Four Asian Film Recommendations for Poetry Lovers by Kyle Talag
Four Asian Film Recommendations for Poetry Lovers
“It's me. If there's an extra ticket—would you go with me?”
“Set in Hong Kong, 1962, Chow Mo-Wan is a newspaper editor who moves into a new building with his wife. At the same time, Su Li-zhen, a beautiful secretary and her executive husband also move in to the crowded building. With their spouses often away, Chow and Li-zhen spend most of their time together as friends. They have everything in common from noodle shops to martial arts. Soon, they are shocked to discover that their spouses are having an affair. Hurt and angry, they find comfort in their growing friendship even as they resolve not to be like their unfaithful mates.” — IMDB user Anonymous.
This classic movie embodies the concept of I love you, but I can never have you, which is neither spoken of nor whispered between the protagonists, but only through subtlety like a lingering glance at the staircase or the longing in his eyes when she offsets his stare. In the Mood for Love, from its red-hued color palette to its artistic cinematography, encapsulates the exquisite poetry of finding that connection with the right person at the wrong time.
"Full of people whose faces we know, but how many of those do we really understand? Among all the people you know, how many really understand what's going on inside you?"
“Set in 1994 in Seoul, a touching coming-of-age drama centered around the quiet, unexceptional eighth-grader Eun-Hee (Park Ji-hu). Struggling to make passing grades and subject to non-stop screaming at home, she spends her time finding meaning in the love and friendships of her peers, in shoplifting, and in karaoke bars. It's in her cram school professor Yong-Ji (Sae-byeok Kim), however, that Eun-Hee finds the answers that she seeks, as the two form an unlikely friendship.” — IMDB user brahamdali.
If a film based on my junior high years were ever made, that film would be House of Hummingbird. Eun-Hee’s struggle to balance her dysfunctional family with her desire for stability is as poetic as it is relatable.
Treasure the experience, dreams fade away after you wake up.”
“Two teenagers share a profound, magical connection upon discovering they are swapping bodies. Things manage to become even more complicated when the boy and girl decide to meet in person.” — IMDB summary
Your Name artfully illustrates the human experience of yearning for connection, restlessly searching for happiness, and reaching out for love before it slips through our fingers. It also made me learn how to be content with what I have and stay present in the moment.
“The next thing we came by were persistent plants. They grow out of cement, they grow through wood. I asked, “How do you grow there?”. Their simple answer, they look for the light. How can you look for the light when there are people who deliberately cover the sun?”
“A woman tries to write a song. She looks for the right words and melody in places and through people. Through a hand-drawn map from a woman thrice her age, she finds people who have found what she is looking for. They tell her about how they found them. She listens, then she sings. We hear not a song, but a cry for a sing-along.” — TMDB summary
A Filipino short film that encapsulates discontentment and yearning, Songs Happen Like Refrains in a Revolution personifies a poem about restlessness and wandering aimlessly in the limited spaces we had during the pandemic. It’s like watching a self-reflection about life, peaceful and fresh to watch on a rainy day. This film makes me want to continue the stories and poems I’ve left unfinished.
