|
 hmmm…what can i say about
this movie? only one word
pops into mind: “strange”. not
only is the whole movie unusual, with unconventional film editing
and all, but it leaves you with a strange, uneasy feeling. i
mean, i can’t exactly say if it’s “bad”
or “good”, yet i can somehow connect to this odd
feeling. (in fact, i can relate
to many aspects of it.) you do laugh out loud at some funny scenes,
but that laugh sure isn’t genuine delight; but rather, with
some sort of bitterness.
tokyo, however busy and luscious, is foreign and
empty to the two foreigners. both of them seem lost
(physically and psychologically) in this hectic world. i totally
comprehend this feeling: as
i walked pass the harbour lane towards home in tsing yi, gazing at the beautiful night scene of illuminated
buildings and their reflections, this thought occurred to me each
and every time: "no doubt that this is a beautiful city, but i don’t belong here.” i believe
that must be what the two of them are experiencing.
there’s always some sort of emptiness behind the
materialistic world portrayed. one seems to be readily dispensable
and not necessarily needed. anyone can be easily replaced by someone
else. i hate that feeling.
the following dialogues/scenes have so much
impact on me that i just can’t help remembering them.
phone conversation 1: charlotte’s uncontrollable emotions when calling
her mum back in LA. you
just can’t hold back your tears upon hearing the voice of a
person whom you’re close to. i have had that experience before when i called an old familiar friend after getting hurt by somebody else. wasn’t looking for comfort or anything. yet tears just kept on rolling down even though she hasn’t said much (and didn’t
know what’s going on).
phone conversation 2: bob, in
bed, calling his wife. he’s dying with loneliness and was going through one of the hardest time in life; while his wife talked about nonessential things as little as carpet samples. i clearly remember how bill murray’s expression/reaction (rolling
his eyes, keeping silent, responding with simple uninterested
answers occasionally) reminded me of myself in similar
conversations with one of my closest friends. it’s particularly sad, not because your loved one won’t find a
way to comfort you (or doesn’t care enough to ask about how
you’re doing), but that he can’t tell the misery
behind your voice. it’s unfair for me to say that he’s self-centered or anything, but it sure is disappointing. and it somehow hurts.
conversation 1: charlotte lying in bed with
bob. she asks, “does it (life) get any easier?” ”as you get older,
you’ll have fewer things that’ll
upset you.” very true indeed. life only
gets more complex. i wish to turn back the clock, to days when anxieties merely revolved around schoolwork and "crushes" (**wink wink). at the end of the day, either you 睇化咗 or you’re
desensitized to life’s disappointments. learning to expect less from both yourself and others will make one’s
life easier. trust me on this.
phone conversation 3: bob calling his wife while in
bathtub. she asks, “do I need to worry about
you?” he answers, ”only if you wanted to.” that’s probably what i'll say too. too proud to
admit that i’m lonely and that i need attention (i
guess it’s lions’ pride, or should i say i’m plainly 死口硬). why should i be the
one to beg for attention? if you truly cared, you don’t need me to remind you to do so, isn’t that right?! do so from within your heart, else just don’t do it at all. anywayz. bob’s wife continued, saying that the kids “miss you, but are getting used to not having you here.” i guess getting forgotten is inevitable. again, i just can’t expect everyone to care for me in the way i care for and remember them. don’t get too attached to anyone---that’s what I kept on telling myself---otherwise you’ll get hurt (yet again).
one thing worth noting is the interesting relationship
between charlotte and bob. different age group, no physical contact/attraction, yet between them exist an unspoken mutual dependence. they are so close and yet so far apart. their embrace at the end of the movie (with the re-introduction of background music/song after a prolonged silence beforehand) kinda give everyone a relief, releasing us from the unease that has lasted so long.
|