BIFF Day Two

Haven't been sleeping too well lately. I think I might be drinking too much tea during the day. But it is so nice.

Really this has something to do with the Bangkok International Film Festival. Because of my lack of sleep I wasn't able to see a movie today. That's all I will say about that, but I will tell you the nap was most excellent.

When I was finally managed to wake up I went to see my first of two films. The first one was from China and was called "The Case." The producer of the film was there so we were able to ask her a few questions when it was over. The film, itself, was about a man who was plagued by his nagging wife. One day he finds a suitcase floating in the water. Inside is something that will change his life. Without giving too much away I will just say there was a body in the suitcase, and it led to the untimely demise of the nagging wife. However, before you can say--"Oh it had a happy ending-- you find out that maybe things aren't as they seem. Throughout the film, there is a recurring scene of a spider spinning a web. It is this image that is critical, or so I believe, to understand the whole picture. You see, was the spider just spinning the web or was he creating the world that was trapping him? By extension we see the life of the husband in a nutshell. On that level, the film had a really Buddhist feeling to it. It was also filmed in Lijiang, Yunnan, which is one of the more picturesque parts of China. I must say I got a little nostalgic for my time in the Middle Kingdom. Yunnan has always been a place I fancied running away to when I get tired of teaching (as if that ever could happen). It would be nice to live amongst the mountains working on my hanzi.

The second film was from Britain, called "Cashback." It was a wonderfully inventive film that I think anyone who likes good thoughtful comedies and the site of a woman's body. If you like either of these please check it out. It might be rated NC-17 however, which might make it really difficult to find. This film involves a man who breaks up with his girlfriend and suddenly discovers he cannot sleep. He is up for weeks on end. To fill his day, he gets a job at the local supermarker. There adventures ensue. I think I am going to go and see this one again. It was a great reflection on art, and beauty and childhood and the difficulties of growing up. And did I mention all of the pretty girls?

So after two days the BIFF has been a lot of fun. As always it has got my creative juices flowing, making me wonder about the choices I have made in life, and most particularly wondering if I have ever made any of the right ones. We'll see in the long run I guess.

See you tomorrow.