Hana & Alice

Yomei and I went to see the new Shunji Iwai film at the Broadway Cinematheque in Yau Ma Tei, possibly the best arthouse theatre complex in Hong Kong (or many other places for that matter-- I think it's cooler than the Angelika, actually). It comprises a theatre, DVD shop, and a cafe/bookshop (with DVD library) called "Kubrick" where directors will sometimes hold talks after their screenings (you can also have coffee and a free flip through the latest issues of Film Comment, Sight and Sound and Relax). This visit, I finally made the wise investment of a membership: for $100 HKD (about $12 USD) annually, you get a free matinee ticket, discounts on future tickets and DVD/book/magazine/cafe purchases, free rentals from the DVD library (whose selection, though small, gives my beloved Yale Film Study Center a run for its money-- sorry Michael!) And to top it off, I got a free gift of collectible movie folders! My kind of film dorks.

And the film itself,"Hana and Alice", was fantastic. I have to be in the right mood for Shunji Iwai, but this one works. It's the story of two high school girls, falling in and out of love with a single boy, and in and out of friendship with each other. Heartbreakingly pink cherry blossoms. Japanese schoolgirls in ballet class. Snowy mornings in peacoats on the subway. Skipping rope at the seaside. Etc. I don't think there was any Debussey in the score (as there is in many of his previous films), but there might as well be. Normally these things combined would make me a little bit nauseous, but somehow he pulls it off.