks were trying to bargain for more compensation money. The mine boss said that “the county and bureau chiefs are my friends. We’ve got people in the coal bureau too.” When the sidekick of the boss suggests to murder the two crooks, and simply settle the matter by “getting in touch with your (mine boss) police chief pals”, the boss rejects and says that they (the police) would want a lot of money, even more than a hundred grand. (Blind Shaft, 2003). The corruption in the movie is so obvious that Blind Shaft’s ban in China was no surprise. Zhang says that the trick some directors employ to avoid any political issues is to place the film in another time period. That was what he did at the start, motivating him to make historical films. (Cardullo, 2007). Zhang knows how to make use of allegories and subtexts, which works most of the time.

The second factor is the issue of Time when they produced their films, and the West’s demand of films from China. Saying that the appearance of the 6th generation was particularly badly timed, Dai Jin Hua (a famous film critic in China) said that the environment in the 1990s was not advantageous for films of the sixth generation. She claimed that art films were seen to be the poison of box offices. The fifth generation could avoid this problem as they were well funded by investors internationally who also had a clear idea on what type of films that they wanted made. (Veeck, 2006, p. 165)

Dai said “riding high on the crest of the wave of orientalism, the fifth generation undoubtedly produced a china fever… a hunger for Chinese film in European and American art film festivals” but it was not so for the sixth. Funding was an issue. (Veeck, 2006, p. 165)

This could be where Zhang got the better hand. Zhang’s style is full of culture that attracts the attention of the west easily. The west want films that are unique to them. Li Yang’s Blind Shaft looked like it could be shot anywhere else in the world, like Cambodia, etc. Blind Shaft has won many awards in the film festival circuit, but Dai has other views on the sixth generation’s achievements. Claiming that the fifth generation was the one who attracted the west’s attention in the first place; because the films made by “Zhang Yimou and his imitators” satisfied the oriental impression of China, the sixth generation now caught their attention only because their films satisfied the west’s negative expectations of China. (Veeck, 2006, p. 165-166) She thinks that film festivals are more interested in the fact that the sixth generation produced underground films, rather than the actual quality of their work. (Veeck, 2006, p. 165-166). Dai has easily dismissed the West’s interest in sixth generation films as being superficial.

The third factor is money. Before Zhang’s period, the film attendance in 1983 was 650 million lower than 1982, thus there was a RMB37 million loss. On the other hand, production costs were rising. The studios were losing a lot of money. Only twenty per cent managed to earn back the money invested in the films in 1986. (Zhang, 2004, p. 239) Red Sorghum’s success both internationally and domestically set it apart from the other films of the fifth generation. Red proved that an art film could be a well rounded success.( Zhang, 2004, p. 239) Because of the degrading economy of films, the measurement of the value of a film changed. The most important aspect now became how well the movie can fare in the theatres. Artistic value was second. (Veeck, 2006, p. 161) Investors would only want to invest in films that are ‘value for money’ and would promise a good return. Zhang, with limited budget, could produce a film with such a high production value it definitely fits the bill.

“While Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige have become the new darlings of china’s mainstream culture, almost every sixth generation director experienced harsh treatment in the censorship and regulatory system. (Gary, 2007, p. 47) ” This system comes into place not only after the film is made, but also before, when the film maker will submit a script to the Film Bureau and approved scripts will get funding. But in the case of Li Yang’s Blind Shaft, the script will never be approved. Other than Li, there are may sixth generation film makers who would simply stop sending their scripts for approval. Thus, came the ‘underground’ phenomenon. As expected, Li Yang’s Blind Shaft never got any revenue to boast of, other than the string of awards it won.

Moving on to commercial films, Zhang said that film makers cannot neglect the audience and make films that only serve to be self indulgent, that reaps awards but not the interest of the public. (Cardullo, 2007) He said that making mainstream movies is a good practice. Be fluent in that aspect before one does art films. (Cardullo, 2007) Zhang also mentioned that a director has the responsibility to make sure that his investors will break even for his film. It is because of this believe and practice that he never had to worry about funding. (Cardullo, 2007)

All these factors contribute to why Blind Shaft does not make as successful a film as compared to Red Sorghum. The film style, the most determinant factor to the popularity of a film, of Red Sorghum works. If the young film makers follow Li Yang’s pattern, the days of epic visual storytelling will be long gone in China. With the money factor, Li Yang is not as efficient a director as Zhang Yi Mou. Even though the demand for Li’s films are there, his films are best appreciated in places outside of China. But for whom did Li Yang make Blind Shaft for?

Written By Tan Shu Jun, RAY.

References:

Berry, M. (2006, August). Michael Berry Review of Ni Zhen’s Memoirs of the Beijing Film Academy [Review of the book Memoirs from the Beijing Film Academy: The Genesis of China's Fifth Generation]. The University of California. Retrieved from http://mclc.osu.edu/rc/pubs/reviews/berry.htm

Cardullo, B. (March, 2007). Beyond the Fifth Generation : An Interview with Zhang Yimou. Retrieved July 31, 2009, from http://www.brightlightsfilm.com/58/58zhangiv.html

Chan, J. (18 July, 2003). Blind Shaft director speaks about filmmaking in China. Retrieved July 31, 2009, from http://www.wsws.org/articles/2003/jul2003/sff2-j18.shtml

Chow, R. (2007). Sentimental Fabulations, Contemporary Chinese Films. New York: Columbia University Press.

Cornelius, S., & Smith, I. H. (2002). New Chinese Cinema: Challenging representations. Great Britain: Antony Rowe Ltd, Chippenham, Wiltshire.

Gary G. X. (2007). Sinascape: contemporary Chinese cinema [Electronic version]. Violence, Sixth Generation Filmmaking, and Devils on the Doorstep, Chapter 2, 47-66.

Li, Y. (Producer), & Li, Y. (Director). (Oct, 2003). Blind Shaft [Motion picture]. China, Germany: Tag Spledour and Films.

Metalluk. (2006, Feb 03). A Sensuous Ode to the Color Red [Msg 1]. Message posted to http://www1.epinions.com/review/mvie_mu-1036340/content_132593782404

Teo, S. (June, 2003). Director Li Yang on Blind Shaft and His Place in Chinese Cinema. Retrieved July 31, 2009, from http://archive.sensesofcinema.com/contents/03/27/li_yang.html

Veeck, G. (2006). China’s Geography: Globalization and the Dynamics of Political, Economic, and Social Change [Electronic version]. Cultural and Culture Change In Urban China, Chapter 6, 154-166.

Zhang, Y.M. (Producer), & Zhang, Y.M. (Director). (Feb, 1988). Red Sorghum [Motion picture]. China: Xi’an Film Studio.

Zhang, Y. (2004). Chinese National Cinema. 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001: Routledge.

I attended a special advance director’s cut screening at Ngee Ann’s movie theatre about two weeks before it was due to open in Singaporean cinemas. Darah is an Indonesian and Singaporean co-production, as well as the first film produced by Gorylah Pictures, a new production company.

The producer Gary Goh was there to talk about the making of the film. A lot of it was about budget and marketing and the nitty-gritty behind-the-scenes stuff that only manly filmmakers like myself would be interested in, but he did mention that Darah is essentially a feature-length remake of a short film that the producers spotted. The movie was completed in a fairly short time, and meant to put the production company on the map and grab some numbers. Therefore, don’t expect anything revolutionary about this film.

I overheard the overall plot summary before the show even began: A bunch of friends finds a young girl stranded on the road. They send her home, but she persuades them to stay for dinner. Not long after, the house’s inhabitants break out the chainsaw, led by a creepy woman(Darah). Bloodfest ensues.

The original short film that this movie was adapted from had an evil woman juggling several visitors around her house while she tried to kill them all without the rest noticing. Apparently this made for some interesting pacing and comedy. In Darah, they threw out the comedy, but kept the tension of simultaneous situations occuring all over the house. We even venture outside of the house a few times, and the plot pulls off just enough little twists to keep you attentive even after the blood starts splashing.

The titular Darah is quite striking and eerie at the same time, despite the actress having her background in comedy(yep). She, along with the rest of her creepy chainsaw children are tanks. I can’t quite say they’re very badass, but they’re definitely tanks. Every time the poor group of friends enter a fight with one of the bad guys, it’s like watching a bunch of little people scurrying around throwing rocks at a tank while it leisurely drives around and shoots pain at them. Other than for Darah though, the acting doesn’t stand out, and neither does the characterization or the script.

Like I said, nothing very new. I was told the movie has strong female characters, but I’m not the sort to be particularly impressed by feminism in art. The action-y bits are okay, plenty to go around and many different weapons of pain, including a crossbow and a sword (not together in the same scene though). Also, the little leaps of logic may or may not bother you; there is a scene where a policeman fires multiple shots at a target that’s moving directly towards him and somehow manages to miss all of them.

I guess it’s an alright film, but there are better things to watch. Only see if you’re interested in what Indonesia/Singapore has to offer, or if you just need something to pass the time with some friends.

Written by: Yap Chen Sing

In my opinion, the film is weak in terms of characterization and theme. The relationships were not well developed – for most part of the film, Saya and Alice are together but yet the contrast between them was poorly executed. A human being and a vampire who is half human – more interaction could have happened between both of them to contrast their different personalities and highlight the humane part of Saya. The movie seemed to have included Alice’s existence but not well develop her part in the film. I almost found she had no need to be there except to make Saya look like a heroine, rescuing her from the monsters’ clutches. Ironically, she was the one to save Saya at the crucial moment – maybe that was why she even appeared in the film.

To add on, I feel that the film did not do well in highlighting its theme. There were several themes to expand on, such as human nature and identity. The film could have expanded its theme by highlighting the contrast between the monsters taking the form of human beings and humans in real life who also conceal themselves underneath their masks. The many sides of identity could be explored – Saya is a half-vampire, half-human but it is the choices she makes that defines her as a human. Likewise, man can choose to be good or evil. More could have been done in place of the action sequences which did not appear to be spectacular either.

The film consists largely of action scenes which could have been better choreographed. I felt that there was not enough kick in the action which also contains a lot of continuity errors, especially when it comes to the katana. It was obvious that Saya had lost her katana in several fight scenes but the weapon conveniently appears in her hand each time she needs it to kill her foes. Unless it’s a magical wand like Harry Potter’s, I don’t think katanas work this way.

Another thing I disliked was the way the film build up is intensity towards the last battle. The film had gave us the impression that Onigen is a cunning and hard to defeat demon right from the start. We had seen how much effort and skill Saya took to kill the other demons and even got hurt in the journey. When she comes face to face with Onigen, we would probably expect the fight to be overwhelming. However, what should have been the greatest battle in the movie was a letdown. It seemed minor compare to the earlier battle scenes with weaker demons, so much for being the most powerful demon of all.

To sum up, the movie is quite predictable after awhile. There is almost no humour in the movie but I feel Alice’s existence in the film is one big joke itself. Not the very best of vampires movies, I’d rather watch the Twins Effect again if I want to see an Asian girl portraying a vampire slayer. For one, it had better action scenes though not as much special effects.

Winnie