DVD Review: Big Eden, Small Miracle

男式伊甸園（Big Eden, Small Miracle)，這個和英文名稱及故事內容完全沒有関係的中文名，加上「輕描淡寫」兩三句「簡介」，相信很難會引起消費者的購買意欲。但再看看上面印得又小又難讀的影展史及所得的「觀眾投票獎」，倒不是不仿一試的「萬眾」之選。

本片買的不是導演風格，又沒有型男美女，主角Henry,三十多歲，小肥，開始脫髮;主角所愛墓的兩個男人:第一個Pike, 印第安人，長髮，有肚腩; 第二個Dean:直佬，有兩個仔。Fag Hag? 一個樣貌平平的孕婦Mary和一個老寡婦THAYER。順敘、淺白的敘事手法，最能與觀眾溝道的安排，第五句對白就知道那個是基佬，什么職業，那個是Fag Hag, 片子開始未到十分鐘就知道主角的任務是什么 --- 直接、不做作、簡單易明、温馨不扇情，就是 Big Eden, Small Miracle.

如果沒有「同志電影」這個標籤，而同志电影亦沒有被香港的主流電影所拒朱門外的話。＜男式伊甸園＞將會被列入「合家歡」影院。

但此片就是有那些Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts 和 Tom Cruise 的电影裡都缺小的東西--一個好的劇本，一個窩心的故事。

本片非常有技考地處理男男之間的愛情問題。Eden是一的住美國西部的小村莊，並沒有主角在紐約的花花世界，「基」這個話題更不是村裡的人會說出口的東西，故事設計在這裡發生，村民對主角及其同志身份的支持及認同都在言語之間及行動之中所表現出來，使得「基」這個東西來得非常自然。但是本片最好看的地方並不是其同志題材，而是主角Henry和其他人的關係，好像和他祖父在沙法上的一段有關「羞恥」的一段對話，寡婦THAYER知道主角性取向後戲劇性轉變，都是因為不俗套的角色而令此片生色不少。而村子裡人和人的關係，更滲出在城市裡從來不會存在的親切感。導演此方面的功力，更可以在本片一開始時那平靜安穩的紐約市中可見到。在本片最後的鏡頭，還可以看見英國電影 的相同處理手法，彷彿看見Jamie和Ste長大後還在一起似的···

看完這部電影，再會去肯定不是生得「青靚白淨」，有六塊腹肌才可擁有愛情，而這個世界上除了愛情，還有更多東西比起每天聽著那些自憐的情歌更重要。

With a Chinese title literally translating as "Eden in a male
form" it is not surprising there has been little local interest to
this film, however it has been very well received on the worldwide
film festival circuit, receiving more than eight audience-vote
awards at different festivals.?While it features no special
style, nor explores any critical issue or even features
main-stream beauties, Big Eden (a small miracle) deserves an
attention.

Main Cast:
Henry - 30s, balding with beer belly
Pike - podgy long haired native American with beer belly
Dean - straight (!!) an ordinary looking, muscular guy with a
beautiful wife and two sons

Fag Hags:
Mary - an ordinary looking pregnant woman,?dominatrix
Thayer - Old widow.

With its passion, simplicity and warm treatment of its theme, Big
Eden serves as a refreshing alternative to the heavily polished
mainstream movies. It has a good story and well developed
characters (that many mainstream movies lack.)?If “Gay
Films?were not being excluded from the film market in Hong Kong,
and were not treated as “alternative?and put beside soft porn in
the stores, “Big Eden?would be categorised under "Family Films"

The film handles the gay relationship in a very subtle way. Big
Eden is a small village in North-western Montana, where being
“GAY”is not as easy as in New York, where Henry has just return
from. People in the village would seldom talk about gay issues.
Instead of bringing up the homosexual issues centre stage as "get
real" (uk, 1999) in an uncomfortable verbal discussion, the film
keeps the sexuality of Henry as an "understood" topic between the
villagers. The gay characters in the film receive tacit support to
their love from the actions and reaction from the people around
them. This subtle treatment of homosexual issues among the
villagers enhances the passion and warmth of the film and
creates harmony between those of different sexualities.

The unusual and off beat cast makes for a refreshing change from
films of a similar style. Highlights are a scene with Henry and
his grandfather talking about shame and the dramatic change in the
widow Thayer once she learns of Henry's sexuality.

The film opens with NYC captured in a quiet and peaceful manner
rarely portrayed on screen.?It closes with a similar treatment to
"Beautiful Thing" (UK 1996), taking me back 10 years to Jamie and
Ste dancing and holding hands on the podium of their housing
estate....

DVD Review: 天邊一朵雲 The Wayward Cloud

“What do you think a movie is?” Tsai Ming-liang replied to a reporter who had just asked him the same question at the screening of the director’s film, “The Wayward Cloud” at the Berlin International Film Festival.

"My experience of watching films is usually like reading a novel, but with a third hand turning the pages for me; I have no control over the speed of my reading,” the reporter answered. “However, your film is not a novel; I feel I am watching a movie and I can read it at my own pace.”

Tsai's film is a mixture of fragmented memories, feelings and emotions. There is no concrete storyline, but a story comes from the chemistry between these three elements; a story in need of no words.

"the wayward cloud" is indeed an art piece about urban society that seeks the audience's participation and provokes thoughts. While watching this film, it is important to have unanswered questions - don't focus on what is inside the featured unopened suitcase, but think, what is the meaning of "unopened" in the film.

Surely, sex is not new to his films, [well, I mean like sexually intercross is new to his film, usually it is only suggested images, but now, they were like REAL explicit sence]

"The Wayward Cloud" is the film that Tsai has always wanted to make most and contains many elements that have appeared in his older works, including his strong presentation of isolation in his lonely characters, as well as some highly entertaining campy musical chips which here he contrasts against the emotion of the characters. The recurrent [themes, not sure about it] tools he us to express is idea of isolations (and equally recurrent censorship and scandal in Taiwan) are his portrayals of sex and the naked body.

In this film, Tsai’s redefine the meaning of loneliness and isolation to a new, extreme extend. We see the pornographic film industry through the eyes of a third person. Throughout, unmistakable and explicit symbols of sex contrast the main characters’ passive and isolated relationship.

Watermelons appear to be having a bumper crop and are well harvested throughout in metaphors and imagery, as all the while drinking water runs dry in the taps throughout Taiwan. In respond to the situation of “Juice replaces water” in Taiwan, Tsai uses the classic Dadaism icon - ants, to express the problematic and distorted thoughts of society; humorous yet haunting.

The metaphor of "Watermelon" (the supplement/replenishment/sex) and "Water" (the origin, purity, love) can be interpreted throughout different layers in the film, bringing coherence to a thoughtful and completely enjoyable film.

"the wayward cloud" is indeed a master piece firmly sealed with Tsai’s signature.

很多人會以為電影是用來說故事的工具，香港人由其。那看電影和看一本小說有什麽分別哩？這本小說的好處是有第三隻手幫你一頁頁的把書翻過去，有的電影快些，有的慢些。但茗明亮的電影不是小說，而是需要觀眾投入、思考的「電影」。

蔡明亮的電影是一些「片段」，「感覺」及「情緒」的漫合物，坐在大銀幕前，三者互相交滆，「故事」就自在觀眾心裡，而這個「故事」更是非筆墨或言語所能形容，蔡明亮的電影是利用都市空間、身體語言剪接出來的藝術品。

看「天邊一朵雲」不要用傳統理解電影的方法去分釋，而且要「容許問題的出現」電影一開始的時候開不了的皮箱就是開不了，不要老是問裡面是什麼，反而要去想開不到的皮箱給你什麼感覺。

「天邊一朵雲」是蔡明亮最想拍的電影，亦可以說是他所有電影結集出來的結精品。此部片比起蔡明亮的其他作品都來多了很多不同的層面，每個層面都可以追朔到他之前的電影，例如蔡導最善長對都市疏離感的描寫，及出其不意，把影片帶來殺時輕鬆，但又使其後的寂莫更加蒼惶的歌舞片段。而「天邊一朵雲」最新的原素，亦是引起最大爭議的，就是性和亦裸裸的身體。

此片利用赤裸裸的身體及對色情電影工作者在的描寫進一步表現人與人之間的疏離，比起任何蔡明亮之前的電影都來得一針見血。更用第三隻眼（第一隻是攝影機的鏡頭，第二隻是拿看搖控看Ａ片的觀眾）來看色情電影的拍攝過程，用大量的有性無愛的情慾鏡頭對比男女主角那一種「渴」而不可求的關係，把「寂莫」及「疏離」的感覺伸延到無邊際之處。

還在分別「性」和「愛」的朋友，這片可叫你分清和你一晚春宵的那一位是「愛人」還是「性人」。

本片最有趣的地方除了皆大喜歡的「肉體物質」外，就是對「水」，這個附号的演釋，用「西瓜汁」未代替「水」這一個予意，與電影中紐曲了的「性」及「人的關係」互相產年化學作用，使天邊一朵雲更加耐人尋味。

蔡明亮的影迷對此片不會失望之餘，相信連一些門外漢都會想看看那日本ＡＶ女郎的真人大膽演出。此招大小通吃，可見蔡導欲把自己的電影領域拓闊的野心。事實上，「天邊一朵雲」亦是近期云云DVD中裡的上上之選!

DVD Review
Published in Dim Sum Magazine