Feng gui lai de ren

A solid coming-of-age tale from a director who seems like he knows what he's doing.

A fair, if slow, coming of age story that evokes a bit of Ozu's style: low cameras and long, lingering shots. There's a bit of melancholy in this country-boys-go-to-the-city theme which seems pretty universal. I prefer characters to have learned something in the experience (other than "life sucks," I guess), so this one didn't quite grab me like others do.

The quiet desperation of the young trying to make it is palpable, made greater by obstacles self-inflicted and not that threaten Ah-Ching's well being. A powerful cut late in the film (after one character receives devastating news) opens the film up from its slowly constricting nature. After an hour+ of shots through borders (doorways and windows, mostly), this one shot serves as something of a release, emotionally and relationally, in the flow of the story. Hou is a master of such moments.

Absolutely wonderful colors. Nice slow cinema. But I feel there will always be a limit to the depiction of the feeling of being list in coming-of-age movies.