“If life is a movie then you’re the best part.” But have you ever thought of what every movies’ best part? We always take films for granted and be subjective enough that we became obsessed with it and not just simply put it on our favorites. We always seek and long for the usual thing we always had but not crave for something new which we also need in our lives. For me, films’ best part is letting you discover and unravel what is behind the story and the whole contextual part of it which will give you the ability to have a personal judgment and perspective within the whole film itself.
Bleached Bones Avenue by Akio Fujimoto illustrated a documentary in which it depicts a longing feeling of a historical memory about the Battle of Imphal. The real life setting and portrayal using actual actors which are the diggers, lets you discover the story behind with them and made it more interesting to watch. The adventure like theme of discovering the main plot about the past battle that was mentioned served as the function of the film as well, it adds up to the factors of how unique it is. Featuring the actual scene in which the battle takes place in Burma (Myanmar), justified the parallelism of the film.
Talking about love by Asoka Handagama depicts the longing for the infinite love we all deserve as a person. The film covers different stories, situations and conflicts but will lead into one topic which is about love. The characters which you can also find in real life, mirrored different perspectives that will let you fight and empower the love that you have within you, which is also serves as the main function of the film. Along with it, Bee my friend by Cheng Thim Kian by mirrors the memory of yesterday which is still longed in the present. What made this film more appreciative is the clear portrayal of every character’s role. The setting also added to the factors in which made the film more felt because it is clearly illustrated and the film is actually happening in a school which the story took a big part. I do appreciate that all of the conflicts presented were all solved in the end which made the film more interesting to watch and discover. Both have the same motivation in which the stories have reached its respective agendas in the end.
Tenebrae by Nicole Midori Woodford exhibits the longing for the memories you are about to leave. The simple illustration towards the character’s situation, plus the actual setting in which the character of the girl is currently in, made it more special which will give you a pictographic vision of your own nostalgic memory. Similarities and patterns within the characters’ action were also noticed for it is clearly and directly illustrated right from the start. See you Next Century by James Lee portrays the memory of longing for someone even in different lifetimes. The simple narration of the story using the basic way adds up to the special and sincere factors in which of the characters presented in the story. The setting is also much appreciated for even though it takes place only in a limited space, it never failed to tell the whole story perfectly. These two films have both motifs, for it has the same element presented in the cinematography; both were illustrated in a black and white color of cinematography.
To be honest, I do appreciate all the Bakunawa films to analyze for it all gave a different perspectives and flavors to its audiences, including me. Upon watching and analyzing the short films, I have found a general theme for all of it which is longing that I also mentioned above.
Bleached Bones Avenue is an interesting documentary film for me because it tackles about a history unfold now in our modern days which we are all longing for. I like that the film used the native language of Burmese for you can really see the rawness yet good quality of the overall screenplay. I also like that the documentary did not used a common narrative way of telling the story because it lets the audience discover it themselves by watching it well.
Talking about love I believe has the characteristic of similarities and repetition because I noticed upon watching the film a few times that the dialogues were somehow interconnected. I liked that the film was not explicitly expressed immediately and just let the audience to interpret it in a way. The parallelism of the film’s screenplay made the film unique itself. Bee my friend is one of my favorites from all the Bakunawa films, for it made me tear up a little bit especially the ending scene. I liked the sequencing and the story flow, for the theme, setting, and the message both jive all together. I can compare both of the films because as I have already said above, I think it both end up having the same theme which is longing for love, but still expressed differently.
I can describe Tenebrae as simple yet captivating film. It made me feel different things like nostalgia and sincerity all throughout watching it. It is one of those films that will let you appreciate the things that you have while it lasts. See you next century I have to admit is my most favorite of all the Bakunawa films. I just love how the cinematography of the film used images to show the story. The narrative style including the dialogues made the film sincerer to watch because this style was effective as an audience who watched it. Both of the film has the characteristic of black and white color, and to be honest, it left a good feeling and very compelling to watch. Longing for a memory before and now are the elements that I have found in the films which both expressed creatively in their own ways.
Having the chance to watched and even share my analyzations about the films were a great privileged for me. As a communicator in practice, film is one of the important means of communicating because it let us tell the story of our own in many different and creative ways. I enjoyed most of the films because it made me more observant and focus on little details inside the film. I now highly recommend these short films for I was amazed on how it can tell a story in a span of short time. “Film is a battleground." As Sam Fuller said, and I truly believed that it is because it is a fight of thoughts and elements inside and outside the film itself.
https://www.britannica.com/event/World-War-II/The-Italian-front-1944
https://www.battleofimphal.com/the-battle
MIDTERM EXAMINATION OUTPUT
