Solitude, Alienation, the End of the World? —— “APOCALYPSE of Film Festival” responds to the times

2020 is finally coming to an end.

Looking back, it’s easy to see the past 12 months as an “unforgettable” year of change.

Since the outbreak and spread of the coronavirus, the whole world has been put on lockdown in some form or another.

Border controls, civil wars, rebellion, and political struggles keep op happening around the world.

Some even say that World War III may break out at any moment…

Facing such potential crises, how can human beings survive?

APOCALYPSE of Film Festival may help you answer this question, or should I say, find a way out.

APOCALYPSE of Film Festival, will take place in SPOT-Taipei (Taipei Film House) on Zhongshan North Road, starting tomorrow December 18th to December 31st, marking it as the last thematic film festival of 2020.

Inspired by the novel of the same name, “Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World” (世界の終りとハードボイルド・ワンダーランド) , a novel by Haruki Murakami (村上 春樹) , the film festival aims to extract the solitude and alienation of humanity and the prophecy of the future from the novel, and turns them into stepping stones for the proceeding modern society, making fictional fantasy into a reflection of reality.

APOCALYPSE of Film Festival thus encourages people to think about the turbulent state of society, the wider world even through the form of art and film.

The film festival will be showcasing 12 related movies, leading the audience to think about the existence of humans in such a chaotic time.

Benny’s Video (1993)

Dir. Michael Haneke

Prod DB © Wega Film / DR
BENNY’S VIDEO (BENNY’S VIDEO) de Michael Haneke 1992 AUS/SUI
avec Arno Frisch
image video, filmer

The process of “dying” played slowly on the screen. Trigger pulled, the falling of the dead pig kicked off this bloody tragedy.

The movie centers on a fourteen-year-old boy, Benny, and his video tapes.

The director, Michael Haneke, plays with the playback function of video cameras, which downplays Benny’s recognition of “death”.

The film shows the alienation between parents and children and the indifference of the bourgeois family in the face of accidents and crime.

Haneke cleverly uses  an extremely cold tone and the strong contrast of light and shadow to sharply present the distortion of human nature and the inner insanity hidden behind the material appearance.

You will feel a deep sense of cold while watching this film, which is exactly what Haneke wants to convey to his audience.

With that feeling in mind, think about the connection between the media and reality.

“Death” recorded in Benny’s video tapes, people dying of COVID-19 around the world, and people struggling to survive wars and riots wherever they may be..…

The line between reality and image can be blurred and ambiguous when such real life reproductions (of Benny’s video) exist.

Cyclo (1995)

Dir. Tran Ang Hung

In the bustling downtown of Ho Chi Minh City, the young cyclo driver (starred Tony Leung Chiu Wai) , struggles to survive.

Facing countless hardships on the bottom rung of society, he finally dances with the Devil and joins a gang.

This film mainly centers on a young man’s life and struggles with gang violence.

The Vietnamese director, Tran Anh Hung reveals the ugliness of reality by depicting the helpless marginalized people, living like parasites, struggling to harm each other in their own bid for survival.

Although filled with wordless communication, Hung’s bold and vivid film style still portraits Vietnamese society as precise combining ugliness and poetic exploration.

The movie can be seen as a response and reflection of the Vietnam Renovation, standing (also known as the August Revolution) facing the new with the ‘old’ an ever present – living in a time when cultural integration and conflicts occur so often, what should we do?

The movie may not give the audience a direct answer, but even by simply throwing around ideas about this issue, we might just maintain a foothold on sanity in this chaotic time.

Tony Takitani (2006)

Dir. Jun Ichikawa

This is a story about Tony Takitani; a lonely man.

The movie is based on the classic novel of the same name by Haruki Murakami, and Jun Ichikawa captures the central theme of the novel; solitude, and the eventual downplay of the importance of death itself.

It’s a movie that should be experienced through the senses.

The cold tone with minimalist composition and the constant sticking of scenes creates a sense of a frozen world, as if life is itself stuck, and emotions faded.

The movie is not only a sensual feast; but also, by way of Jun Ichikawa’s aesthetic film style, he accurately depicts the core theme of Haruki Murakami’s story – the void of emotion and the lonely essence of life.

Technology seems to break the boundaries and bring people closer nowadays, yet the turmoil in the world around us exposes loneliness and alienation.

We maybe all live in a “hundred years of solitude”, but like Murakami and Ichikawa, we are all constantly discovering that the value of humanity in such solitude is essential.

 

So, if you’re feeling lost in such chaotic times, why not go to the APOCALYPSE of Film Festival?

We hope you enjoy the classics we have looked at, and find a way to survive in your own specific time and place, with strength.

▎ APOCALYPSE of Film Festival《世界末日與冷酷異境影展》|2020.12.18 - 2020.12.31

▎ APOCALYPSE of Film Festival website: here.

226 comments
  1. Pingback: MKsOrb
  2. Pingback: Temp EMail
  3. Pingback: Beverly Bultron
  4. Pingback: Beverly Bultron
  5. Pingback: MILF Porn
  6. Pingback: valentine pillow
  7. Pingback: organic sunblock
  8. Pingback: Click Here
  9. Pingback: Click Here
  10. Pingback: Click Here
  11. Pingback: Click Here
  12. Pingback: Click Here
  13. Pingback: Click Here
  14. Pingback: Click Here
  15. Pingback: Click Here
  16. Pingback: Click Here
  17. Pingback: Click Here
  18. Pingback: Click Here
  19. Pingback: Click Here
  20. Pingback: Click Here
  21. Pingback: Click Here
  22. Pingback: Click Here
  23. Pingback: Click Here
  24. Pingback: Click Here
  25. Pingback: Click Here
  26. Pingback: Click Here
  27. Pingback: Click Here
  28. Pingback: moveit studio
  29. Pingback: Space ROS
  30. Pingback: Click Here
  31. Pingback: Click Here
  32. Pingback: Click Here
  33. Pingback: Click Here
  34. Pingback: Click Here
  35. Pingback: Click Here
  36. Pingback: Click Here
  37. Pingback: Click Here
  38. Pingback: Click Here
  39. Pingback: Click Here
  40. Pingback: Click Here
  41. Pingback: Click Here
  42. Pingback: Click Here
  43. Pingback: Click Here
  44. Pingback: Click Here
  45. Pingback: Click Here
  46. Pingback: Click Here
  47. Pingback: Click Here
  48. Pingback: Click Here
  49. Pingback: Click Here
  50. Pingback: Click Here
  51. Pingback: Click Here
  52. Pingback: Click Here
  53. Pingback: Click Here
  54. Pingback: Click Here
  55. Pingback: Click Here
  56. Pingback: Click Here
  57. Pingback: Click Here
  58. Pingback: Click Here
  59. Pingback: Click Here
  60. Pingback: Click Here
  61. Pingback: Click Here
  62. Pingback: Click Here
  63. Pingback: Click Here
  64. Pingback: Click Here
  65. Pingback: Click Here
  66. Pingback: Click Here
  67. Pingback: Click Here
  68. Pingback: Click Here
  69. Pingback: domains
  70. Pingback: Google reviews
  71. Pingback: 2023 Books
  72. Pingback: funeral directory
  73. Pingback: death redcords
  74. Pingback: funeral directory
  75. Pingback: cemetery location
  76. Pingback: deceased
  77. Pingback: Chirurgie Tunisie
  78. Pingback: Chirurgie Tunisie
  79. Pingback: Higher education
  80. Pingback: Marketing program
  81. Pingback: Finance courses
  82. Pingback: Political Science
  83. Pingback: GPA Calculation
  84. Pingback: Dental Seminars
  85. Pingback: academic plan
  86. Pingback: Graduate Studies
  87. Pingback: education
  88. Pingback: fue
  89. Pingback: pharmacists
  90. Pingback: Social Justice
  91. Pingback: fue
  92. Pingback: bodytones
  93. Pingback: peck dec
  94. Pingback: Fiverr Earn
  95. Pingback: Fiverr Earn
  96. Pingback: Fiverr Earn
  97. Pingback: fiverrearn.com
  98. Pingback: fiverrearn.com
  99. Pingback: fiverrearn.com
  100. Pingback: fiverrearn.com
  101. Pingback: cortexi mediprime
  102. Pingback: quietum plus buy
  103. Pingback: fiverrearn.com
  104. Pingback: fiverrearn.com
  105. Pingback: frenchie merle
  106. Pingback: springerdoodles
  107. Pingback: cavapoos
  108. Pingback: blockchain
  109. Pingback: sorority necklaces
  110. Pingback: dog accessories
  111. Pingback: best budget phones
  112. Pingback: future university
  113. Pingback: future university
  114. Pingback: what is seo
  115. Pingback: Fiverr.Com
  116. Pingback: french bulldog
  117. Pingback: Piano restorations
  118. Pingback: Piano restorations
  119. Pingback: FUE
  120. Pingback: FUE
  121. Pingback: FUE
  122. Pingback: FUE
  123. Pingback: FiverrEarn
  124. Pingback: FiverrEarn
  125. Pingback: FiverrEarn
  126. Pingback: FiverrEarn
  127. Pingback: FiverrEarn
  128. Pingback: FiverrEarn
  129. Pingback: Media

Comments are closed.

You May Also Like
Manny Ramirez in his stint in Taiwan: CC

TTT Interview: Manny Ramirez “baseball royalty”

Manny Ramirez is a baseball superstar.  In an MLB career that lasted

Chinese Troops Struggle With Low Quality Winter Clothing On Indian Border

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA)’s adventurism has started costing it heavily. Actions

Calling China’s Bluff On Recent Provocations: Indian Style

Editor’s note: Dr Punit Saurabh is an Assistant Professor (Strategy area) at Nirma

How Did ‘Non-Country’ Taiwan Beat COVID-19 & The WHO So Convincingly?

“Taiwan is an island of resilience” said the first female president of