Visitors Review

JohnTEQP (2012-05-23 19:23)

Lyrical character study

This is a very lyrical film, a character study with very goodperformances. As it introduces us to the four main characters, itstarts out in several locations, and the connections between them arenot obvious. Bear with the disjointed structure, however, because thevignettes are strong. The four guys are all flawed, some more so thanothers. The most apparently sympathetic character is the Mexican busboywho just wants to send money home to his family, and always seems to besmiling. His friendship with the British playboy doesn't seem to makesense, until you realize that they're both fairly mischievous; one justhas more permission to be so than the other. The two slightly olderguys both seem burned and despondent beyond repair, but each of themalso desperately wants to believe in something again, and thatsomething is love.

DICK STEEL (2012-05-23 06:28)

A Nutshell Review: Where the Road Meets the Sun

There are a number of Singaporean filmmakers who have stretched theirwings and gone out there in the world to make their films, fromdocumentarians such as Lynn Lee, James Leong and Tan Siok Siok with herupcoming film Twittamentary, and others such as Pearry Reginald Teo andJonathan Lim. with the world being their oyster and playground. Thecinematic road brings writer-director Yong Mun Chee back to Singaporewith her debut feature Where the Road Meets the Sun having premiered inthe USA a few weeks ago, before making it back here to premiere itduring the ScreenSingapore event.There could have been slight ruffling of the feathers for SingaporeNight given the showcase of two films that weren't made by any of theregular established names in the local film community, but afterwatching both films, I thought this could spur the entire communityforward to realize that we have talent both within and outside ourshores, some already establishing a beachhead overseas that perhapscould become springboards for others to follow. Idealistic, but worth ashot in my opinion.Mun Chee's film tells the story of immigrants in the cosmopolitan cityof Los Angeles, which in a way reflects both the reality of the city'smake up as well as tapping onto Mun Chee's own real world experience ofsomeone from the outside looking in. This is a character drivennarrative in a slice of life fashion that snapshots a moment ofconfluence, but not before a rather long winded introduction thatspanned a fast forward of months to introduce characters from variouscountries.There's Blake (Eric Mabius), a man estranged from his ex-wife, and nowrunning a cheap hotel where the characters all find themselves in, theBrit playboy Guy (Luke Brandon Field) being the rascal of the groupwith a penchant for all ladies, an illegal Mexican Julio (FernandoNoriega) who gets to LA in order to find work and sending back hismoney to his support his family, and Japanese gangster Takashi (playedby Korean American Will Yun Lee) who wakes up from a coma and a steepmemory of the woman of his life, but getting himself to LA with apistol where its smuggling got casually explained away, thequintessential and literal Chekov's gun.The foursome bond together and in itself creates two contrasting pairsin an opposites attract fashion. Julio and Guy provides the comparisonbetween one carefree and without responsibilities to others, with theother being the all round family guy out to look out for betteropportunities in order to make a living and support his family backhome. One travels to strange lands for pleasure, while the other out offamily necessity. Blake and Takashi are the more deeply reflectivetype, where they get together over a meal, or over music by the lateLeslie Cheung whose Canto-tune The Wind Blows On forms the backgroundof protagonists each searching for purpose and meaning in their lives.Production values for a first film is superb, and perhaps it's becauseof the technicians behind the production that hail from a very matureindustry, so much so that one's debut feature need not be a cheesy,laughable affair in terms of look and feel. Sure it may look like atypical indie film, but I suppose this will help the creative part ofthe production to focus on direction and fleshing of the characters,leaving aside the technical aspects to experts. Hence a film thatworked on both fronts, with Mun Chee weaving very powerful backgroundsand narratives for each of the four male protagonists that sucks youinto their lives and predicament, vesting your interest into what lifedishes out to them.This is a drama through and through with slight comedy that balancesout what would be a rather bleak though evocative tale aboutfriendship, hope and the struggles of the emotionally downtrodden, allin search of that magic air in a new environment to look forlive-changing directions.