Thrice
Three Times (2005) by Hou Hsiao-Hsien is a sight to behold that might truly test your patience. It’s only in these fast-paced-don’t-really-know-where-we-going-desperately-seeking-instant-gratification times where the latter comment is almost automatically considered a negative.
A combination of beautifully and apparently painstakingly composed shots, an amazing acting performance from the lead actress (Shu Qi) and a very economical use of dialogue (one of the ‘times’, set in 1911, appropriately takes the form of a silent movie where muted scenes are followed with frames showing the script!) make for an often delicate triptych with subtle, growing tensions (echoed in only-slightly altered repeated actions and settings that unassumingly capture the viewer.
So a hint on content? 3 love stories in 3 very distinct time periods. Innocence, naïveté, indulgence, defeatism, discovery … you know, all the usual things that come with the territory! But less usual perhaps, emotions are communicated and read almost intuitively through the film’s nuances … the audience must learn active viewing once again!
A combination of beautifully and apparently painstakingly composed shots, an amazing acting performance from the lead actress (Shu Qi) and a very economical use of dialogue (one of the ‘times’, set in 1911, appropriately takes the form of a silent movie where muted scenes are followed with frames showing the script!) make for an often delicate triptych with subtle, growing tensions (echoed in only-slightly altered repeated actions and settings that unassumingly capture the viewer.
So a hint on content? 3 love stories in 3 very distinct time periods. Innocence, naïveté, indulgence, defeatism, discovery … you know, all the usual things that come with the territory! But less usual perhaps, emotions are communicated and read almost intuitively through the film’s nuances … the audience must learn active viewing once again!
posted by Kishawi at 2:07 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home