A Little TLC(w): A City of Sadness (1989)

While watching this movie, I was reminded a lot of Flowers of Shanghai.  Even though the story and subject are very different, the feel of the two films are pretty similar, especially in their frequent use of long static shots in dialogue-heavy group scenes.  The similarities were so striking that, after the first half-hour, I looked up the director on IMDb, and sure enough, Hsiao-Hsien Hou directed both A City of Sadness and Flowers of Shanghai.  Nice to see that my instincts were right.

After World War II, we follow the ups and downs of the Lin family in Taiwan.  The three adult brothers (the fourth went missing during the war and never came home) navigate uncertain days under the mainland Chinese government as they try to earn money, enjoy themselves, and fall in love amid a backdrop of civil unrest.

The historical context is interesting, a story that I only know the barest details about.  I like the way the film depicts Taiwan’s political upheaval, coming out from Japanese rule during the war to then be subjugated by the mainland.  It begins largely in the background of the story – occasional interludes of government officials making pronouncements over the radio, references to protests in Taipei – and grows gradually over the course of the film, until we get to the point that any of our characters are in danger of being detained by the government or getting injured in a riot.

I like the three brothers and the dynamic between them, but the actual plot has a hard time keeping my interest.  It’s a very long film, over two-and-a-half hours, and much of the story feels too meandering and incidental to sustain that length.  The plot drifts rather than drives, and while I was watching, my attention definitely wavered as it went on.

Tony Leung Chiu-wai plays Wen-ching, the youngest brother.  Wen-ching is a thoughtful young photographer.  Deafened after an accident in childhood, he rarely speaks but communicates fluently in writing, bolstered by occasional gestures and emphasizing noises.  He is very attentive in his work, values his friendships, and develops a close bond with Hinomi, the sister of his best friend.

As far as I know, this firm predates any of Leung’s string of blind characters (I know two isn't a string, but there are know that I haven't reviewed yet.)  Like all those, he obviously shouldn’t be playing this one either, but given that the movie came out in 1989, it’s not exactly surprising.  What is interesting, though, is that Wen-ching wasn’t initially supposed to be Deaf.  That aspect of his character was changed after it became clear that Leung couldn’t speak Mandarin or Taiwanese fluently enough, and the specific filming method Hou used prevented him from dubbing Leung with someone else’s voice, as has been frequently done with Mandarin-language movies Leung has made on the mainland.  So, to work around it, Hou made the character Deaf instead.

It speaks to Leung’s strength as an actor that the director made substantial changes to the film, including multiple dialogue scenes of Wen-ching writing back and forth with another character, rather than replace him.  When you can’t speak the language required for the character but the director just says, “We’ll make it work!”, that’s when you know you’re bringing something special to the table.

Recommend?

In General – Not necessarily.  While it has some interesting stuff, it’s also pretty slow and not all that engaging.

Tony Leung Chiu-wai – Maybe.  Even without spoken dialogue, Leung brings a nice presence to the role.

Warnings

Violence, sexual references, drinking/smoking, and thematic elements.