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Sì ge chun tian (2017)
Beautiful Documentary About Rural China
This documentary offers a very intimate, warm and at times heart-breaking portrait of an average countryside Chinese family in Guizhou province, famous for its karst landscapes and rice terraces. The subject matter is the director's own family and their day-to-day pastimes, ruminations about their past and future, and as the events progress, their coping with a devastating loss amidst their loved ones. The documentary is focussed around Chinese New Year, which usually takes place within January or February on the lunar calendar. All scenes are interspersed with beautifully captured images of the surroundings and countryside. A degree of familiarity with more old-fashioned Chinese culture (that outside of the big cities) helps quite a bit to understand the portrayed scenes but is certainly not required. Warmly recommended for the casual viewer, and a must for anyone having in some way ties to rural China.
Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001)
Completely Blown Away
Almost one year ago, the father of my best friend passed away after an excruciatingly painful and horrid battle against pancreatic cancer. The misery within their family during and after this tragedy was astounding. I tried with all my might to bring some light into the darkness there, and by showing them this movie I actually managed to do that. Watching this movie made them laugh, made them gasp in awe and cry out in joy and appreciation, something I hadn't seen them doing in a long, long time. It actually managed to lift some of their misery. Any movie capable of achieving something like this is worth a 10 in my book.
As for myself, as the title says, I was deeply moved by the film and it's soundtrack when I saw it for the first time. It was recommended to me by a friend and I had no idea what to expect. Needless to say this movie has firmly pointed me towards the spectacular work of Studio Ghibli and their master animator, Hayao Myazaki.
Much has been said about this movie, and I'll say it again. I find it one of the most spectacular pieces of animation and sound ever created, equaling and surpassing the finest work of Walt Disney himself and Pixar studios. The characters are round and charming, the storyline is complex and involving, and the imagery is from the highest echelon of what current Japanese animation has to offer. Furthermore, the movie has brilliant sound editing and a masterful soundtrack, which by itself is almost compulsory to listen to for any serious movie music lover.
If you love animation movies, you simply cannot let this movie pass you by. If you're a movie lover in general, you also cannot let it go by. Go see or buy this movie. You will not be disappointed.