East Asian Film Series: Spring of 2003

*All Films are Free and Open to the Public*

-These Films are not suitable for a young audience-

January 25

Rouge. 7:30 PM, Jordan Hall A100 (Note Location)
Hong Kong, 1987, Dir. Stanley Kwan, 93 min. A melodrama set between reality and the supernatural, Rouge is a film of appearances and disappearances, fantastic encounters and tragic farewells. The forbidden love between Fleur, a Courtesan, and the rich Twelfth Master Chan Chen-Pang develops through time and death, tears and laughter. The ghost theme is infused with nostalgia, and rather than relying on special effects, the film focuses on acting. Rouge was produced by Jackie Chan, won seven awards at the Film Festival in Hong Kong, and gained international attention for the director. In Mandarin with English subtitles.

February 1

Take Care of My Cat. 7:30 pm, Woodburn 101
Korea, 2001, Dir. Jae-Eun Jeong, 112 min. Take Care of My Cat tells the story of five young women who are just beginning their lives after graduating from a vocational high school. While each of the women faces different options and challenges in life, the group’s friendship starts to deteriorate. Yet, the five women equally experience the uncertainties of their lives, and their vulnerability both in their relationship and in the encounter with society. Director Jae-Eun Jeong, one of the new Korean women directors, examines the subject in a very intimate and sincere manner. A genuine portrayal of the life and relationship of ordinary young women in Korea, the film is also memorable with its rich visuals and awesome soundtrack. In Korean with English subtitles.

February 15

A Wind Named Amnesia. 7:30 pm, Woodburn 101
Japan, 1993, Dir. Kazuo Yamazaki, 80 min. Considered by many anime lovers as one of the sleeper classics of the genre, this film tells the story of an apocalyptic near future and humanities fight for survival. After the memories of every human on the planet are wiped clean, two exceptions to the memory lapse quest through an America wiped clean of its technology and knowledge. These two companions must find out why humans have lost their memories and stop the barbaric behavior of their lobotomized neighbors. This animated film seeks to ask its audience what it means to be human. In Japanese with English subtitles.

February 22

Breaking the Silence (Piaoliang Mama). 7:30 pm, Woodburn 101
PRC, 1999, Dir. Sun Zhou, 90 min. Gong Li won the best actress prize at the film festival in Montreal for her interpretation of Sun Liying, a divorced woman with a disabled son, Zheng Da, who devotes herself to helping him overcome his handicap. She quits a well-paid job at a joint venture and instead delivers newspapers, so she can have more time to spend with her son. In her isolated struggle, she has very few friends, but never gives up hope. The director, Sun Zhou (whose career began in documentary and educational films, and later turned to television directing and film acting) is careful to portray his story realistically and without excessive sentimentalism.
In Mandarin with English subtitles.

March 8

City of Lost Souls. 7:30 pm, Woodburn 101
Japan, 2000, Dir. Takashi Miike, 105 min. A fast-paced action extravaganza that leaves the viewer visually exhausted. Miike’s films have been the source of worldwide controversy due to their violent content, but the director has also been praised as Japan’s greatest contemporary visual artist. Miike’s story takes us into the Japanese underworld and the gangsters that inhabit it. The protagonist of the film, Mario, a Brazilian gangster moves throughout the movie seeking to protect his girlfriend from Japanese and Chinese gangs. Consistent with the more-than-human heroes of the genre, this film is a visual masterpiece, a social exploration, and a fun ride.
In Japanese with English subtitles.

April 5

Joint Security Area. 7:30 pm, Woodburn 101
Korea, 2000, Dir. Chan-Wook Park, 120 min. JSA deals with a mysterious murder case in the armistice village of Panmunjom, in which two North Korean soldiers were found dead and one South Korean soldier wounded. With conflicting reports on what happened from each country, a Swiss military officer is sent to conduct an investigation as a neutral party . The film incorporates two distinctive parts: the investigation by Korean-Swiss Major Sophie Jean and a series of flashbacks leading to the incident between the soldiers. But what makes the film most remarkable is the flashback, which sheds light on a heretofore political taboo. A comment on the changed relationship between the two Koreas, the film elicited positive responses from the South Korean audience, marking the best-selling film of the year. In Korean with English subtitles.

April 19

The Puppetmaster. 7:30 pm, Woodburn 101
Taiwan, 1993, Hou Hsiao-hsien, 114 min. Part of Hou Hsiao-hsien’s trilogy on Taiwanese twentieth-century history (together with The City of Sadness, 1989; and Good Men, Good Women, 1995), the film is based on the memories of Li Tien-Lu, Taiwan’s most famous puppeteer, and focuses on his life during the Japanese occupation (from his birth in 1909 to the end of the war in 1945). The Chinese title, Drama, dream, life, well illustrates the films intertwining of reality and illusion, which reflects the blend of national history and personal stories. Shot in a quasi-documentary style, the film is complicated and deepened by Hous ellipses and minimalist narrative, and innovative use of the voice-over. In Mandarin with English subtitles.