The Intensity Of The Unspoken

Lust, Caution (2007)

Directed by Ang Lee

Starring Tang Wei, Tony Leung, Joan Chen, Wang Leehom

Written by Wang Hui Ling, James Schamus, based on the short story by Eileen Chang

Lusting for the absence and ambiguity of love tears a woman apart and breaks her down completely - wasted time, fractured memories, tormented emotions and left her with a broken heart and life being taken away, at the end of her struggling journey. Her last breath was of revelation, yet, without regret. Was that love for the nation or what it an assumption of love for the one whom she should not have loved? It leaves a question in my head, but my heart has already been rendered paralyzed by her long lasting quest to conquer him, or was it the other way round? Her immaculate acting and subtlety in her being a Chinese "married" woman, little seemingly insignificant mannerism, the bottled up chocking feelings she feels whenever she is with him is enough to make me hold my breath each time I see this on screen. It seems to overflow and flood right into my heart. I feel the cut that she feels, the scar runs deep - a woman trapped within her own disillusions about love and how it should be, false hopes, misjudgement of character. Yet, she is strong and weak at the same time, in some ways only a woman could identify. Which woman would not fall for Tony Leung? (Though I could be wrong to generalize). Our visions start to blur, between him and the character that he is playing, for he captivates us each time he surfaces from his evil endeavours. Yet one can't help but to fall for the bad boy...can we? The woman you love surrenders her body and soul to the devil but you could only silent yourself, watching from afar, words disappear and eat you away every single minute, that must have torn leehom apart, but I could not see that coming across well enough...the intensity is deafening and threatening, it feels as though you could explode any moment if you watch on any longer. A story amazingly told.

The Sweetness of Young Love

Honey and Clover (2006), Japanese

Directed by Masahiro Takada

Starring Sho Sakurai, Yu Aoi, Yusuke Iseya, Ryo Kase and Megumi Seki

Paint love in the shades of different colours, brushes away the strokes of naivete towards someone so near yet so far, you thought love should be like this - silently, buried in the deepest corner of your heart. Words seem to fade into the background, blend into the rest of the bigger picture. They turn into soft whispers in the ears. Red - passion, love, blue - innocent, freedom, creativity, green - natural, openness and new, yellow, orange, black, too many, too fast, too fierce! Colours collide, emotions overflow with intense weight of this secret love, so much so that it cuts and leave all our characters incomplete and confused. The creative mind cease to breathe, the retarded brain jolts to a start, it dashes in full speed, thinking that all strains of thoughts could easily be fabricated, duplicated and multiplied. But no creative mind could ever be conquered. The sparks stay quiet, only for a brief moment, and they will burst into a dance of rainbow colours, all because of the love for arts and you begin to somehow understand the art of falling in love, the courage very much needed to brighten the dullest form of love. Each time you fall, you pick yourself up, and move on, courageously. Love the vibrant colours in the film, love the characters and the complicated yet intricate love relationships they share with each other, most of all, love the music of love, ultimately.

Reaching For Your Dream, No Matter How Small You Are

Ratatouille (2007)

Disney Pixar Animation

Directed by Brad Bird

Voiced by Patton Oswalt (Remy), Lou Romano (Linguini), Janeane Garofalo (Collette), Ian Holm (Skinner), Peter Sohn (Emile), Peter O'Toole (Ego) and Brad Garrett (Gusteau)

This should be my most favourite animation I have seen so far this year. It is hilarious to begin with, amazing story telling, captivating scenarios, excellent cinematography and character development, impeccable animation and attention to details are the perfect ingredients for this piece of art put together. Everything seems to fall at its rightful place, like each piece of ingredients you decide to use in your recipe, to cook up the perfect dish, serves with such great imagination and passion. The film draws you in with the notion that you live only to do what you are destined to do. It lifts your spirit high to reach for your dream, no matter, at times, how low you may feel - insignificant you are in achieving those seemingly unreachable dreams in real life...that's the Pixar magic and that is also the wonder of animation! You could almost smell the spices, could almost taste the delicious food prepared along the way. It ignites your senses and you come out of the film feeling all HUNGRY. My tummy is churning already. Gotta go!!