Monday, June 27, 2011

有一天 - One Day



有一天 (One Day) is an 2010 film out of Taiwan. The movie is produced by famed Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-Hsien. The movie stars Nikki Hsin-Ying Hsieh and Bryan Shu-Hao Chang. It is also the first full film from director, Hou Chi-Jan.

Nikki Hsieh plays the daughter of a single mom, Singing. Singing is a ferry worker and heads out to work one day. Bored, Singing dozes off and dreams. In this dream, Singing is chased by a Indian man looking for food and water. While avoiding the Indian Man, Singing runs into Tsung, played by Bryan Chang. Bryan is in the army and currently on a short leave. They are introduced to each other and fall for each other. However, they both know its a dream and they want to make it last. When Singing awakes, she tracks down the real life Tsung and slowly enters his life. Slowly but surely, her invasion is complete and they become a couple.



From one of the interviews, they mentioned that it took 13 days to film the movie. Which seems quite amazing considering the number of locales and utter sense of loneliness it presents. The story itself has a twist that I didn't reveal, but you don't know this until half way through the film. A very stylistic film that moves rather slowly but deliberately. Singing and Tsung are strangers in the real world, but lovers in their dreams. Would you let love blossom knowing that it will eventually die?

Nikki Hsieh puts on a pretty good performance. Having to carry the majority of the film, you had a lot of close ups and her face had to carry it. And it did, nothing to much for her to stretch. Bryan's role was a little less, as he was complimentary to the story.

The movie was slow, but the payoff was good. This movie really reminded me a little bit of romantic movies out of HK in the late 80s and early 90s. Love can triumphs over the situation, but tragedy will befall you.



No comments: