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The Wedding Banquet (1993)

Source:The Wedding Banquet (Ang Lee, 1993)

I first watched this movie in 2014 and was immediately captivated and touched by everything about the movie. The Wedding Banquet is a masterpiece by Ang Lee which also belongs to the “Father Knows Best” trilogy. The trilogy itself delves into Confucian family on the horns of dilemma.

THE SYNOPSIS

The movie follows a Taiwanese man named Wai Tung-Gao, who’s a closeted gay man living with his American boyfriend, Simon. His traditional parents are so eager to find him a wife, hence they decide to sign him up for a dating service. Wai Tung figures out many “escape plans” in order to prevent him from the arranged marriage. He finally pitches the final plan which involves Wei-wei, an aspiring painter who rents one of Wai Tung’s properties. In this plan, Wai Tung, Simon, and Wei-wei decide to tell a lie that Wai-Tung and Wei-wei are dating and planning to get married, thus Wai Tung’s parents won’t be concerned and bother him with the whole marriage thing. However, along the way, something unexpected happens as Wai Tung’s parents decide to visit him in the U.S to see their future “daughter in law”. Then, as you can guess, things start to get out of the hands.

Source:The Wedding Banquet (Ang Lee, 1993)

WHY I LOVE THE MOVIE

Ang Lee successfully delivers an honest portrayal of how parents and their children struggle to come to terms with things that happen out of expectations. In my opinion, this movie also serves as a social commentary on a circumstance in which people easily get away with lies in order to defend family honor. Such phenomena are told using effective jokes and heartwarming drama that can make its audience grin widely and shed into tears. Another incredible thing that steals my attention is how Ang Lee wants his audience to remain hopeful throughout the movie by creating the “parents” characters who are willing to listen and accept their son’s homosexuality, instead of disowning him (OOPS, sorry I just gave you a “major” spoiler here).

In addition to the heartwarming story, the movie deserves acclaims for its cast ensemble. All actors involved, gave their stellar performances. Winston Chao (as Wai Tung-Gao), Sihung Lung (as Mr. Gao), and May Chin (as Wei-wei) are my favorites since they enchantingly bring vulnerability and humility to their assertive and quite stubborn characters. Gua Ah-Leh who plays Mrs. Gao and Mitchell Lichtenstein who plays Simon also steal my heart with their charming mannerism and radiant smile that they bring into their characters.

WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH THE MOVIE

The Wedding Banquet is an exquisite, delightful, and heartwarming movie that enables us to contemplate our viewpoints on acceptance, vulnerability, respect, and humility, without being pretentious. If you are looking for a movie that speaks volume about the aforementioned things, then what are you waiting for? Grab your snacks, sit on your couch or lie on your bed, and watch this wonderful movie.

#ang lee #lgbt movie #family movie #asian american movies

Love Exposure (2008)

Picture: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSYs36onv5l672hs3149Jxf2wwBbhnw7M7CMjjuN2AKaTTFmHyf

This movie was recommended by a good friend of mine about four years ago. She dubbed this movie as one of her ultimate favorite movies without mentioning the reasons why. “You only need to watch it. It takes four hours but it doesn’t feel that long”, she said. I was curious at that time but I chickened out due to the extremely long duration. However, earlier this week, I mustered up the courage and energy to watch the movie before bedtime (I watched it at 10.30 p.m. bye!). I remember telling myself that I wouldn’t reach half of the movie but I was wrong! I WATCHED THE WHOLE MOVIE IN ONE SITTING ONLY (which was quite an accomplishment, heuheuheu) and I WAS BLOWN AWAY.

Love Exposure is a bizarre and spellbinding love story that deals with intricate issues regarding Catholicism, cult, domestic violence, obsession, and self-discovery. The representations of those issues are bizarre but painfully accurate.Another thing that captivates me is the selections of Taize songs that are used to “serenade” some pivotal scenes in the movie. As an example, a Taize song entitled “Adoramus te Domine” (which is roughly translated as “I adore/glorify You, Lord), is put in the scene when Yu (the main protagonist) finally comes into the realization that he falls in love with Yoko (who he often regards as “My Maria”). In that scene, he revisits the moment where Yu and Yoko meet for the first time, which is filled with mutual fascination and admiration for each other. I don’t know why but the scene just fits too well with the scene as both revolve around admiration or love. It seems like Tomohide Harada (the music director of the movie) understands that the song perfectly echoes deep admiration.

Watching Love Exposure enables you to feel a variety of feelings.It’s a romantic movie which doesn’t solely makes you sad and happy. It makes you annoyed, overjoyed, hopeful, and even frightened. Wooo, how fun that sounds!

#loveexposure #romantic movies #japanesemovies

A colleague recommended this movie for me a while ago. Must say that I did not have any expectations as the movie seemed to have the most typical premise often occurring in crime movies. However, the ending definitely blew my mind. Throughout the movie, I made assumptions on how the movie was gonna end. Unfortunately, they were all wrong. Another remarkable point about this movie is its take on the definition of passion and figuring out the purpose of life. If you are into crime movies like Se7en or Memories of Murder, you will probably love this movie!

(via Guy And His Cats Recreate Famous Movie Scenes Together, And It Couldn’t Get Any Funnier | Bored Panda)

Ini lucu banget!!

(via I Imagine Cats As Historical People | Bored Panda)

Me in seeing my own life.

kuntawiaji-deactivated20220209

Konon kabarnya, banyak orang India yang pintar, tetapi ia tidak bekerja membangun India. Hal yang sama, fenomena brain drain ini, juga mengancam Indonesia. Dengan kondisi dalam negeri yang tidak mendukung dan tawaran di luar negeri yang begitu memikat, masihkah ada alasan untuk membangun Indonesia?

Taken from: Millennium Actress

Millennium Actress is a masterpiece by the late Satoshi Kon. People say that Paprika is the most famous one of Kon’s masterpieces. I haven’t seen it. However, watching Millennium Actress got me thinking that Kon was a brilliant director and animator. RIP, Satoshi.

#japaneseanime #incrediblejapanesemovie

The Night Porter (1974)

Imagine a Holocaust survivor and her Nazi persecutor fall for each other. You can’t, can you? Well, Liliana Cavani could and that’s why she made The Night Porter- a movie vividly capturing the so-called forbidden love affair between Lucia, a Holocaust survivor and Max-a former Nazi officer. As deranged as it sounds, the movie blatantly portrays how abusive and toxic their affair is because sadomasochism is the sole expression of their love.

When I firstly found the movie on IMDb six years ago, I promised myself that I would never watch the movie because I just couldn’t stand the sadomasochism it depicted. Besides, I thought the movie may have ruined the poignancy that most Holocaust-themed movies had by emphasizing more on its eroticism than the misery that Holocaust survivors endured. However, four months ago, amidst a random search on IMDb, the movie popped up again and never let me go–hence, I changed my mind.

SUFFOCATING and DEVASTATING -that’s exactly how I describe the movie. Max and Lucia are people with extremely volatile personality. At some moments, they can be happy, madly in love, and dependent on each other but in a matter of seconds they can be extremely violent against each other. And this kind of rhythm goes on and on until the movie ends. Thus, it gets me suffocated to see how this couple handle their romance. Another thing that suffocates me the most is to see Lucia’s willingness to reunite with Max. Her experiences of being severely tormented in the Nazi camp do not deter her from getting close to Max. In fact, she craves for Max’s love and attention. Now, you can imagine how suffocating the movie is, can’t you?

Apart from being suffocating, this movie might give you the most heartbreaking love story ever. Hence, I call the movie devastating to watch. Throughout the movie, you’ll see how Max and Lucia desperately try to leave their past behind. Max wants to deter his affiliation with Nazi but faces challenges as his fellow Nazi officers keep asking him to remain loyal. On the other hand, Lucia is a Holocaust survivor who wants to remove her tragic past from her life. Their attempts to move on from the past only make their relationship complicated and miserable. In order to move on, they have to take dangerous consequences, which may threaten their lives. That’s why I think the depiction of love story in the movie is devastating.

WHAT TO LOVE FROM THE MOVIE: I couldn’t imagine better actors than Dirk Bogarde and Charlotte Rampling themselves to play Max ans Lucia. Their chemistry is just on point. It seems like they’re having fun with playing such heavily dark characters. Hence, making the movie feels so sad and depressing–despite its being deemed too erotic by critics (you can read the reviews from Roger Ebert and Vincent Canby on the movie. I’ll put the link down below). Also, hats off to the music director of this film for featuring Marlene Dietrich’s If I Could Make A Wish which successfully adds up the misery to the film.

THE NOT-SO-GOOD THINGS ABOUT THE MOVIE: I personally have no problem at all with sex/erotic scenes in movies. However, I think the movie would be more poignant and even poised, if it exposed more passion and love between Max and Lucia, than the insatiable lust they had.

At last, It’s an OKAY film, by the way. If you crave for a gloomy love story, you should give this one a try.

Read Vincent Canby’s Review

Read Roger Ebert’s Review

Just A Disturbing Thought

Few months ago, a friend of mine recounted her experience that has been occupying my mind lately. Here goes the story. A friend of mine had been fan -girling with a man. He’s sweet, friendly, smart and slightly charming. Plus, he’s very religious, which is a “must-have” trait that my friend looks for in a guy.

At a church event, my friend bumped into this man who apparently was attending the event. Since they’re already good friends, my friend asked him to take a picture with her. Unfortunately, this man declined the invitation by saying, ” I am sorry. I am not in the mood of taking pictures.” My friend was a little bit disappointed but she decided to get over it. “It’s okay”, there she said.

My friend then decided to greet other friends who were also attending the event. Out of the blue, when she was looking around the venue, she caught the man taking pictures with a girl-who’s also her mutual friend. This man, according to my friend, was all over the moon when taking pictures with the girl. Surely, my friend went off by the scene. Annoyed, she approached him and sarcastically questioned, “well, few minutes ago you told me you’re not in the mood of taking photos. But now, you seem so enthusiastic about it. That’s good my friend!”

This man’s response to my friend’s sarcasm was VERY irking, though. He laughed and told my friend, “I took pictures with her because she’s beautiful. Nobody says NO when asked to take pictures with a beautiful girl.” Having heard the such a disturbing response, my friend left him in disgust. Since then, his name has been crossed from my friend’s list of “favorite people”.

“I took pictures with her because she’s beautiful”, this statement is painfully ridiculous for me. He might have been joking about it but seriously, that wasn’t funny. Call me overtly sensitive but I think he implies that my friend is not beautiful. Or may I say, he implies that she is not eligible for his criteria of “THE GIRL WHO SHOULD TAKE A PICTURE WITH ME”.

I just can’t believe that such an insulting joke still exists and is considered funny. In the era when a great deal of people courageously speak up about body image, beauty, and body positivity, a lot of men still think that ONLY good-looking girls deserve acknowledgement. That ONLY slim girls deserve compliments. It seems like the whole world is created only for those Raisa-looking girls. Conversely, we, these average-looking girls are overlooked. Our existence, for them, is insignificant. We are worthwhile only if we can give them anything they ask for.

That painful experience reminds me a lot of Alice Walker’s Possessing the Secret of Joy- one of Walker’s masterpieces.

The novel offers a spellbinding and poignant story of a woman whose world is torn apart after she undergoes a traumatic FGM (Female Genital Mutilation). However, the story goes beyond the female circumcision itself. It blatantly exposes how the concept of beauty has been created on men’s perspectives. It’s men’s viewpoints that determine our beauty and our worth as women. The circumcision is done as a cultural tradition to prepare women for husbands. Husbands won’t marry them if they are not circumcised. Women aren’t beautiful if they can’t please their husbands with circumcised vaginas, which make penetration feel so good for men but torturing as hell for women. Once they don’t give themselves to circumcision, they are kicked out off the society. No place. No love but shame that they must bear for the rest of their lives.

For me, my friend’s story and Walker’s Possessing the Secret of Joy, to such an extent are very related. Both stories vividly resemble the ugly truth about beauty. Beauty, in those stories, is all about men’s taste. Once you fail to gratify their taste, you don’t deserve happiness. Happiness is on their hands not ours. Their taste, devastatingly, involves painful nose/boobs jobs, expensive makeups, and revealing clothes. The concept of beauty that requires us to suffer mentally, physically, and even financially.

The most painful fact is that there are many women who religiously adhere to that concept as well. Even worse, they become the agents of that wrongful concept of beauty. I can’t remember how many times a relative has advised me that I need to put make-up on in order to get a boyfriend. Pathetic, right?

As cliche as it sounds, I am a person who doesn’t rely on the idea that wearing make-ups or having a face like Raisa makes you beautiful. Hearts, personality, wits, and intelligence should be the standards of beauty. That’s what I can say about beauty. I have a friend who you might not find physically attractive but because she has such a bubbly and genuine personality, I enlist her in my “MOST BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE I’VE EVER MET”. Her incredible personality radiates beauty and joy that always make my day.

I also find it irritating when I see my male friends being picky with girls. I’ve witnessed some of my male friends treat their physically good-looking female friends so well. However, when it comes to befriending with average-looking girls, they simply neglect them and pretend that they do not exist. Boys, really? When will be the time for you to depart from such an ancient idea? Why does beauty have to be physical? How if one day, you live in the world where there’s no attractive-looking girl–Will you survive? Will you be dead because there is no attractive-looking girl around? I am out of words. Literally, out of words.

At last, that’s just a thought. A very disturbing thought that will never let me go because I’m exposed to it almost everyday.

Hopelessly me,

All About My Mother

Pedro Almodovar’s a genius. That’s what I can say from watching his ultimate masterpiece, All About My Mother or in Spanish is called Todo Sombre Mi Madre. As Spain’s most prominent director, Almodovar knows too well how to celebrate sisterhood and most importantly, women. In this movie, he remarkably shows how women (especially mothers) are intelligent, fearless, and tough. When they are faced with unbearable problems, they always figure out solutions to overcoming the problems.

The movie follows Manuela (Cecilia Roth), a competent nurse who raises her teenage son all by herself. After a tragedy that ruins her life, she bumps into a good friend, Agrado (Antonia San Juan), who is also a transgender woman. Together, they start a journey to set up a new life and solve the puzzles of life. With the help of a former nun, Rosa (Penelope Cruz), and an accomplished stage actress, Huma (Marisa Paredes), these women persevere to conquer problems of life and counterattack demeaning images of women (that women are nothing but damsels in distress, etc).

I can’t think of another word than TERRIFIC to describe the movie. I love the fact that Almodovar can put himself in women’s shoes. He perfectly captures moments when women drown in turmoils and how they manage to survive. In other words, he sees the problems from the eyes of women. Rarely we find male directors with such a distinguished talent. That’s why when I watched the movie for the first time, instead of feeling desperate, I felt empowered by the women’s perseverance echoed through the movie.

The performances by the casts are also exceptional, which lifts up to the beauty of the movie. Hats off to Cecilia Roth and Penelope Cruz for their mind-bending performances in the movie. They were given characters that were hard to nail but they nailed it marvelously. Seriously, I can’t think of other actresses to play the roles of women who must continue to live after facing the worst agony.

As an Indonesian who watched a film which blatantly celebrates women this movie is MIND-BENDING. I never saw any movie (especially Indonesian movies, which tend to focus on displaying women as weak and innocently beautiful beings) that incredibly resonated women empowerment. Almodovar doesn’t make his female characters graciously beautiful, sexy, and weak. Instead, he wants his characters to embrace their flaws and be grateful for it, because that’s what women empowerment is all about. This movie also brings out the message that it’s not a mistake to depict women as unbeatable. There are times when women are expected to be tough and brave in going through with their lives.

Still in regard to the groundbreaking depiction of women in the movie, I urge Indonesian filmmakers out there, who want to make movies about women to take this movie as an important reference. Why? The reason being, this movie does not portray women in a menial way. It does not stick to the long-manifested depiction of women which reiterates the idea that women merely rely on their physical look and the love of their men. In other words, Indonesian filmmakers need to learn from the movie about how to represent women in an empowering way and stop making movies about beautiful women whose lives are about chasing after the love of their men.

Beside its being empowering, I love the fact that the movie subtly encourages audiences to comprehend the concept of gender and sexuality. People often mix up the concepts of gender and sexuality, which often results in unfair judgement and ignorance. Almodovar (whether he is aware or not) seemingly resembles Almodovar’s concern on the aforementioned problem. Through Agrado and her friend, Lola-two transgender characters in the movie, Almodovar voices his concern on the failure of understanding gender and sexuality which inevitably leads to discrimination against LGBTQ people.

Another thing to love from the movie is Almodovar’s courage to break the glass ceiling that demean LGBT community. When I first watched the movie, I was astounded by Almodovar’s effort to remove the stigma that transgender people (and LGBQ people) are weird, ridiculous, and underprivileged. He creates Agrado as a character who always strives for a better life, in spite of the never-ending assaults and humiliation she endures. In fact, together with Manuela, she inspires other women to stay strong and fearless. Hence, it’s very plausible to call Agrado the voice of Almodovar’s concern on equality and justice for LGBT people.

I must say that Almodovar’s attempt to speak up about the matter deserves a critical acclaim. He addresses the problem in such an effortlessly entertaining way that it doesn’t sound preachy and critical at all. Yet, people are still able to get his point and relate to that.

At last, I’ve run out of words to describe this movie. You guys should watch with your own eyes to see how remarkable and empowering it is. For you, women or girls out there, who feel vulnerable and weak, All About My Mother is your therapeutic cure. Hence, it’s a MUST-WATCH for you.

P.S: Sorry for making this post too superficial or shallow or even preachy. I avoid delving into details, hence this post only conveys my cinematic experience and humble reflection of the movie. Hope you’ll still enjoy it.

I was drown and she pulled me out...

Julie Powell on Julia Child.

Izzy Dix, who wanted to go to Oxford University, was found hanged at her home after she told family members that she was a victim of vile taunts, insults and cruel remarks.

What in the world? I have nothing but wonder-what it will be if a smart person-the brilliant one-doesn't have a strong self-esteem within herself. Girl, you were brilliant but why you weren't dauntless. You shouldn't have done that..

Bye Paul!

I firstly knew Paul Walker when I was looking over Vanity Fair's covers on Google. At one cover, he struck a pose with Penelope Cruz and other celebrities whose names I can't remember now. He looked so good at the picture. His smile just captivated me. I was just obsessed with him since then. I started to watch his movies. Also, I watched TV shows having him as a guest star and I was stunned by how humble and generous he was. He never put himself as an A-list celebrity. He used to wear a radiant smile on his face which I considered as the most honest smile ever given by a celebrity. I was so obsessed until I wished him a great life (not to mention a long life).

Now, what I just saw on Facebook truly has broken my heart. I was stunned yet saddened to know that Paul died in a single car accident. I just can't believe it. The world has just lost one of its brightest stars. A star which taught people how to live the life to the fullest and how to show gratitude. I know it's pathetic but there's no use to mourn for him. In fact, I should be proud of him for leaving such a brilliant legacy to carry, which is the inspiration to live the life to the fullest and never take life for granted.

Good bye, Paul!

You must be having a discussion with God about sea creatures-things you're obsessed about. Say hi to my grandma, grandpa, and everyone I love up there.

I love you.

" Everybody's got a thing but some don't know how to handle it.

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