I'm not sure why I purchased this DVD, but I think there was the promise of something unique.
"Goodbye, Dragon Inn" is very, very slow. There are shots that seem interminable and bizarre. A crippled woman eats some kind of stuffed bun. At first you are asking yourself, "So what?" But for some reason, you are slowly brought into her world... the misery or her world.
A closeted gay man's desperate hope to connect with someone else seems endlessly thwarted. For a brief, powerful moment, it seems that he and another attractive stranger might kiss... but then the moment vanishes and they bid each other "Sayonara." (Yes, the movie is Chinese, but when you see the moment, you will understand.)
There are other long, painfully long shots of the interior of the theater where it seems nothing is happening. That's because nothing is happening. It was not immediately clear to me that this is the last night of business for what apparently was once a majestic theater. So, what you will see is life unfolding as this theater dies a slow, sad death.
I wanted to turn it off at least ten times, but the final shot of the crippled woman walking away, with the sad Chinese music... it's almost impossible to explain, but, it brought tears to my eyes.
I can see why this won some awards, but it requires a huge amount of patience on the half of the viewer to accept what they are seeing. I had to read the notes on the back of the DVD to have a better understanding of what I was seeing. Even then, I think it's wishful thinking to imagine all that the critics suggest that we are supposed to be able to see.
That said, I suggest watching this alone, in a darkened room, on a night where you are tired and don't want to think too much. You might find yourself drifting off... and then... you will be strangely drawn in and you will suddenly feel you are inside a strange, sad, tragic world. In this way, the film succeeds.
"Goodbye, Dragon Inn" is very, very slow. There are shots that seem interminable and bizarre. A crippled woman eats some kind of stuffed bun. At first you are asking yourself, "So what?" But for some reason, you are slowly brought into her world... the misery or her world.
A closeted gay man's desperate hope to connect with someone else seems endlessly thwarted. For a brief, powerful moment, it seems that he and another attractive stranger might kiss... but then the moment vanishes and they bid each other "Sayonara." (Yes, the movie is Chinese, but when you see the moment, you will understand.)
There are other long, painfully long shots of the interior of the theater where it seems nothing is happening. That's because nothing is happening. It was not immediately clear to me that this is the last night of business for what apparently was once a majestic theater. So, what you will see is life unfolding as this theater dies a slow, sad death.
I wanted to turn it off at least ten times, but the final shot of the crippled woman walking away, with the sad Chinese music... it's almost impossible to explain, but, it brought tears to my eyes.
I can see why this won some awards, but it requires a huge amount of patience on the half of the viewer to accept what they are seeing. I had to read the notes on the back of the DVD to have a better understanding of what I was seeing. Even then, I think it's wishful thinking to imagine all that the critics suggest that we are supposed to be able to see.
That said, I suggest watching this alone, in a darkened room, on a night where you are tired and don't want to think too much. You might find yourself drifting off... and then... you will be strangely drawn in and you will suddenly feel you are inside a strange, sad, tragic world. In this way, the film succeeds.