This review may contain spoilers
I tend to give these short films/movies on Gagaoolala a shot and I am glad I did.
I will try to explain without giving any spoilers but it's very difficult to do when the movie is under an hour because of the amount of significance one may take from certain scenes to explain the overall storyline.Reading the synopsis is necessary to have some kind of understanding of who is who and where the story is currently set in time. The black-and-white visual language was truly amazing. I am not a big fan of black-and-white films so the fact that I was engrossed the entire time says a lot.
The story is between two friends, who help one another in a time of need. Although it does not seem like it at the start since Tod is letting Hao stay with him. However, as the film progresses you see more of their dynamic and how they are as individual characters, and how they are together as they begin to live with one another. Hao is definitely more of a rebellious character and a free bird. One that does not care about the consequences and lives in the moment. He may seem as carefree but tries his best to be a guide in Tod’s life.
Tod, on the other hand, takes a more reserved role. He seems to be content with how his life is, without really questioning anything. He has dreams but does not actively pursue them besides painting.
With Hao introduced, Hao begins to push and question Tod’s dreams in a manner that demonstrates Tod’s personality on a somewhat “deeper level”. Hao asks simple questions as to Tod’s art, what his art means, where he wants to go, why, and by when he wants to achieve all of this. Tod also reciprocates which allows the audience to understand Hao better. These two complement one another despite their opposite personalities. Although, I wished they would have dived more into their background besides giving crumps and leaving the rest for interpretation.
Additionally, it felt like the director wanted to create a more “romantic” feel between Hao and Tod by providing an intimate sex scene between them. However, the scene was not necessary and it felt forced. Yes, you can tell that the characters care for one another and love each other but love does not necessarily have to be expressed in a romantic way. Besides, after that one night spent together, Tod and Hao proceed to go back to a friendly relationship without discussing what had happened the night before, which may leave the audience in wonder at their relationship.
In the end, Hao served more as a character that loves Tod (whether as a friend or romantically is debatable) and helped him express his desire to leave and helped him achieve that. Based on their interactions, Hao helped Tod achieve his dream and Tod helped Hao by being there for him when he had nowhere to go. The last few minutes of the film were my favorite because it gives the audience a glimpse of what each of them saw in a short montage of their past/present, showing how they each shined in their own way.
As I wrote this, I had originally rated it a 7 but now a 7.5. It is not an 8 for me because it felt
1. Too short
2. The characters were given a short backstory which was not fully developed to understand them in a deeper manner
3. The sex scene felt rather rushed and thrown in there to make it a “gay film”, which in my opinion was not necessary because even if it was a movie on friendship it would have been amazing and portrayed the character’s love for one another.
4. I wanted them to express or communicate the relationship they had cause I had so much interpretation, which is not bad but sometimes I just want things to be clear for my small brain to understand.
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Moc jsem nepochopil, proč je ten film černobílý. Dva přátelé, kdy určitý výsek života je jim souzen sdílet jeden malý byt umělecky nadaného Toda. Rošťák Hao mě téměř učaroval a sdělení snímku, především v závěru, je jasné, i když jsem celou dobu byl na pochybách, které neprozradím. Zase trošku něco jiného, než jsme na Taiwan zvyklí.
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