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Post by DeepArcher on Aug 5, 2019 17:11:54 GMT
No thread yet, starting one. Sad to say this was kind of a disappointment for me. Zhao Shuzhen is fucking marvelous, and the chemistry she shares with Awkwafina's protagonist actively had me wishing that I'd had a better relationship with either of my grandmothers ... There's a lot of beauty in that and there are good moments, but even still, so much of the film is just slight and empty. There's only so much I can get out of all the extended scenes of classical (or, classical-sounding?) music playing, slow-mo shots of characters taking a stroll, gazing out windows while we *think about the past and it's sad*, when all I really wanted was something more unfiltered just watching these great actors portray these great characters. It works in those moments and very much doesn't otherwise, indulging in a lot of posturing that's become far too characteristic in this genre. A24 is really starting to exhaust me, especially as it continues to build to its brand homogeneity that is sort of directly contradictory to why the company exists in the first place... Also, though I'm sure this will make me sound like a total asshole, but I wanna talk about the film's final tidbit before the credits ... okay, so yes it's amazing, I mean amazing that Nai Nai is miraculously still alive today, and in a way it's so appropriate and fitting a conclusion for the character we were presented with. But at the same time ... and again, I'm not sure there's a way to see this without sounding like a horrible person, and I sure I am one ... it kinda totally deflates the impact of the film??? Like, with the knowledge that Nai Nai is still alive, part of me almost has to wonder why this story was even still worth telling??? I can't go so far as to call this reveal a "disappointment," because, I'll reiterate, it makes me profoundly happy that the real Nai Nai is still out there kicking ass, considering the attachment I developed to this depiction of her, but, I dunno, it's hard not to feel like I was at least a little bit cheated after that. The conflict they deal with is still interesting on its own, sure, but it does almost make the emotional response I (eventually) got from it feel, to some extent, a bit exploitive. Curious if anyone else has thoughts on this, or if anyone else happens to even care because I haven't at all seen this talked about it in the discourse around the film. |
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AKenjiB
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Post by AKenjiB on Aug 5, 2019 21:30:56 GMT
Probably my favorite film of the year so far. Awkwafina was shockingly good and all of the other performances were very naturalistic. Really well-shot too and a lot of interesting cultural conversations where neither side is straw-manned.
I do agree that I’m kinda mixed on the ending. I guess I wish it wasn’t delivered quite so...abruptly. It didn’t ruin the movie for me but it did catch me off guard and I thought “Oh, it’s over?”
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Post by stephen on Aug 9, 2019 2:59:17 GMT
This was an absolute gem of a film, and honestly, I could see it going all the way with the right campaign. Awkwafina is a force to be reckoned with and would make a very fine Best Actress nominee, but it's Shuzhen Zhao who steals the show, giving one of the most poignant and lived-in portrayals of a character I've seen in a very long time. The whole film relies on her, and she carries it so effortlessly. Definitely needs to be in the hunt for the Oscar this year, and I hope A24 gets off its ass this year after their shabby showing in 2018. Lulu Wang's storytelling is powerful and personal, and it certainly feels like the sort of movie I could revisit again and again in a short span.
Also, Tzi Ma deserves more roles.
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urbanpatrician
Based
"I just wanna go back, back to 1999. back to hit me baby one more time" - Charli XCX
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Post by urbanpatrician on Aug 9, 2019 3:01:41 GMT
Asians
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Post by stephen on Aug 9, 2019 3:32:08 GMT
Oh wait, I also wanna give a shoutout to the glorious Diana Lin, who probably has the best single scene of acting in the hotel room with Awkwafina and an unconscious Tzi Ma.
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Post by JangoB on Nov 8, 2019 20:28:34 GMT
DeepArcher, we're really on the same page with this one. I thought it was a good but ultimately rather slight and small-feeling movie which featured some strong performances. I appreciate Lulu Wang's apparent decision to consciously make the movie much less sappy than it could've been with the shots pretty much always capturing the wideness of the spaces characters find themselves in, and even the close-ups (the few of which are there) not really being all that close. This creates a certain level of visual objectivity and helps us feel the story through the eyes of whole family as one unit and not through a specific character (even if the pull is more towards Awkwafina, obviously). And that's both a virtue and a bit of a shortcoming because the emotional impact feels diluted because of that. It still exists though and as the film approached its closing moments, I started feeling a small but a notable wave of feeling approaching me...and then the very final shot kind of made the wave go away. Just as you, I also felt very very happy that Nai Nai managed to pull through and is still with us. But removing my feelings about a real person, I couldn't help but feel that the film's impact did decrease right after the reveal. I finished watching the movie about an hour ago and it's already slipping away from my mind precisely because of the final reveal that she's actually doing fine. Instead of this powerful story about a family going through a tragedy it started feeling like a little tale about a strange but ultimately happy episode in their lives. And it's fine, and again, I feel very good about her making it. But I can't help but feel that the movie had way less of an impact that it should've had. Really enjoyed the ensemble though. Awkwafina strikes me as this weird case of overhype in the industry because I just don't see anything special about her as a comedian but in this particular movie she did really well.
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Post by Sharbs on Dec 2, 2019 6:06:01 GMT
Lulu could make a different film about each and every family member as the protagonist surrounding this conflict and I'd watch the hell out of each of them. Movie like an onion, layers on layers and tear-inducing.
This feels it needs to lean into technical extracurriculars and tricks, rather than let this beautiful story and beautiful people run the gamut of emotions by itself. And the final shot is wrong, but that's fine It undercuts the crux of the story and basically makes it impossible to rewatch . - 8/10
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Post by Tommen_Saperstein on Dec 2, 2019 7:35:26 GMT
yeeeeeah I didn't really get much out of this at all. I'm a crier but this didn't make me emotional. Maybe it's due to culture shock (the idea of lying to a dying person seems fucked up to me, and I couldn't get beyond that to connect with the modest examination of family dynamics) but I mostly think it's that the story is too slight. Nai Nai is the best thing about it. What a treasure. Not sure what I'm missing with Awkwafina but she didn't do much for me. I came into the film expecting to be wowed but I didn't feel like there was much to the performance apart from her big moment in the hotel. Chalk it up to the filmmaking and ensemble approach. Billi rarely felt front and center. And the script is too observational and modest to really tap into her inner life so much as hint at it occasionally before cutting to something mundane, and even when she it front and center most of her own arc/development centers around Nai Nai's illness. I don't know who Billi is. Maybe that's my western proclivity to view people as individuals instead of parts of wholes, but it kept me at an arm's length. Very bummed. I thought I was going to love this  |
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chris3
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I just ordered a slice of pumpkin pie...
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Post by chris3 on Dec 18, 2019 5:09:35 GMT
Maybe it's because I watched it right after my grandfather's funeral this morning but holy shit this movie was MAGNIFICENT. If Zhao Shuzhen doesn't get nominated I will riot.
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Post by TerryMontana on Dec 26, 2019 20:37:43 GMT
That was a little gem! Very emotional and sad. That scene near the end (the actual farewell) was heartbreaking and the song that was accompanied by was the perfect match for it!!
Both Awkwafina and Zhao would definitely be worthy Oscar nominees.
8/10
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erickeitel
Junior Member
The beauty of life is in small details, not in big events.
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Post by erickeitel on Jan 5, 2020 1:12:24 GMT
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Post by alexanderblanchett on Jan 5, 2020 1:40:54 GMT
It was a nicely done and very warm film. It makes you teary eyes from both laughing and also some sad moments. The story was simple and the fact that it was more or less autobiographical adds a lot to the film.
Based on truly a wonderful screenplay we get the opportunity to see Afwkawfina's acting ability for the first time in the fullest. A very good performance by the young newcomer that lets hope for more, Another fantastic performance came from Shuzhen Zhao who gave such a heartwarming and beautiful performance that was impossible to resist. A great turn for a first timer for sure and glad it is a performance that actually gets recognized.
The rest of the cast does very well too and brings that family perfectly to life.
its a charming feel good film about family bounding and moral standards. Its definitely of certain importance and also shows nicely the cultural differences between East and West but in the microuniverse of a family.
Nominations for;
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Shuzhen Zhao
Rating: 8/10
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Post by Martin Stett on Apr 24, 2020 23:05:27 GMT
Am I doomed to dislike everything? Yes, obviously. I know that. This had a few good scenes: Anything with Diana Lin, first of all (I know that all of the praises go to Zhao and Awkwafina, but Lin is the undeniable standout for me). The stuff where the conflict between Eastern and Western philosophy is really good, especially when Jian begins praising America and her daughter proceeds to rip up her romantic portrayal: I loved the back and forth between Jian's embrace of the West and Billi's embrace of the East setting them against each other. I liked it when people weren't going on about Nai Nai dying, or when the movie wasn't making it painfully obvious that everybody knew Nai Nai was dying and they felt bad. Which meant I really liked around two or three scenes. The rest of the film is thirty conversations about one thing: GRANDMA IS DYING!!!!11!!!!!1!! Even when they're not talking about it, it dominates their thoughts. And its dull. Nothing ever develops out of it. Nobody changes. Also, can I get a movie about Aiko and how uncomfortable it must have been for her to be stuck in China without speaking the language? Her clueless face was the only comedic thing about this and it was fun imagining what this whole experience must be like for her. Billi is a far less interesting character, because despite her brief fling with "Eastern culture," I don't see how she's any different at the end than she was at the beginning. |
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Post by cheesecake on Apr 25, 2020 5:56:20 GMT
Wow, I never posted in here and I'm quite surprised by the mostly muted responses. One of my favorites of last year. A very touching and intimate film with an amazing ensemble.
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