Summary
Zhang Lu continues to expand his filmography with another multicultural exploration of otherness, bringing an excellent cast and a winking sense of humour.
As an ethnic Korean born in China, filmmaker Zhang Lü’s works have often examined people straddling cultural bridges. Following a lighter beat from 2014’s Gyeongju and the excellent A Quiet Dream (2016), Zhang’s latest film once again returns to the concepts of otherness and outsiders in a foreign landscape.
With FUKUOKA (후쿠오카), Zhang quite literally straddles two countries by taking his characters from Korea to Japan. Je-Moon (Yoon Je-Moon) owns a bookstore, and his regular customer So-Dam (Park So-Dam) suggests (strongly) that they should travel to Fukuoka. There they meet Hae-Hyo (Kwon Hae-Hyo), who shared Je-Moon’s love for the unseen Soon-Yi almost three decades earlier.
It’s almost impossible not to compare Zhang with Hong Sang-soo. Well, maybe not impossible. It’s entirely possible I could have not typed that sentence but I did anyway. The similarities come in a drifting narrative that concentrates on long character-based takes, and slow revelations about the past coming out through these conversations.
The big distinction is that there isn’t that sense that the other shoe is going to drop at any moment, and Zhang is content to follow this trio through their random encounters across the northern shore of Kyushu. So-Dam seems to be able to communicate with practically anybody she meets, despite protesting that she isn’t multilingual, all the while toting around a classic Chinese erotic novel. Symbolism is found everywhere, including a communications tower that is visible from almost every spot in Fukuoka – and mirrors the Eiffel Tower on So-Dam’s tote bag.
Three excellent lead performances are a masterclass. Through their casual interplay and meanderings, revelations about the past slowly emerge within the context of this foreign place. By the time So-dam suggests that she play Soon-yi in some kind of throuple situation, the film’s tongue is planted so firmly in cheek that’s it’s practically bulging with coy irony.
Zhang’s next film, his first Chinese film in over a decade. It will explore a similar theme, as two brothers travel from China to Yanagawa in Fukuoka to find the girl they loved in their youth. It’s just as well, because this is the kind of film that could keep going all day and you’d be cool with it. Now, to find the shortest path to the bar.
2020 | South Korean | DIRECTOR: Zhang Lu | WRITER: Zhang Lu | CAST: Kwon Hae-hyo, Yoon Je-moon, Park So-dam | DISTRIBUTOR: Korean Film Festival in Australia (AUS)| RUNNING TIME: 85 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 29 October – 5 November 2020 (KOFFIA)
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