"Be with me, my beloved love, that my smile may not fade."

I had always wanted to watch Be With Me by Eric Khoo (2005) since I got to know about it, but the year when the film premiered, the M18 barred my viewership and it is only till now that I’m of the legal age to be finally able to watch this movie.

“Is true love truly there, my love? Yes, if your warm heart is.”

After the introductory credits rolled in, the movie started off with a close up shot of two hands slowly typing away on a typewriter, churning out the quote above. My attention was immediately fully captured. To me, there is a charm to understated words that speak of philosophical wisdom, I believe in the beauty of simple words that bring out the many emotions, feelings and facets of life.

Promise Of The Flesh

“If a man despises me and deceives me, I’ll never forgive him.”

Watching Promise of The Flesh by Kim Ki-Young (1975) was an uncomfortable experience. A story about a broken soul Sook-Young whose self-esteem is battered after encountering rape by a few men, she meets a thief, Hoon, on the train and a strange relationship blossoms between the two. Although Hoon manages to restore some humanity faith for Sook-Young and the two made a promise to meet after two years, there is little hope that Hoon would appear due to his arrest.

空中小姐，而不是地上少奶奶

Air Hostess by Yi Wen (1959) is a straightforward movie about a lady’s career journey in being an air-stewardess, from the newbie brimming with hope and aspiration, then being frustrated and worn-out with work, and lastly, recognising the value of her work and taking pride in it.

Where Is The Friend’s Home?

Where Is The Friend’s Home? by Abbas Kiarostami (1987)is a simple film about an eight years old boy named Nematzadeh who is on a journey to return a notebook to his classmate, or else his classmate would be expelled if his homework is not written in the notebook one more time. Along the way, Nematzadeh faces obstruction from adults who think that he should be doing other things instead, subliminally paralleling the contrasting differences of “importance” value of children and adults, what is significant to a child might be barely attention worthy to an adult.

Fleeting, Subtlety, Yearning…Lasting.

“花样年华是指少年男女二十岁左右青春焕发的岁月.”

In The Mood For Love by Wong Kar-wai (2000) takes on a Chinese idiom for the movie title, to which I found it quite thought intriguing. The definition of the phrase 花样年华 is not easy to define, as it represents a very ephemeral concept – mainly used to describe the years in one’s youth, alike to blossoming flowers, pretty, yet not everlasting. For the movie, I would describe it in these four words – fleeting, subtlety, yearning and lasting.

Nang Nak

Nang Nak by Nonsee Nimibutr (1999) is a Thailand horror movie based on an ancient Thailand legend which spoke about a female ghost Nak’s undying love towards her husband, which entailed her lingering spirit by her husband Mak’s side and eventually, wrecking lives in the village when there were attempts to inform Mak that Nak is actually a ghost.

"Death exists, not as the opposite but as a part of life."

“I once had a girl. Or should I say, she once had me.” – Norwegian Wood, The Beatles

I managed to catch Norwegian Wood by Tran Anh Hung (2010) in the cinemas yesterday, along with two friends. An adaptation of the novel by Japanese author Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood is a 1987 novel which brought the author to national recognition, which was ironically, to his dismay.

The Butterfly Lovers

The Butterfly Lovers (梁山泊与祝英台) is a well-known folklore in the Chinese history, along with The Legend of White Snake (白蛇传), Meng Jiangnu’s Bitter Weeping (孟姜女), Cowherd and Weaving Maid (牛郎织女), these four ancient love stories play an important part in Chinese literature.

I was a kid when I had my first exposure to The Butterfly Lovers. Flipping through a simple Mandarin Chinese storybook, the beauty of the story had me in awe, and also the relentless bugging of my mum with the question, “did they really turn into butterflies?”

For, a Hero Fears No Bullets

“Oh 英雄本色! 好看! 周润发,很帅!”

My dad, despite his broken English, is a huge fan of war films and action flicks, prefers his movie appetite to be everything Western, seldom giving praises to Hong Kong movies or shows. A Better Tomorrow by John Woo (1986) is one of the rare movies which my mention of it garnered a positive response from him.

At the Height of Summer

The Vertical Ray of the Sun by Tran Anh Hung (2000) is a movie that revolves around three sisters, Suong, Khanh and Lieb, Suong being the eldest, Khanh the middle, and Lien the youngest. The film is set in Vietnam’s Hanoi, and with cinematographer Pin Bing Lee (who also did the cinematography for movie In The Mood for Love), viewers of The Vertical Ray of the Sun are presented a luscious, pastel and dreamy Hanoi, with a tinge of amorousness charm to the tropical city. The movie seems timeless, it felt like it had suspended in time and moves at an unhurried pace, as how Lien slowly stretches and dances across the room with tender grace.

House by the Sea.

Il Mare by Hyun-Seung Lee (2000) is a very simple film dealing with a complex theory of time-travelling. Il Mare, a beautiful house along the seaside, houses the protagonists who are apart by two years, corresponding by sending letters through the magical mailbox.

Shutter

I watched Shutter by directors Banjong Pisanthanakun and Parkpoom Wongpoom (2004) few years back, despite the passing of years and watching a few other horror movies after this film, I have to say The Shutter remains one of the best horror flicks I have ever watch, it still makes me jump from my seat when I watch it!