cinnominz

As soon as I saw the bodies in frame I immediately thought of Mulvey. To be honest, I didn’t really read it much in terms of the feminist theory, I mostly just used her concept of looking. Wong Kar-Wai immediately draws us to frame in the first shot of the film, showing picture frames of women hung up on the wall (which I assume to be the residents). Throughout the film he builds tension through it, framing Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung through doorways, door frames, windows, curtains, car, bars, walls, you name it. It’s as if we are peeping into their “affair” together. I had the impression that they did and went back and forth with it because the framing and the looks that they gave to each other is a much different story than the narrative. I was just waiting for them to act on it and yet they hold back. The framing both gives us the impression that this thing that they have is a secret, meant only for them to know, but it also limits the frame that they have, almost like they are restrained. This I think is very evident with the image of the bars whenever they are in the alleyway close to their apartment. During those scene they would talk about the gossip, their partners, etc. like they are whisked back to their retrained reality where they can’t act on their love. The alleyway is also hidden with nothing in it, just them, the concrete walls, and the light. It’s as if they are the secret being kept inside the tree, only this time it is not covered, but open.  Anyway, I’m not really sure how should I read this in terms of what theory I should use, but there are just my general thoughts.  Read: Globalization (repeated images of the globe, archive footage, talking about travel and tickets, traveling to Singapore and Cambodia, the rice cooker, etc.)

The recurring image of the ship and the ocean reminds me of gesture theory. I don’t know much about Japan history but I do know that they have a big fishing sector, and that they have histories of tsunamis, so its waters already hold a lot of memory. The scene where Sosuke’s dad’s ship went to what seems like a different realm, we see the other modern missing ships that were clumped together. To me it felt like cargo ships that sank after a tsunami because they transported to this space after the big storm where the moon was closer than usual. It is indicative of a fantastic space. This is further supported by the appearance of Ponyo’s mother passing by these ships and floating up to the sea wall as if she was flying towards the moon. In this fantastical scene was when Ponyo and Sosuke also traverse their submerged town, and we only see traditional boats powered by men floating up top. There is also a shots of modern boat being tied down and were under water. It is both illustrating gesture theory, about how these waters hold so many lives, memories, and histories in it (bonus that the entire town is under water) and also how nature will always win in the end, and that we need to go back to man-powered stuff to ground ourselves. Read: Cinemal theory  Sidenote: The kid saying “What?!” behind me when we first saw the town under water will never not be funny 😭😭😭

Attended the Academy screening with Jet Li. I haven’t known of him but my first impression was that he was really charismatic, and a down to earth guy. He told us about the time he was affected by a tsunami in China and how that experienced pushed him to open a relief for natural disasters victims. As I was listening, I couldn’t help about how I perceived Jackie Chan—which was how I thought about analyzing this film using the star theory. Immediately the film foregrounds Li as the martial arts par excellence, with his body twisting in the air and his feet landing lightly on the ship’s ropes. Throughout the film the camera focuses on his Li’s body a lot, even emphasizing how cool it was through slow motion. There were a lot of shots of his feet too which draws the spectator’s attention to his legs during fight scenes, since he was known for his kicks. The ladder scene in particular drew my attention. Prior to the film Li was talking about how that scene took so long to take as it was the last scene they shot after he recovered from a foot fracture 8 weeks prior. So immediately everyone knew that this scene was going to be epic. Li maintained a calm and composed frame throughout the scene. He keeps his movement contained whereas those around him had big movements that affect their surroundings. He practices his principles in the scene, opening his hands to say “I’d rather talk” versus Master Yi who has his hands clenched into fists to say “I’d rather fight.” The awe for Jet Li is exacerbated by Master Wong as the character’s charisma, humbleness, and willingness to help others is paralleled with the actor. Also, this could be studied with a post-colonial theory too. And gesture omfg, the sea line INSANE.

ngl i got mixed messages but it still made me cry