I'm Baaack!
I'm gonna keep this short, sweet and simple.
Good Men, Good WomenHou Hsiao-hsien, from what I've seen so far, is probably one of the greatest living visual directors. He knows how to manipulate each scene in such a way that it is visually engaging and distinct. However, as a storyteller, at least in this film, I think he need some work. The main problem is that the film never fully bridges the two parallel storylines, one in modern times, another during a war in Japan (which one I could never figure out). There's a difference from being ambiguous and unclear and I think this film falls into the second category. I also never really cared much for the story set in modern times mainly because the film never really gave me a reason to care about the characters. But this film looks absolutely amazing and fans of Hou Hsiao-hsien will probably love it on that level alone. I just wanted more of a story.
V.S.Lifetimes (or
To Live)
(We really need to change the title in the bracket for this film to
Lifetimes. It's a title that makes much more sense than
To Live after seeing the movie.)
Lifetimes is akin to the storyline of societal turmoil in
Good Men, Good Women in that it follows an Chinese family through the period in which China shifted from Feudalism into Communism. I don't really want to get into specifics of the plots because as the title suggests this is more of a big picuter film, following the overall lifetimes of a married couple. From their early years as a couple to their last days
Lifetimes captures something rarely seen on film: the joys of living. This film is vibrant, joyous and alive, capturing the sheer ecstasy of being alive and being part of a family, no matter how tough the hardships ahead. And the hardships are harsh.
Lifetimes pulls no punches. What this family goes through is brutal and more than once it got a little dusty in the room. Yet even in the face of hardships the family finds time to reach out to those around them, sometimes to their detriment. And there's one scene in this film that will forever be etched into my mind as a scene so unexpectedly bittersweet that I wasn't sure whether to laugh with joy or cry in pain. Lifetimes captures both emotions as well as capturing life, a feat not to be taken lightly.
Verdict:
Before entering these brackets I didn't have a film I was pulling for, but now I do.
Lifetimes is a film I'm really excited to revisit and really have a desire to share with my friend and family. If you haven't seen it put it up on your queue high. It's an amazing film that I can honestly say is one of the rare films I think everyone should watch.