63° OvercastStories for May 10, 2008
Flight of the Red Balloon
Hou's film is definitely for the art house crowd. There's no way his carefully measured pace and elliptical storytelling could ever hold a mall theater crowd's attention. That's not a dis on mainstream audiences or mainstream films but rather an acknowledgement that different people have different tastes. I think it's important for people to have a sense of what they are getting into when they go to a particular film because going in with the wrong set of expectations could mean that you'll leave the theater disappointed and unwilling to experiment again. So while I urge any lover of film to see any of Hou's films, I also want people to know that he is not a filmmaker who will hold your hand and lead you to obvious conclusions. You have to participate in his films to find their subtle meanings. So while I wish I could convince more people to sample the exquisite craft of Hou, I realize that many filmgoers would probably leave
Then She Found Me
Helen Hunt, who had directed 8 episodes of
