HOME
NEWS
FOCUS
OPINION
GBA
VIDEO
ADVANCED
ON THE PAGE
- Screen ties
- Double bill of Cannes competitors does not disappoint
When thought-provoking titles from prestigious film festivals start trickling onto screens, it signals the end of the summer movie season. Or that was the traditional model until the summer season moved to April, and effects-heavy action films started invading the likes of the Cannes Film Festival.
Na Hong-jin’s epic, science-fiction actioner Hope made waves when a so-called journalist insulted the cast with, at best, poor preparation or, at worst, dismissive racism and misogyny at a news conference at Cannes in May, but Na and his starry cast got the last laugh by turning in one of the year’s best entertainments. Ironically, it seems as if perpetual competitor Pedro Almodóvar’s confrontational years are behind him, given his second dive into reflective, internal storytelling about filmmaking, creativity and memory, after 2019’s Pain and Glory, in Bitter Christmas.
Almodóvar’s alter ego this time is Raúl (Leonardo Sbaraglia), an aging director who is only himself when he’s making a film. He’s writing a screenplay about the dramatic life of a filmmaker, Elsa (Bárbara Lennie), loosely based on himself. Elsa is an amalgam of people from Raúl’s life, however, and a big part of the character is based on his tireless assistant, Monica (Aitana Sánchez-Gijón). When Monica reads the final draft, she’s enraged by some of the details, putting her and Raúl at artistic odds.
Bitter Christmas is another impeccably color-blocked dissection of truth, fiction, and the ethics of using a collective past to make art. Almodóvar’s usual cast of actors is generously sprinkled into the film. And though all of those things might appeal to his fans, they only serve to remind the rest of us of a better, more biting, more insightful Almodóvar from the years gone by. Bitter Christmas isn’t bitter enough to sit in the upper range of the director’s body of work, but it does have flashes of his typical rapid-fire banter among really smart people, though their wit and rage and fear is often concealed within the film’s overly complex — some would say precious — film within a film construct. That said, middling Almodóvar is better than a lot of filmmakers’ best.
In some ways, Na also falls back on patterns and conventions familiar from his other films, most notablyThe Wailing(2016). However, unlike Almodóvar this year, Na has made a familiar story feel new, injecting it with some of the best white-knuckle action of the year, and in doing so demonstrates that he’s a director at the top of his game. Hope exploits all aspects of filmmaking — sound, visuals, character, production design — to nearly perfect effect. Early reviews out of Cannes fixated on the film’s “shoddy” CGI. Na’s response was that in the rush to make it to Cannes, the film could not be “completely finished”. Be that as it may, when a film tells an engaging story, in a creative way and with such confidence, a little shoddy computer-generated imagery is forgivable.
In the border town of Hope Harbor, seemingly in the ’70s, Police Chief Bum-seok (superstar Hwang Jung-min) answers a call from some farmers about a mutilated cow. Minutes later, he finds himself in pursuit of a mysterious, deadly creature that’s tearing up the town, along with his frazzled but fearless deputy, Sung-ae (Jung Ho-yeon, Squid Game) and his cousin Sung-ki (Zo In-sung), a hunter chasing the creature through the forest.
Hope begins with the strongest opening 45 minutes of the year and never lets up for its perfectly paced three hours. The best way to experience it is by knowing as little as possible, but it’s no spoiler to say that the screen teems with tactile details, efficiently-drawn characters worth rooting for, dark comedy and genuine surprises. Hwang leads the way with a career-best performance as the small-town sheriff facing an unknown threat, elevating an archetype along the way.
The writer is a freelance contributor to China Daily.
TRENDING
1
How city supercharges mainland’s green tech global push2
Nervy markets await ECB rate hike, US inflation data3
Belt & Road countries see value of HK strategic connectivity role4
Iran to sanction ships entering ‘restricted zone’ without coordination5
From lab to life: Global collaboration urged to transform biotech innovation
TOP
VISUAL NEWS
ALSO READ
More
Screen tiesDesigns on heritageCrafting a future for heritageHong Kong’s ‘unofficial history’Summer haul of animation heroesAnimated intelligenceHK Cantonese opera maestro Lung to perform with budding talentsA princely affair
NEWS
Hong Kong
Nation
Asia
World
Business
Science
Sports
FOCUS
Life & Art
In-depth China
Quirky
Photo
Graphics
Data
Culture HK
Global Weekly
Eye on Asia
Special
From PR Newswire
OPINION
Editorials
Columnists
Joephy Chan
Bill Condon
David Cottam
Grenville Cross
Richard Cullen
Dong Yu
Michael Edesess
Wilson Lee Flores
Tom Fowdy
Fu Kin-chi
Henry Ho
Ho Lok-sang
Ken Ip
Regina Ip
Tony Kwok
Lau Siu-kai
Dominic Lee
Virginia Lee
Liu Ningrong
Christine Loh
James Ockenden
Quentin Parker
Tu Haiming
Xiao Ping
Roy Ying
GBA
GBA Guide
GBA Life
GBA in Figures
GBA Pulse
VIDEO
News
Asia Featured
CDHK In-Depth
China Daily DOCS
Drone and Phone
Girl City
Peak Talk
Tech Asia
The Gold
ePaper
Hong Kong Edition
Global Weekly
More
RoundtableCampus News Awards
Newsletter
Lifestyle Premium
COMPANY
About Us
Services & Products
Advertise on Site
Contact Us
Subscriptions
Join Us
Accessibility Statement
Privacy Policy
Follow Us
Download Our App
CHINAGLOBAL EDITION
Copyright 1995 – 2026. All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily. Without written authorization from China Daily, such content shall not be republished or used in any form.
