|
|
|
|
[REVIEW
> PERSONALS]
|
| 04/11/2001 |
|
"The
Personals" is not about finding Mr. Right, but about finding
the lost innocence in oneself that is sometimes unattainable
in the today's complex society, especially in this film, where
the old and the new have not yet harmonized. |
|
Reviewed by Sue Lmsukonth
|
| |
| A young and attractive woman places an ad
to look for a husband. The result is almost two hours
of an engaging voyeuristic journey into a seemingly mundane
yet colorful look at the lives of the men who respond
to the ads. |
| |
 |
| Rene
Liu in "Personals" |
Du Jiazhen (Rene Liu) quits her job as an ophthalmologist
in a hospital in Taiwan and begins to interview the men
she meets through personal ads. Different personalities
from various professions turn up. Some, in turn, interview
Du and heighten our curiosity as to why a nice-looking,
successful and independent woman would seek a husband
from such an anonymous sampling of men. The meetings between
Du and her prospective mates are interspersed with scenes
of Du in her apartment at night leaving messages on an
answering machine belonging to an old boyfriend, telling
him of her experiences from each meeting. We assume that
this estranged boyfriend, who neither answers his telephone
nor returns Du's calls, is the impetus behind her placing
a personal ad. It's our consolation that a sour relationship
has driven her to this bleak method of finding Mr. Right.
|
| |
| What is revealed later, aside from the reason to Du's
lonely desperation, is a peek into the lives of the men
she meets who in turn bring out something about her that
she has not been able to admit ñ the denial of her own
self acceptance. Naturally, like Du, we generally find
the men sleazy just five seconds into her conversation
with them. But before Du can come to realize it, we realize
that these men have actually achieved something that Du
has not been able to - they have come to accept themselves
as the people they are. They do not beat around the bush
or pretend to be the prince charming Du had hoped to find:
Take them the way they are or move on to the next personal
ad. Along the way into the film, we shift sides and recognize
the true integrity exists not in Du, the hypocrite who
tries to beguile as a righteous half during the meetings,
but the men, no matter how perverse they are, who at least
are honest to themselves and others. |
| |
| Director Chen Kuo-fu has successfully made a bold move,
a feature film that takes place for the most part in a
teahouse. Most are medium to close shots. Most of the
action found onscreen are the facial expressions of Du
and the men, and even those are hard to come by sometimes.
But Chen manages to release us from this potentially claustrophobic
setting by conjuring vivid visions from hearing the men's
narration about their lives. |
|
|
Ultimately, "The Personals" is not about finding
Mr. Right, but about finding the lost innocence in oneself
that is sometimes unattainable in the today's complex
society, especially in this film, where the old and the
new have not yet harmonized. .jpg) |
|
|
|
|
Now
in theatrical release
|
|
|
|
Santa Barbara: Opens 4/22 at UC Santa
Barbara
|
| |
| |
|
FESTIVALS
& AWARDS
|
| |
|
Un Certain Regard
|
|
Cannes Film Festival 1999
|
|
| |
| Director
Chen Kuo Fu |
| Born in 1958, director Chen Kuo-fu was a noted
film critic, author, film festival programmer and magazine editor
before directing his first feature film in 1989, the critically
acclaimed "School Girl." His second feature, "Treasure
Island," was produced by Hou Hsiao-hsien. |
| |
|
OFFICIAL
WEBSITE
|
 |
| firstrunfeatures.com |
| |
|
|
