(above: an "uplifting" still from the movie Suzhou River)
When I watch a Chinese movie, I know to keep a few tissues on hand, no joke. Yesterday I watched the movie CJ7, a movie filmed in Zhejiang Province about a boy who finds a little fuzzy alien friend. (The film's unusual title refers to the Chinese space program.) From the trailer, you might think it looks like a cute family flick full of only laughs, but its plot touches on class prejudices even amongst elementary school kids and the pain of losing someone you depend on (tear). I highly recommend seeing this funny albeit moving movie. It has a classical Chinese slap-stick humor like Mr. Bean, but it's done very well.
My top 5 favorite Chinese movies of all time also share common themes: death, loss, unrequited love, introspection, and other sad topics:
1. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon has amazing fight scenes. The characters
chase each other across tiled rooftops and atop 10 story high bamboo
trees by jumping fifty feet in the air. I saw this movie before I ever
went to China and I knew I'd have to go there sometime just to see the
physical beauty of the countryside and China's ancient architecture.
2. In the Mood for Love
Wong Kar Wei movies are shot beautifully, like moving paintings, and In
the Mood for Love is, I think, his best. It depicts Hong Kong in the
1960s. It's worth watching just to see the insides of HK apartments
back then and the hairstyles and the dresses women wore! The movie's
sequel, 2046, is also worth seeing.
3. Suzhou River
Suzhou River is filmed with a handheld camera and you can see a first
person view of riding through Shanghai on the back of a motorcycle and
floating down the winding Suzhou River on a boat. The opening scene of
the movie is one the most haunting scenes I've ever seen. It starts
with a blank screen and only dialogue:
woman: "If I leave you someday... will you look for me?"
man: "Yes."
woman: "Would you look for me forever?"
man: "Yes."
woman: "Your whole life?"
man: "Yes."
woman: "You're lying."
4. Not One Less
Not One Less is a movie about a 13 year old girl who goes to a
neighboring small town in China to teach the village kids. Fascinating
discovery of life in rural China. It's in Mandarin and most of the
dialogue is elementary level (kids are the main characters). I must
have watched Not One Less ten times by now to help me practice my
Mandarin.
5. Kungfu Hustle
The star of CJ7, Stephen Chow, directed, wrote, and starred in Kungfu Hustle. It's my favorite martial arts movie of all time. I'm glad it got as much international attention as it did: 27 nominations, 18 wins including an MTV Movie Awards "Best Fight Scene" nomination and a Golden Globe nomination for "Best Foreign Language Film." Rent Kungfu Hustle if you're just looking to watch a good fun movie. You'll forget it's in another language.
-mary kate