Un hiver à Yanji

No matter how hard a film tries to convey a profound message through imagery and symbolism, if it doesn't have a cohesive narrative underlying that undertaking, it's not likely to succeed. Such is the case with this latest offering from writer-director Anthony Chen, who tells the story of three diverse but disconnected twenty-somethings (Dongyu Zhou, Haoran Liu, Chuxiao Qu) seeking to find their way in life in the northern Chinese city of Yanji, not far from the North Korean border. Set in the dead of winter, this unlikely trio comes together through impromptu (and, in all honesty, seemingly improbable) circumstances, quickly and inexplicably becoming bound by a suspect sense of chemistry. After coming together, they subsequently embark on a carefree weekend of dining, drinking, dancing and wrestling with sexual tension, intermixed with bouts of largely unexplained tear-laden ennui. The film consequently relies on implication and nuance to carry it forward, but the subtlety here is so subdued much of the time that it's challenging to figure out exactly what the director is striving for. By contrast, in other cases, the picture's patently obvious imagery is more than a little heavy-handed, as seen, for example, in its pervasive footage of the frozen winter landscape, a reflection of its "coldness of the world" theme. But what does it all add up to? That's hard to say. The result is a release that relies more on mood than substance, with much of it implausible, inconsequential, somewhat unfathomable and not especially engaging. To its credit, "The Breaking Ice" is gorgeously filmed, providing viewers with a look at an unfamiliar locale, backed by an atmospheric original score and carried forward by a trinity of capable performances. However, I came away from this feature largely unmoved and notably disinterested, the whole affair having left me cold (pun intended). To me, films that continually reach but never grasp just aren't worth the time - or the praise that they're undeservedly lavished with - and this is clearly one of them.

"Susan has a pair of god-gifted dancing shoes They can take her away from this weary world Like the smoke of a cigarette

It was a cloudy night When she kissed me and floated into the heavens Honey, goodbye

What a night What a beautiful night So beautiful How it makes me weep"

A connection of three young people in a remote area of China, each dealing with a deep sense of melancholy, each frozen to some extent by life, each wandering a maze wondering which way to turn. The affluent guy from Shanghai is disillusioned with the world and avoiding his mental health provider, the tour guide has had her dreams of being a figure skater broken and is estranged from her family, and the local cook who was never much good in school is dealing with unrequited love and wondering if this is all there is to life. You could say it's a trifecta of loneliness and depression. While the film quietly hit me in the gut (hell, you could say quietly pummeled me), somehow it didn't feel leaden, maybe because the characters are buoyed by being with one another. The snowy, rugged landscape around Yanji, near the border with North Korea, fit the tone perfectly. Just a lovely film, acknowledging the tough times in life, but somehow finding ways to move forward, thus feeling guardedly optimistic.

Originally premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. Singapore filmmaker Anthony Chen has made quite a bit of movies in the past like "IIo IIo" and "Wet Season" which were movies that I thought were solid but not amazing. Chen takes his new project in China in the city of Yanji in the winter and "The Breaking Ice" might be his best work to date.

Throughout, the production and the camerawork is gorgeous as the camera is able to capture the beauty of the winter landscapes, mountains, and environments that felt like a beautiful traditional painting. Including beautiful visual presentations and setting. The narrative explores themes about friendship, redemption, and loneliness and Anthony Chen's writing and direction is really good as Chen was able to help carry these themes and style together very well. The movie does offer art-house atmospheres and styles throughout which were also well-executed.

The characters, while admittedly there could be some more improvement on their depth personalities, were mostly interesting and had pretty good chemistry and energy between themselves. The performances from the cast members are pretty great and the main trio performances felt nature and realistic. Many of the dialogue moments were pretty good as they didn't feel forced, rather felt more nature. The soundtrack provided good emotions, compelling structure and setting with the vibrant music and score that helps to carry the atmosphere and emotions.

This one might not be for everyone as the movie is a bit slow for general audiences and those have some art-house style implemented. But overall, I really liked this movie quite a bit. A good winter comfort movie. Art-house Chinese cinema isn't discussed a lot but it definitely should be.