Udine Dispatch. 3.

The ongoing Udine Far East Film Festival continues its showcase of outstanding films with European and international debuts for the majority of the selection. Pang Ho-cheung's Isabella (Hong Kong 2006) is a story presented out of chronological order with several versions to sift through and as such the film language is rich. The setting is 1999 as Macau is being returned to China. The film is billed as a "strange father, strange daughter" story, a metaphor for the changeover, an incestuous confrontation that presents the consequences of nightlife and alcohol abuse and poverty. The plot concerns a rogue cop, Shing (Chapman To), who may or may not have slept with his biological daughter Yan (Isabella Leung) - who has looked him up after the death of her mother. Evicted from her apartment, she seeks out her father so he can help her look for Isabella - her dog! This exploration of abandonment was intriguing.

Shinobi: Heart Under Blade by Shimoyama Ten (Japan 2005) features two ancient warring ninja clans from the early 17th century who have been at relative peace for some time. It has even come to the point that a woman and man from each clan have fallen in love, the pacifist Gennosuke (Jô Odagiri) of the Koga and the brave Oboro (Yukie Nakama) of the Iga.

The Shinobi are exceptional warriors who practice ninjutsu and have unique skills such as Oboro's laser eyes that can penetrate matter. Yet the ambitious film seemed lost in a sea of budgetary concerns. The stretches are long between semi-elaborately staged combat scenes in which five warriors from each clan are commanded to fight by the shogunate Tokugawa, battles overseen by an evil Tendai priest until only one of them survives. The performances are consequently stagey. Shinobi's excesses reminded me of Shinji Higuchi's Lorelei: The Witch of the Pacific Action (Japan 2004), screened at Udine last year, another Japanese epic in which the story is swallowed by production design.

Gimme Kudos, by Huang Jianxin (China 2005) is a well-made drama about the claim of 38-year-old Yang Hongqi (Fan Wei, one of China's most celebrated comedians) that he saved Ouyang Hua, a young university student (Chen Hao) from a rapist. Yang insistently tries to get the police and a Nanjing daily reporter, Gu Guoge (Wang Zhiwen), to cite him in the papers for having done a great deed. But the task is not as easy as it seems, for police and reporters alike must investigate to see if a crime actually was committed. Getting just rewards has become Yang's top priority because his father is aging and wants his son to be honored before he dies. Indeed, his wall is covered with certificates from various institutions, most stamped during Mao's regime. Gu confronts the young woman who has allegedly been saved. But Ouyang is not interested in coming forward because, for her, an admission will change how she is regarded in society - an aspect that could have been further developed and is trivialized. Ultimately, the film deals with how this situation differs for men and women, in this regard sharing affinity with Han Jae-Rim's Rules of Dating at this festival. Instead, more attention is given to how the situation affects the marriage of Gu Guoge and his wife (Miao Pu), a cop and jealous of Ouyang. The provocative moral issues of the film situate the characters in a dead lock, yet Huang Jianxin's simplistic ending is a detour from the unexplored territory of the film.

Posted by dwhudson at April 26, 2006 8:14 AM