春行
Drama
Taiwan
Language: Mandarin, Taiwanese
Subtitles: English and Czech
Directing: Wang Ping-Wen, Peng Tzu-Hui
Starring: Jieh-Wen Kin, Kuei-Mei Yang, Joe Shu-Wei Chang
Distributor: Diversion
This powerful Taiwanese debut tells the story of a couple who are struck by a sudden and unexpected death. Khim-Hok (Jason King) loses his wife, Siu-Tuan (Yang Kuei-Mei), and in a state of complete denial places her body in the freezer. Although it might seem so at first, A Journey In Spring is definitely not a crime story or a gripping thriller. Quite the contrary, it is a melancholic exploration of deep love that endures despite death.
Debuting women directors Wang Ping-Wen and Peng Tzu-Hui draw a mosaic of the daily activities and rituals that fill the lives of an aging couple. These everyday chores reflect the emotional bond built up over the years the bond that represents unshakable certainty in their life together. But Khim-Hok is suddenly forced to continue the journey alone. The directors have made an outstanding illustration of life before and after the breaking point, as well as the husband’s inability to face loneliness. With slow camera movements, they paint a melancholic portrait of love hidden in the corners of the most mundane activities. The film, rich in imagery and sound, does in no way exploit the audience. Wang Ping- Wen and Peng Tzu-Hui captivate with their carefully staged and meditative aesthetic, drawing on the strongest traditions of slow cinema to pass the harrowing journey to a new phase of life.
