Esotericism in Films

To say that I have an esoteric taste in film is an understatement. My film preferences have evolved accordingly to the enlightenment I experienced in 4 years of film school. The most recent commercially-released films I have seen are Hou Hsiao Hsien's anti-time (in terms of storyline as well as length of takes) tome of a movie Three Times and the dialogue-challenged The New World.

Don't get me wrong. I do enjoy an occasional King Kong or LOTR. But I think I will be staying clear of Hollywood fluffs such as the Poseidon remake as if my life depends on it.

My attendance at this year's Singapore International Film Festival reveals some of my more recent film taste.

Blue Cha Cha (Taiwan)
An ex-prisoner sentenced for killing her husband seeks solace with her former cell mate to bash men she meets.

It's Only Talk (Japan)
A manic depressive woman divides her time wandering around a Tokyo suburb with a manic depressive gangster, an impotent college friend and her cousin. 147 mins. Winner of this year's SIFF Silver Screen Best Film Award.

In Search of a Road (Sri Lanka)
A docu-drama about the re-opening of road/rail access between the north and south of Sri Lanka.

Taipei 4-Way (Taiwan)
Four experimental videos without narratives about the city of Taipei.

New Malaysian Shorts (Malaysia)
Series of shorts about living in KL. Funny and painful at various moments.

Out of Place (Japan)
A documentary about eminent Arab intellectual, Edward Said, and the places he writes about. 138 mins.

Chinese Restaurants: Beyond Frontiers (Canada)
A TV documentary series about the Chinese diaspora running restaurant businesses. This episode looks at Chinese restaurants in India and Brazil.