Durian Durian

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Audience Member There is quite a stiff split between the first half in Hong Kong and the second half in Mudanjiang. Just like the MacGuffin "Durian", inside out, everything becomes integrated, including hardness and softness, reek and savour. Even the shaky camerawork tends to be steady in the latter part. As an early prime example of cultural differences between Hong Kong and Mainland China, this piece is overwhelmed by complicated moods and vibes. Political metaphors are delicately used, which has been crowned in the following "Hollywood Hong Kong" (2001). Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Audience Member fair...but close to life. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Audience Member A good story with the linkage of Durian. But it is much worse than 'made in Hong Kong' as the control of tension is hardly engaging. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Audience Member The first feature by Fruit Chan after he completed Hong Kong Trilogy which is made of "Made in Hong Kong" and the two other films (Chan's fifth feature). Although it features people from mainland China and mainly sets in the mainland, what Chan describes here is about Hong Kong, that is, he talks about Hong Kong through outsiders' view points in this film. Chan as a director gets really mature here comparing to his first few features. It is obvious from every shot, which is carefully composed to describes characters' mentality without a word, and the fact that the casts of the film are all amateurs. Storytelling skill is also clever - in the first half of the film, it sets in Hong Kong, and the heroin struggle to earn money bringing back home by prostitution. Here, she meets a family trying to immigrate to Hong Kong illegally and the king of fruit - durian. In the second half, it sets in her home town in the north east China, where is cold and snowing in winter. The contrast of the south and the north is very effective in telling us what is "the sounth" or "Hong Kong" for mainland Chinese people - it is a kind of "dreamland." There, however, is not many jobs other than prostitution or washing dishes for immigrants, and they are looked down by people there. The heroin, who knows the reality of the south, finally decides to settle down in where she is from, while people around her keep going down to seek for better life and job. Durian, which is sent by the girl of the family later in the film, is the symbol of "the south" and what people dream of about there. This is a must-watch modern Chinese movie, and I expect Fruit Chan to keep being based on his homeground and making this kind of film without going out to Hollywood (actually he is now doing it invited by Tarantino). Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Audience Member only Chinese can understand the soul of the film. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member Sublime film ! vu à la Cinematheque de Toulouse samedi 14 fevrier 2009 Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Durian Durian

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