animation

flavors of youth

| nicole

mv5bmmq3ngqwmgmtyzcwmc00mjlmlweyngetzgrmzjnjowflotk2xkeyxkfqcgdeqxvymtmxodk2otu@._v1_✨ my rating: 2.5 of 5 stars ✨

A sweet anthology of three short films, all tied together by the themes of love, relationships, and contentment in the little things. Interestingly, it’s set in China (despite being dubbed in Japanese), but with a characteristically anime-like style. I have varied reactions to each of the films though!

The first film “The Rice Noodles” fell flat to me, consisting of a listless narrator with a character that lacked any dimensions, and an overly simplistic and predictable plot (ie. I knew the grandmother was gonna die). The animation was extremely realistic though, and coupled with the audio effects, it provided an impressively sensory experience of noodles sloshing around. Yet, sorry, 30 minutes of a guy professing his love for noodles WITH THAT MONOTONE did not cut it for me.

The second film, “A Little Fashion Show” was more layered, following a model who struggles to find her place within a tough industry. It evoked my empathy particularly as it dealt with body image and female insecurity. However it lacked a deeper message beyond the narrative, coming to a disappointingly sort of mundane conclusion  – I felt like it had more untapped potential but was not delved into deep enough. Also, for a model, she wears the exact same outfit throughout most of the film (which takes place over several weeks), which was…kinda weird.

The last film, “Love in Shanghai”, was probably the most touching for me because the characters were more well developed and the flashbacks were effective without feeling too jumpy or cliched. I found it the most creative, depicting a story of youthful misunderstandings and lost loves. It’s a simple story, though it admittedly contained a few “huh??” moments due to the angsty and petty protagonist.

Overall, it was pleasant enough, but I wouldn’t consider it a very strong or memorable piece!

Flavors of Youth; directed by Haoling Li, Yoshitaka Takeuch, Xiaoxing Yi

🌹date watched: 3 jan 2019 🌹

loving vincent

| nicole

loving_vincent✨ my rating: 4 of 5 stars ✨

I admire Vincent van Gogh’s art immensely, and so was instantly drawn to watch the film when I saw it screening at The Projector! The film was engaging; structured as a dramatic mystery in which Armand Roulin, the son of van Gogh’s close friend, the postman Joseph Roulin, seeks to discover the truth of truth behind van Gogh’s death.

Visually, it was stunning – “every frame of this film… was hand-painted over in oil paint in the style of van Gogh” – and the cinematography was gorgeous. The textures of the oil paint made the film really come alive, and some scenes were really dazzling. The character of Vincent himself was also played very well by Robert Gulaczyk, from his shy awkwardness to his struggles with mental health. It was heartbreaking to see how he was shunned and treated with cruelty by many, and for me, it hit me personally particularly because of the mental illness aspect. 

I really felt for him; van Gogh seemed gentle and able to see the beauty in life, yet was so plagued by inner demons.

While the visual and aesthetic appeal really stood out, plot-wise, it wasn’t fantastic. I felt that the motivations behind Roulin’s desire to find out what happened, and his character overall, was not adequately fleshed out. His sudden 360 from being indignant at his father’s admiration for Vincent swerves to being keen and empathetic, without sufficient explanation in my opinion, and made his quest seem less believable. Dr Gachet was also initially set up as a suspicious character with vested interests, yet Roulin really easily believes and trusts him by the end, which I felt was a really hasty and abrupt conclusion.

Overall, despite these gaps, I still really enjoyed the film. Not only was it a labour of love, taking around 7 years to make, it was also touching and it offers a poignant look into the life of the extraordinary Van Gogh. 😀

Loving Vincent; directed by Dorota Kobiela, Hugh Welchman

🌹date watched: 30 dec 2018 🌹