Substitute from A. D. Chan on Vimeo.
Hong (Terry Chang) is a repressed ogre living amongst peasants; peering out from beneath his woolen greasy locks toward Joan (Cheryl Miles). When her husband leaves for business, Joan's full lips, tight breasts, tan skin and loquacious legs are left vulnerable and open to this pasty suitor.
The coolness of the camera can be given responsibilty for expressing the words which the narrative does not so easily offer up. Notice Hong's sterile and undefined quarters; cold, green, wearing the same pair of boring shorts the whole film... Contrasted with his first one on one confrontation with Joan, the damp flatness of Hong's identity exists solely in relation to his proximity with Joan. To say masterful is to say too little about Looi Wan Ping's work as Director of Photography.
A.D. Chan's exploration of saturated infatuation doused in thick satin reds and chilling blues is as much a testament to perceived expectation as it is to the magnificence of the image. Each frame is balanced toward a charecters desire to become the object of his desire. The lingering question my mind: does the camera flood the vacant space that our minds fill with thoughts of heterosexual attraction?
That was quite interesting; an example of that rare short film you've mentioned before Lancaster, one that ends on a resonant moment- leaves the audience wondering, knowing something's been said and wanting to decode the visual cypher.
ReplyDeleteThe cinematography was a thing of beauty- I'm almost certain they shot it on 16mm Kodak. But the stark lighting and bawdy tracking shots of her legs and through the lace. I love that shit. Really pro-looking just on a compositional level too. Nice find.