A Touch of Zen is one of the most inventive martial arts films you’ll see. It combines a bunch of genres, including the historic Samurai films of Japan, haunted house horror, and the classic hero’s journey adventure films. Plus it adds it’s own styles have been hugely influential on later martial arts films. There’s plenty of epic widescreen landscape shots, bouncing characters (that you’ll also see most noticeably in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), and innovative editing to create some stunning CGI-free action sequences. On top of that, it focuses on a powerful female fugitive and an unstoppable Buddhist monk. It’s all shot from the perspective of a regular guy like us to bring us into the action. It’s one of the best wuxia films you’ll see.
If you love documentaries that stray into the fictional or very real docu-dramas, you’re in for a treat. Honeyland is one step up: it’s a docu-epic. It follows a middle-aged bee keeper in rural North Macedonia living on her own with her frail grandmother. Their survival is delicately in the balance when a large family join them looking for a better life. It’s a tale of modernity vs. tradition, and greed vs. modernity: a real showdown for the ages. Plus it’s shot beautifully.
What were you doing on your sixteenth birthday? Hopefully something better than Liam. Sweet Sixteen came out three years before MTV’s My Super Sweet Sixteen and shows a semi-orphaned teenager waiting for his mum to get released from prison. It’s another brilliantly bleak depiction of working class youth in the U.K. from Ken Loach and a perfect reality check to the super rich spoiled kids which took over MTV screens a few years later.
Watching Tanna is an experience. It’s not everyday that you can transport yourself to another part of the world and another culture so far from our own. Unless you’ve got a one-way ticket to Vanuatu, this is the closest you’ll get to living in a Kastom tribe in a beautiful island.
Why Watch Tanna?
The setting is incredible
It’s the first film shot completely in Vanuatu and the first to get nominated for the Academy Awards
If you loved the tradition in Whale Rider and want to go one step further
Volcano shots! The lava spewing everywhere is amazing! Check the trailer above if you aren’t sold.
The Breakdown
The first thing you’ll notice in Tanna is the incredible setting. The whole film is filmed on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu and all the action takes place in and around the rain forest. Fortunately for us, the landscape includes picturesque waterfalls and an awesome volcano. It’s pretty much impossible to make the island look bad.
Life here is free. The kids run around chasing each other every day in their natural playground. Initially it seems like a life of no worries. However, unfortunately, you’ll learn that it life is not as free and romantic as it initially appears. Firstly, Selim, one of the youngest kids of the group, is told she has to grow up and become a woman. Secondly, when she is taken to visit her spirit mother, her Grandpa is beaten to death by a rival tribe. You’ll have to watch the film to find out the consequences.
Western Influence on the Island
You’d be forgiven for thinking that this film is set before the arrival of Captain Cook and the western world. The tribal life on the island has none of the amenities we take for granted such as electricity, supermarkets, or mobile phones. However, even though they seem like they have never encountered Western culture, you’d be wrong if you thought they were completely cut off. In fact, one of the tribes’ members has a picture of himself with Prince Phillip of England dressed in a suit. Plus, there’s a christian camp with electricity, clothing, and regular houses just over the hill by their camp.
Why is it important that they are not cut off? Because it shows the strong and enduring legacy of tribal life. It shows that they have chosento live life in the rain-forest even though they could switch to the ‘luxuries’ of western culture. It’s a great example of cultural relativism: the idea that all cultures should be understood individually and not judged against each other. No way of life or culture is better than another. However, unfortunately most of the cultures subject to western colonialism weren’t given a choice.
Conclusion
Tanna is beautiful. If you’re one of those who watched Avatar and felt depressed afterwards because our world wasn’t the same, then you might feel the same way after you watch Tanna.
*****Spoilers*****
But romanticizing aside, there’s a great story-line which draws parallels to a Shakespeare classic. And ultimately there’s a somewhat happy ending. That the indigenous culture of Tanna are managing to adapt whilst still opting to remain completely independent from Western culture.
You may have seen a lot of films without really paying attention to how they’re put together. But to get the most out of The Assassin you’ll need to become aware of the subtleties on camera. Everything is set up to celebrate the art of the assassin and it’s just beautiful!
Why Watch The Assassin?
It’s one of the most beautiful films of the 2010s!
To immerse yourself in 8th Century China
If you’re a fan of martial arts and want to see the art of an assassin
Because it Hou Hsiao-hsien won Best Director for this film at Cannes
The Breakdown
The Assassin is set in 8th century China when the Tang dynasty is in decline. It’s based on the story of Nie Yinniang written by Pei Xing, a writer from Tang dynasty era China. Sometimes knowing the origin material of the film isn’t that important, but knowing the story of Nie Yinniang will help you get the most out of watching The Assassin. Check out a short summary below!
Summary of Nie Yinniang
(Mostly based on info from the internet – for more in depth summary and background to The Assassin check out this article on Taipei Notes)
The Tang crown prince sends his tenth daughter Princess Jiacheng and her twin sister to a nunnery for safety (from the Anlushan rebellion). Princess Jiacheng returns home when it’s safe, but her sister stays on and leads an order of assassins.
Later on, Princess Jiacheng marries Tian Xu (who holds power in the Weibo district of China) to secure peace in the region. The Princess adopts Tian Ji-an and gives birth to Yinniang, who both grow up as childhood friends. When they’re both older, the Princess gives two jade disks to Tian Ji-an and Yinniang to symbolize their future marriage. However, their relationship is broken off when Tian Xu marries his son to the daughter of one of his strongest allies. Yinniang is then sent to the Taoist nunnery to live with Princess Jiacheng’s assassin twin sister. She later returns when her old childhood friend has taken over from his father on orders to assassinate him.
The Breakdown continued
The Assassin is not like your usual martial arts film. Firstly, it helps to have a bit of background (as written above) as Hsiao-hsien rarely delves into any exposition. Secondly, the whole film is a piece of subtle beauty geared to celebrate the art of the assassin. And before you stop reading because I’m sounding a bit pretentious, I’ll try and demonstrate why.
For most of the film, the only thing you’ll hear is nature, from birds singing to the wind blowing. Similarly, for the most part, the shots are mid-distance and still. Both these things create calmness as the sounds are natural and the pictures are still. Think of the ambience/tone it creates as a still lake.
The stillness creates an environment for the assassin to showcase her skills. She must do her job without disturbing the serenity of her environment, or using our analogy, without splashing into the lake. And of course, she does this well. Firstly, she sneaks around the house of Tian Ji-an without making any noise (you’ll always hear the same natural noises in the background). Secondly, the director rarely breaks from mid-distance shots. When he does for the action scenes, the assassin deals with her victims quickly to avoid creating a disturbance or ripple. She never sticks out. Yinniang and the director, showcase the art of the assassin.
Conclusion
I’m not sure how this film was overlooked by the Academy Awards after picking up the Best Director at Cannes. Perhaps, because many viewers come out a bit confused as the director chooses not to offer too much exposition.
If you take a moment to read up a bit of background before you watch this film (see above) and are up for delving deeper into a film than usual, by watching it more than once, this may well become one of your favorite films.
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