MovieChat Forums > Chun gwong ja sit (1997) Discussion > Very inspiring

Very inspiring

posted 19 years ago by jkahern-1
5 replies | jump to latest

Just saw the movie...I loved it, because mainly it was very original in terms of the plot and setting. Never imagined people from Hong Kong going to Argentina to take vacation, but I guess it can be done.

I liked the story, although I got a little lost in the dialogue, especially during the narrations with Chang and Fai at the end. Watching the movie once left me a little confused on certain parts, but after investigation on IMDB and re-watching it, it all made perfect sense, though some scenes just were irrelevant, like when Fai and Po-Wing were on the roof, I wasn't sure but it looked like Fai was fixing something.....very odd. But overall, I understood completely the concept of the story. Beautiful, but not Hollywood beautiful, rather a real-life non-glamorized cinematography. One part I wasn't sure about, the Chang-Fai relationship. it was never determined whether Chang was gay or not, and PLEASE- what the hell kind of coincidence is it that Fai visited that street eatery in Hong Kong and it JUST happened to be owned by Chang's parents!!!! Like that would have really happened.

Ever since watching that movie, I now really want to visit Argentina, especially Ushuaia, the end of the world. My dream is the stand on top of the lighthouse like Chang did. And visiting the Iguazu falls is tops on the list too. It left a good feeling in my heart, although some of the plot was dark, but the setting really did it for me.

[–] proust05 19 years ago

In the last scenes, Fai deliberately visits Taipei (not Hong Kong) to see where Chang's coming from. It's told in Fai's monologue, and it's not a conincidence. It's never explicitly told whether Chang is gay or not, only a hint may be. Fai's visits to Chang's families is not unlike stalking after someone when you are in love, and it's a sign of hope to Chang after the traumatic affair with Po-Wing.

[–] jkahern-1 19 years ago

Ahhhh, I didn't realize that Fai was in Taipei, makes sense now. And I guess Po-Wing just rots in Argentina and hits rock bottom, since there was no closing story with him.

[–] proust05 19 years ago

There was no closing story to Po-Wing, but isn't that what life is? You meet someone and have some experience, then head off to other direction and the other one just fade out from your life.

These kind of films are not like conventional dramas, the journey is indeed more important than the story itself. If you are insync with the director's expressive techniques, it's not unlike being transported to other's life for a while.

And there's a kind of originality in the various expressive techniques found in the film. The tango scene in the kitchen, right before that scene there is a short glimpse of the street outside, it doesn't add anything to the narrative but you can almost feel the weather, cold and damp with that vivd blue and red color, then cut to the warm tango scene in the kitchen and it immediately enhance your feeling because of the sharp contrast of environments. It's a very subtle montage purely relies on the evocative power of the images in a very sublimal way. You could actually 'feel' the film if you are receptive to these kind of emotional messages, to those not insync with these kind of techniques, they really could not see anything good in the film I guess.

[–] dirge75-1 19 years ago

Heh. Yeah, especially since he doesn't get his passport back.

And after all that commotion about it too.

[–] dirge75-1 19 years ago

I seem to remember that Chang told Fai that his parents had a stall in the night market in Taipei.

I'm guessing Fai sought out the stall deliberately.