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Mon | June 26, 2006
It's Only an Indie Film
Well, I did my part, by participating in the NYAFF (The New York Asian Film Festival). I went to see It's Only Talk on Saturday.
Being at the film festival is an experience in itself. A twenty-something white guy (Azn fan) stands at the front of the theater and shouts a bizarrely detailed introduction. "You're going to see a commercial, and then some previews," he says. He half-apologizes for the festival having corporate sponsorship. I sit there thinking he doesn't need to say all this. No one will be surprised to see commercials and previews. But then again I can see how some of the audience might balk at McDonalds advertising at an indie film screening.
He announces that they are selling t-shirts and there is going to be a raffle. Then he raffles a t-shirt and a set of 3 DVDs that have nothing to do with each other.
I feel the need to repeat all these things because they are declared as if they have importance. It reflects the tendency of many indie films to spend time on normally negligible details.
It's Only Talk, for example, begins with a 32 year old Japanese woman (25 in white years) going around Tokyo taking pictures. You get to see Tokyo, but after awhile you're like okay I get it, you don't have to keep doing this. Not only are there too many shots belaboring the same idea, the shots linger on for a good twelve seconds at places where Hollywood would cut after two.
I don't have anything against meditative, observant films. But once mired in this mood, it's difficult to lift out of it for the "fun" moments. There's a tire park that's supposed to be a great place but it's mostly anticlimactic. And other things... like pet fish. I suppose one might say it's intentional or appropriate for everything to come through muted. But I'm not sure about that. I think an excellent film would be able to transition more clearly between moods.
It's Only Talk is about Yuko, a manic-depressive girl who moves to Kamada (a region of Tokyo), falls apart a little, and has her male cousin take care of her. Contrary to the title, it doesn't explore issues of talking and not talking. It's more about loneliness, depression, medication, and needing people to rely on. It's about a girl who joins 9.11 and earthquake groups to have people to be sad with. She lies to get more sympathy from people. What she really needs is not to find ways to get more out of people, but to find ways to accept that they won't provide everything she needs. But this is all a bit outside the plot of the movie. You don't see her at these groups; it's only mentioned.
She hangs out with a guy from school who doesn't quite know what to make of her. My favorite plotline is between her and that guy, which mostly happens at the beginning of the film. Their 'hookup' scene is so funny and true, for a situation between a girl like that and a guy like that. And so under-represented in films.
She finds temporary relief in a pervert forum. Or is it a manic-depressive forum? I think it's one of each. The irony (or perhaps unrealistic outcome) is that all of these people, even the mobster, are mild-mannered blokes. It ends on a depressive note, as the one potentially sustainable solution she develops during the course of the film collapses.
Oh yeah and especially at the end, too much exposition through dialogue. Overall, good for an indie film.
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