Durian Durian

I thought Durian Durian was an exceptionally charming film. I believe that in this film Fruit Chan has done what lots of movies fail to do, which is to take on a stereotype character, deal with it and then present its flip side in such a humanising and tender way.

The film is largely about a Chinese call girl in HK, and her exploits are seen through the eyes of a little girl living in the back lanes where the call girl works. while this makes for a half-decent premise, Chan takes the film on an arc midway, just as one begins to settle into the setting and characters, and the film begins to explore a richer, subtler and charming side to this girl's life.

The film starts off feeling very urban - the camera is often hand-held, its movements rapid and its compositions documentary like and voyeuristic. however, as the characters unfold and become more and more well-rounded, so too does Chan's visual style. the cinema verity feel is replaced with a measured, elegant style. stillness and lush winter photography dominate, and by the time the picture ends, one has the feeling of being transported to an entirely different place, seeing before one, an entirely different character.

I enjoyed this film, very, very much. the manner in which it handled the character of the sympathetic prostitute reminds me very much of Jean-luc Godard's treatment of Nana Kleinfrankenheim in Vivre Sa Vie - it was measured, not sappy, in some ways magical, in other ways thoroughly real.

Trust me. this is a good, good film.

Fruit Chan is a lovely man living in a lovely world of connections that he sometimes shows us. Some of his other films have touched me with their elaborate order over things that while strange seem to reveal nature.

He works by evoking smell and taste into the images. This film does that as well as any of the others I know. But its intensity is likely to elude you — as it did me — until you learn about this durian fruit. It is so powerful in its smell, and so repulsive, that it is often banned from public places. It is chemically similar to skunk, hard to open and physically ugly, yet there are people who love it.

This durian phenomenon is primarily a geographic thing; the film is about alien visits, people where they do not belong. There is lots of coming and going, performing of different kinds, families of different kinds, and cleanliness of different types. Durian come and go... not many of them, but then there are not many of anything here: its all about the layers.

This man is a wonderful artist. I will see everything of his that I can, and expect to be reporting pleasure that I can taste.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

This film is no Pretty Woman. It is realistic and almost has the feel of a documentary. The dialogue is entirely everyday life. Several scenes involving the Durian are extremely hilarious. There is no semblance of glamour to this film.

I would describe Durian Durian as a tale of two halves, with the first one being great while the second one is disorienting and confusing. The first half is about one universal truth: the hardship of immigration for young women. We get a peak into Qin's life as a prostitute. It's not pretty. It's harsh and ugly, but even though we don't know her exact motivations, we root for her, we want to know more about her, and we wish her well.

In the second half, however, we get to see Qin as more than an immigrant and a prostitute. We get to know about her desires and motivations, her family and friends, and her as a subject and not an object. However, something is missing during the second half. It feels lifeless, monotonous, and irrelevant as if the life Qin had when living in Hong Kong was sucked out of her.

My introduction to Fruit Chan's work is not a pleasant one. I would be more than happy to revisit his work in the future, but as of right now, I can say that at least this film wasn't my cup of tea.

Durian Durian may be minimilistic in look but it's the low-key/frank element to Chan's films that recalls our own lives & intrigues the viewer, those small details that set us onto the path of growth & transition. Fruit Chan is the Ken Loach of Hong Kong/Chinese cinema, character development is the focus but underlying is an enlightening gaze at the struggle of individuals as China reverts to a Capitalist system, how progress vs. nostalgia work in tandem, both appealing & disappointing, yet ultimately it's about survival...how each concept has its moments. The recurrent motif of the Durian fruit proves to be both hilarious & stirring...a must see.