June 09, 2006

An enthusiastic crowd attended Asia International Program C this evening at Astro Hall. Audience favorites included “Inside,” a dark Korean film that tells the story of a woman who works in a kiosk in a subway station and falls in love with a customer’s hands, and “Bunny and Clydo,” a Quinten Tarantino-style action film shot in Los Angeles. Audience members responded particularly to the comical treatment of violence in the films.

“Inside” and Indian-Canadian filmmaker Shaleen Sangha’s “Sohni Sapna (Beautiful Dream)” reminded audiences that the knight in shining armor they learned about in fairy tales is pure fantasy. There’s no such thing as a perfect man, ladies!

In the Q&A session after the screening, Shaleen spoke about the theme of the mythical soulmate/lover that so many folk tales perpetuate. In her film, this issue becomes more complex as the main character, Sohni, is struggling not only with the notion of an ideal man, but also with her own cultural identity. Sohni is Canadian-Indian, her husband is Caucasian, and her dream lover is Indian. Sohni’s choice between her husband and her dream lover becomes a choice between cultures, though this interpretation of the story arose, in a way, by chance. Shaleen explained that when she cast the film, she decided to cast the role of the husband without regard to race or ethnicity, and it just so happened that the actor chosen was white.

Asked how she wrote and cast that ever-illusive entity “the perfect man,” Shaleen admits, “well, it helps that he’s, you know, hot.” Indeed.

Singapore filmmaker Charles Lee was nervous to present his animated film about the Malay regiment’s failed defense of Bukit Chandu against Japanese forces in WWII here in Tokyo, but the audience seemed to appreciate its moving depiction of the deadly battle. “The Battle of Bukit Chandu” combines 3D and 2D animation, and the results are more engaging and devastating than live action. Charles worked with a group of fellow male animation students who were all quite happy to make a film about a battle, but he chose his subject matter after seeing a group of students in a museum learning about this important event in Singapore’s history. He realized that animation could bring the battle to life better than a static museum exhibit. The film tells a story about Singapore, but it carries a universal message about the horrors of war and the indomitable human spirit.

Korean-Japan Music Coordinator Masanori Furuya presented a second special program of recently released Korean music videos at Astro Hall this afternoon.

Korea, a country that is known for producing great short films, does not treat music videos any less seriously. Unlike Japan and MTV in the U.S, its music videos always carry a storyline and the narrative is given great attention. It’s not just eye candy. The first of the lineup―a catchy, hip-hop tune called FLY---took place in an intense hostage situation.

The lightness of the song greatly contrasted the intensity conveyed with the imagery. After a standoff between the cops and a car thief wielding a gun, the thief throws a grenade, causing an enormous explosion in the middle of the street. The song stops intermittently, mostly for the dramatic parts, and then picks back up. In the end, the thief is hit with a sniper shot and he falls to the ground in extreme slow motion. The next video followed the life of a man who loses his girlfriend and has his heart broken.

All of the videos were very dramatic, even if the song seemed to befit a lighter theme. Korean music videos are compelling works; instead using dialogue, they use music to convey their stories and seem to devote as much effort to evoking emotion as they would a short film.