trishhani

The title of my review is exactly how I felt watching Ema. It is difficult to put to words exactly how I feel after having just watched the movie.

Ema is the story of a fiery young woman, who acts based on her instincts, almost inconsequentially. She is a struggling dancer, flirtatious and confident in nature dealing with the aftermath of "returning" her adopted son to the system.

The editing and cinematography captures the attention of the viewer, you almost forget you are supposed to pay attention because it is still a movie with a plot that must be followed in order to understand what is going on. However, thats exactly it! There isn't much of a plot, it is more of us a viewer observing the very raw sides to humanity, lust, guilt, despair, disgust. The scenes, the actors, the colours, the camera work has an inexplicable undercurrent that leaves you.....dazed from start to finish. When the movie comes to an end, you start to breathe a little normally again.

It's hard to say, though I enjoyed it, I am torn as to whether this was an objectively good film or not. The plot lacked substance, direction and purpose but the cinematography and musical score brought me on a journey I would certainly embark on again.

In the Mood for Love is a story that follows two couples who move in to apartments next to each other. The main characters Mr. Chow and Mrs. Chen eventually come to realise that their spouses are cheating on them with one another.

The true depths of this film cannot be described into words, the pain is too much. These people are friends, trapped in their perverse reality as they attempt to reenact how they think their spouses cheated on them. The film creates a sick parallel reality of their spouses as Mr. Chow and Mrs. Chen develop a certain camaraderie with us as viewers never really understanding the nature of this unusual alliance.

This film touched me to the depths of my soul in ways I could not even begin to describe because it painted a very painful picture with the most undeniably beautiful brushstrokes. I could watch this film for admiration of its artistry or plunge headfirst into the story at the risk of realising that this film is based on everyday life. The things of which we intend to do yet convince ourselves it is not and then we proceed to create our own justifications for our actions is what Mr. Chow and Mrs. Chen represent.

The fact that we don't even see the faces of the spouses gives further confirmation that their actions are their own choices, nothing to do with anyone else.

This film begins and ends with a certain strain we cannot place yet have an understanding that it is there. The depth of melancholia this film portrays is almost too jarring to accept yet almost thankfully, it is just a film. Beautiful, enriching and yet, so frighteningly restricting. Its gives you the feeling of tears welling in your eyes without ever being allowed to trickle down.