2011-05-14

觀音山 Buddha Mountain

Kenji Chan: Buddha Mountain is a gripping drama with a gritty description of the bleak lower-class city life, lifelike characters the audience cares about and convincing performances from the ensemble cast (Sylvia Chang, Fan Bingbing, Bolin Chen and Fei Long). The film talks about the bewilderment of youth, family breakdown, generational conflict, respect for teachers, bereavement, loneliness, the unpredictability of life, etc. The developing city and the mountainous terrain of post-earthquake sizzling Sichuan are rawly shot, which provides a perfect backdrop for this coming-of-age story. The documentary-like style and the insertion of real footage also add to realism. I highly recommend it to movie lovers. 3.9 / 5




Extract of Penny Zhou's Review: Through a series of delicately handled scenes and conversations, we pick up bits and pieces about the characters' troubles. Each of the teenagers comes from an unhappy family; their conflicts with parents still haunt their newly independent lives. On the other hand, having lost her son more than a year ago to a car accident, Chang refuses to move on and still hides in the garage, sitting in the wrecked car and reliving the pain. Taiwanese veteran actress Chang delivers a textbook performance as the opera singer with incredible intensity and nuance, despite her very different background from that of her character's; while her female costar Fan's portrayal of the tough yet sensitive Nan Feng sparkles with great aplomb, and is probably her best effort to date. The chemistry between the four actors makes their interactions, from the initial conflicts to the later bond, amazingly authentic and believable. The film's title comes from a Buddha temple on the mountain that collapsed during the devastating earthquake in 2008. The trio likes to ride on cargo trains that take them through the mountains, a metaphor that's captured by sophisticated and energized cinematography, juxtaposing the darkness of the tunnels with overexposure of sunlight, as if they are traveling through life and death. The Michael Jackson-worshipping Fatso loses his idol; Nan Feng and Ding Bo's romance can't seem to blossom; and Chang is bedazzled by the unpredictability of life and what happiness truly means. The two tangled tracks gradually converge and shake each other, while the temple is being reconstructed. A Buddhist undertone pervades the last part of the film, a necessary step to elevate the story, but dealt with slightly insufficient subtlety. Nevertheless, "Buddha Mountain" is a thought-provoking film with solid humanist touches on the ultimate questions of our existence and happiness. It is worth seeing, and will leave you thinking.

5 則留言:

  1. 你呢戲,睇完的觸動難以言語
    [版主回覆05/14/2011 18:12:00]The mom can't let go and so she makes the decision. The three teenagers experience death and will become more mature. The romance is slightly underdeveloped in the second half. I think the boy does not fancy the girl at the beginning. His change surprises me a little bit. The reviewer Penny thinks the romance is not likely to blossom. I agree to a certain extent. What do you think? What is the symbolic meaning of the water?

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  2. 這電影我覺得幾傷感﹗特別張艾嘉活在痛苦中,看到很心酸 ﹗大概每個人不多不少都與痛苦同活,這可能是生命的一部分,看我們如何處理﹗﹖
    [版主回覆05/15/2011 00:27:00]Right. She should let go. She should not be afraid of loneliness. She can learn from the monk who talks to his dead master every day. It is a pity that she does not. Still, she can rest in this beautiful place and it is her choice. After all, many things are beyond her control, e.g. the loss of her son.

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  3. 最後一張相令人睇到有D心寒...
    [版主回覆05/19/2011 13:01:00]Agree. It seems to me that they can't breathe. Of course, you can say that the time is frozen. That scene is indeed very symbolic. I hope people who have watched this movie can tell me whether the romance will blossom.

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  4. 等我....我今個星期睇左佢再同你討論~~!
    [版主回覆05/20/2011 15:44:00]THANKS so much!!!  

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  5. 搭飛機返時睇左~
    都拍得幾ARTISTIC~
    主要係睇張艾嘉~佢真係做得好好~
    亦喜歡它講兩代溝通的議題~
    至於愛情條線真係發展得MAMA~
    [版主回覆06/16/2011 12:20:00]AND I also love the setting and cinematography so much...

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