Asian films, especially those from Southeast Asia, are beginning to make waves. GERTJAN ZUIHOF observes this trend emerging at the Cannes Film Festival.

A scene from Tokyo!

EVEN before the Cannes Film Festival started and the programme announced, reports suggested that there would be fewer Asian films this year.

When it was finally announced, this turned out to be inaccurate. There was a shift, at the expense of the traditional filmmaking countries such as Japan, to Southeast Asian nations that previously had often been unrepresented.

It wasn’t by chance that Thai filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul was invited to be a member of the prestigious competition jury.

Southeast Asia is in the international spotlight and Cannes is leading the way in reflecting this trend.
The Philippines is one of the countries that is making waves right now with a Filipino film making it to the competition. (Independent Malaysian filmmakers are also a focus of attention.)

The film is called Serbis (Service) and was made by Brillante Ma. Mendoza. After a career in advertising, Mendoza switched to gritty cinema.

He is now internationally known, especially for Foster Child (2007).

Serbis is about a family who once owned a chain of cinemas in Manila.

They now run a sole, rundown theatre where B-grade movies appealing to a gay audience are screened. This is also where they live.

The film boasts some powerful performances, in particular that of the role of the ageing single mother (Jaclyn Jose) who desperately tries to retain her dignity as she is doomed to certain tragedy.

Later in the festival, we see another Filipino film, Now Showing by the very young Raya Martin, and the latest film by Singaporean Eric Khoo.

Another trend is major Western directors making films in Asia that are very well received in Cannes.

Tokyo! is one example. The film consists of three parts, each of which was shot by a different filmmaker: Michel Gondry, one of the most talked-about directors today; Leos Carax, who has stopped making films since a decade ago; and Korean Bong Joon-Ho of the hit film The Host.

The perspective that Gondry and Carax brought to Tokyo and Japan in general transcends Lost in Translation.

This is no mild humour about clichéd views of the Japanese, but blunt, cynical satire.

Carax sets about disintegrating tightly-organised Japanese society.

Carax fans had to wait a decade for a new movie from him, but his Merde sadly disappoints.

Gondry, on the other hand, is more refined. Although his treatment is also stereotyped, his humour is infectious.

But I am guessing the Japanese will still be none too pleased.

Englishman Thomas Clay’s portrayal of Thailand will no doubt be even less appreciated, even if Soi Cowboy is an interesting film.

The movie begins in black and white with a young, petite Thai woman living with a huge, fat farang, (white foreigner).

Clay is good at evoking atmosphere and focusing on details.

The second half of the film is in colour, with the two brothers of the young woman playing the leads.

The men are implicated in a crime syndicate. At the end of the film, the two parts come together, resulting in a dramatic climax.

Clay’s first film, The Great Ecstasy of Robert Carmichael, caused a lot of controversy because of its brutality, but it also earned respect because of the auteur’s obvious talent.

Although that promise of talent is not fully realised in Soi Cowboy, the film is special enough to make us look forward to his next work.

The Cannes festival has not reached the half-way stage, and there is still too few entries to predict the big winners.

Three Monkeys by Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan made a major impression, while Chinese Jia Zhang Ke has a new film.

And don’t underestimate the Dardenne Brothers (who won twice).