#alimujiang

[raraavisalterego]

To the Wonder (2024) Ep 2

ok lets goo 2nd ep rewatch!

yap yap yap, where is the washboard eh?? all those bottles of beer and no washboard...

I really like the nightime scenes, filmed during dusk/dawn probably so it can actually show on camera, but looks like how night looks once your eyes get used to it.

Actually this type of death is quite common on cold places as alcohol makes you drowsy and because freezing is not "painful" you dont wake up so you comppletly freeze.

kept the bed broken, and this may seem like a basic continuity thing, but most productions dont even care enough to do that.

The conversation about taking the trail vs taking the highway is so familiar to me. And most people when they hear about it assume its about the dificulty of it when its not, its about confort and hability. Sometimes the trail is easier and faster, but you have to know and want to do it; while anyone can take the highway.

One of the moments that i refered to on my last post when i said that i think they rewrote her to be more city-like for the viewer to relate because how are you from a village and dont know how to handle a guard dog hahaha

the way i have been on both sides of this situation xd

damn no wonder they couldnt get the washboards, this man bought them all

I was kind of surprised when they talked about the hunting prohibition and the animal protection stuff being rural china in the early 2000s. I dont know if i will elavorate my thoughts on that

You can tell when Batay speaks with another kazakh that he sounds different and after learning that its yushi it does sound like his words are more scattered instead of a continuous flow. Then again pretty nice still, he does use intonation something beginners struggle with, but maybe beause mandarin is a tonal language its easier for them than it is between romance and germanic. Also im not 100% sure but he seems to be puting an accent when speaking mandarin.

I love the village chief because he is the type of old man that answers to your questions with a saying that you dont fully understand and then walks away holding his hands on his back.

they managed to include in this drama an average tumblr user with their blorbo

(also i dont recognise the man so i dont know if it suposed to be a reference or not)

simple yet nice shot, the angle helps with the ceremonial intention

Poor girl, fengxia was really setting wengxiu up. When one goes back to the village first thing is always updating on the community! or in this case introducing.

this scene is whack 😭 why the arrows askjfbsk

the differences between wengxiu who does not consider se has a "home" but lives where it would be considered her home, and granma who has a very clear home but has not being there in forever ( fengxia was born on another place) and has no links to it anymore.

ok that was end of ep 2. things are picking up from now on yey!

[stuff-diary]

To The Wonder

TV Shows/Dramas watched in 2024

To The Wonder (2024, China)

Director & Writer: Teng Cong Cong

Mini-review:

This was such a unique, unexpected drama. It's mostly a slice-of-life story, leaving almost all the heavy drama for the last couple of episodes, and watching it is such a calming experience (except for a few intense scenes, of course). Also, I appreciate its efforts to explore Kazakh culture, which is pretty much never represented in any form of mainstream media. On top of that, it's a visually stunning piece of art: I can't remember the last show or movie that showcased such a big collection of downright striking landscapes. I feel like I spent 80% of the time staring in awe at the scenery. It really is that beautiful, and everything is so well-shot; the cinematographer deserves all the awards in the world. My only qualm is the dubbed voice they use for the male lead at some points, which is very annoying and unnatural. But yeah, To The Wonder is like no other drama I've seen. Just the visuals alone make it worth a watch.

[raraavisalterego]

To the Wonder (2024) Ep1

(A quick intro)

So i have to say i went into this drama with high expectations based on the cast, the cannes and peoples opinion i had seen. And i was a bit meh in the beginning. The first 2 eps are the lowest point of the drama (which is not bad by any means) but i really enjoy it as a whole. I´d say i enjoy it more than the actual quality of it, like it is good but its better for me because i like it, know what i mean?

I will be writing this as i rewatch . Also like im not going to spell/grammar check this so there may be mistakes

(lets get into it, its going to be loooong and SPOILERS)

"So in the coldest and longest days in winter, no set of footprints can lead to my home"

I really like the intro, gurl set that tone

Damn 3mins and im already glad that i am rewatching, the birch!

(just coping this here for later)

But i do find it curious that an young artist does not know what they want, how does one experience the feeling of wanting to create without a vision of ones creation? i guess insecurity plays a part on it but its something you dont see often

the way the camera panned here made me think this lady was going to be someone later on, is she the writer-housewife? ill see

Girl we will be able to tell... An yet (i am not knowledged in how altay is) one would think that the county seat is still quite "rural" for how city-like they have written Wenxiu to be, and eh i dont know if its the same in the novel but its definately something that made me go ??? at some moments later

the icon, the legend, speak your truth

and now this rat

we will get back to virginia woolf later on, nice

also another note, for someone who loves writting we never see her read, but there is a respect conveyed with straightening the frame that i liked

ok now we are on the village

Like why are we saying hello in mandarin to the neighbours. Here we have thing nº1 that bothered me: you live here, maybe before in a less rural area but still, and you dont know shit in kazak. And i get that she is han, that at home and at the school she went they spoke in mandarin, that they are closed off in their communities, that everyone has to adapt to them and not the other way around. But with all this considered i would still expect her to know some, like a greeting, like thank you. If this is what is normal irl yikes.

Because i understand its use to define a line and she is written to make the viewer feel like an outsider, but too much. Write her a greating please cmon. An ick of mine. Lets move on

We go from watching wuxia on tv to nature documentary to 200m dash, who told you to change the channel!

Exactly: baby. (but i feel this is a minstraslation)

Good point to talk about thing nº2 that bothered me. (it looks like im only talking shit but trust i love this). Ok this happened mainly before starting to watch it. I read the sinopsis and it says Yushi is playing Batay a kazakh and im like wait a minute, he is not. I liked him a lot on fengshen and i knew he can ride a horse pretty well an that is a positive here. So when i started watching and i hear him talk im surprised by the quality of the dubbing, he has the same voice! Then i found out its actually him, nice, another positive. Overall, would i wish that the main actor was kazakh? yes; where the chances high for that? no; am i satisfied with the end result? pretty much.

Also i find him really atractive so...

XD. But its a real thing.

Cute

Ok they have mentioned the county they live in: fuyun, total population of the county 99k, 54% kazakh. Point nº1 stands.

yes

"We are practically living like vagrants" watch what you say, in a couple eps you will be all in for that seminomadic life bby