Category: 2024 Films
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📁 RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONS📁 RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Sean Wang (director), Didi, 2024. 96 min. In Chinese culture, parents often address their children by their familial roles, a gesture of affection and intimacy. My mother calls me…
![[REVIEW] “The Weight of Love: Sean Wang’s 𝐷𝑖𝑑𝑖 and the Chinese American Family” by Theodora Yu](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/sean-wang-director-didi-2024.-2.jpg?w=625)
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📁 RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONS📁RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Mikhail Red (director), Friendly Fire, 2024. 112 min. As esports continue to gain traction in the Philippines, Filipino players such as Ohmyv33nus, Wise, Kuku, Biancake, and Alodia Gosiengfiao…
![[REVIEW] “A Glimpse of Filipino Gamers’ Lives in Mikhail Red’s 𝐹𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑙𝑦 𝐹𝑖𝑟𝑒” by Bryan Elijah Trajano](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/mikhail-red-director-friendly-fire.jpg?w=1024)
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📁 RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONS📁 RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS John Hsu (director), Dead Talents Society 鬼才之道, 2024. 105 min. Put aside the spine-chilling horror of Nosferatu: what if the realm of the dead had its own celebrity influencers,…
![[REVIEW] “Gazing at Ghosts: John Hsu’s 𝐷𝑒𝑎𝑑 𝑇𝑎𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑆𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑡𝑦” by Keziah Cho](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/john-hsu-director-dead-talents-society--1.jpg?w=1024)
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📁 RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONS📁 RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Philip Yung (director), Papa, 2024. 131 min. Prologue: Watching Hong Kong films overseas is a transposing experience. When I leave a cinema in Toronto after watching a…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “𝑃𝑎𝑝𝑎: Time to Forgive” by Tin Yuet Tam](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/philip-yung-director-papa-2024.-131-min-1.jpg?w=923)
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📁 RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONS📁 RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Shuchi Talati (director), Girls Will Be Girls, 2024. 118 min. Female sexuality has long remained one of the most stringently policed and anxiously mediated territories. The erotic interiority of…
![[REVIEW] “Shuchi Talati’s 𝐺𝑖𝑟𝑙𝑠 𝑊𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝐵𝑒 𝐺𝑖𝑟𝑙𝑠: A Stirring, Sublime Portrait of Becoming” by Ananya Singh](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/girls-will-be-girls-2.webp?w=780)
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[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “Love and Loss in Petersen Vargas’s 𝑈𝑛/𝐻𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑦 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑌𝑜𝑢” by Jhon Steven C. Espenido
📁 RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONS📁 RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Petersen Vargas (Director), Un/Happy for You, 2024. 110 min. If there is one recent romantic drama that has left an everlasting mark on me, it is Un/Happy for You,…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “Love and Loss in Petersen Vargas’s 𝑈𝑛/𝐻𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑦 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑌𝑜𝑢” by Jhon Steven C. Espenido](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/petersen-vargas-director-unhappy-for-you-1.png?w=841)
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📁 RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONS📁 RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Mohammad Rasoulof (director), The Seed of the Sacred Fig, 2024. 167 min. The fig tree spreads by entwining itself around another, slowly constricting, siphoning its strength, until nothing remains…
![[REVIEW] “Strangled by Power: Mohammad Rasoulof’s 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑆𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑆𝑎𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝐹𝑖𝑔” by Ananya Singh](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/the-seed-of-the-sacred-fig_web-1024x559-1.webp?w=1024)
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📁RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONS📁RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS ▚ Shao Yihui (director), Her Story 好东西, 2024. 123 min. ▚ Ling Jia (director), YOLO 热辣滚烫, 2024. 130 min. Decades after Chairman Mao declared that “women hold up half…
![[EXCLUSIVE] “𝐻𝑒𝑟 𝑆𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦, 𝑌𝑂𝐿𝑂, and the Alternative Family in Chinese Cinema” by Edward Allen](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/the-alternative-family-in-chinese-cinema.png?w=1024)
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📁RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONS📁RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Wong Siu-pong (director), Obedience, 2024. 71 min. Although Wong Siu-pong’s latest observational documentary, Obedience, does not actively stir emotions in its audiences, it is laden with unspoken weight. Featuring…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “A Place’s Sorrowful Tomorrow: Wong Siu-pong’s 𝑂𝑏𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒” by Vanessa Winghei Yeung](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/obedience_wong.jpg?w=1024)
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TIFF 2024 ▞ Introduction▞ 8. Band of Outsiders: On Neo Sora’s Happyend▞ 7. The Soul of an Artist: On Hong Sang-soo’s By The Stream▞ 6. The Two Maidens: On Trương Minh Quý’s Viet and Nam▞ 5. The Master and Her…
![[TIFF 2024] “The Soul of an Artist: On Hong Sang-soo’s 𝐵𝑦 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑆𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚” by Nirris Nagendrarajah](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/by-the-stream.png?w=1024)
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📁RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONS📁RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Toshihiko Tanaka (director), Rei 莉の対, 2024. 190 min. Toshihiko Tanaka, an actor and photography enthusiast, crafts a compelling narrative in his minimalist yet emotionally resonant debut, Rei. The story…
![[REVIEW] “The Parallax Effect: Toshihiko Tanaka’s 𝑅𝑒𝑖” by Marianna Jaśniak](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/rei-1.png?w=1024)
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📁RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONS📁RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Shiori Ito (director), Black Box Diaries, 2024. 102 min. This review may contain spoilers. In Bangkok, I went with a friend to see Black Box Diaries, directed by Shiori…
![[REVIEW] “Shiori Ito’s 𝐵𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑘 𝐵𝑜𝑥 𝐷𝑖𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠: Documentation is a Political Action, Courage Too” by Peixuan Xie](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/screenshot-2024-11-25-at-19.39.56-1.png?w=1024)
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📁 RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONS📁 RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Click HERE to read all entries in Cha on All We Imagine as Light. Payal Kapadia (director), All We Imagine as Light, 2024. 118 min. Payal Kapadia’s debut feature All We Imagine as Light is…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “A Poetic, Nocturnal Film: Payal Kapadia’s 𝐴𝑙𝑙 𝑊𝑒 𝐼𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑎𝑠 𝐿𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡” by Oliver Farry](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/all-we-imagine-as-light.png?w=1024)
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[TIFF 2024] “The Master and Her Muse: On Jia Zhang-ke’s 𝐶𝑎𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑏𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑇𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑠” by Nirris Nagendrarajah
TIFF 2024 ▞ Introduction▞ 8. Band of Outsiders: On Neo Sora’s Happyend▞ 7. The Soul of an Artist: On Hong Sang-soo’s By The Stream▞ 6. The Two Maidens: On Trương Minh Quý’s Viet and Nam▞ 5. The Master and Her…
![[TIFF 2024] “The Master and Her Muse: On Jia Zhang-ke’s 𝐶𝑎𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑏𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑇𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑠” by Nirris Nagendrarajah](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/caught-by-the-tides.jpg?w=560)
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TIFF 2024 ▞ Introduction▞ 8. Band of Outsiders: On Neo Sora’s Happyend▞ 7. The Soul of an Artist: On Hong Sang-soo’s By The Stream▞ 6. The Two Maidens: On Trương Minh Quý’s Viet and Nam▞ 5. The Master and Her…
![[TIFF 2024] “Self-Studies: On Sook-Yin Lee’s 𝑃𝑎𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝐼𝑡” by Nirris Nagendrarajah](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/paying-for-it-sook-yin-lee.jpg?w=1024)
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📁 RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONS📁 RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Carlo Ledesma (director), Outside, 2024. 142 min. This review contains spoilers. Outside (2024), written and directed by Carlo Ledesma, is the newest entry in the ever-growing list of zombie…
![[REVIEW] “Imaging the Contemporary Filipino Zombie in Carlo Ledesma’s 𝑂𝑢𝑡𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒” by Nick Garcia](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/carlo-ledesma-director-outside.webp?w=1024)
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TIFF 2024 ▞ Introduction▞ 8. Band of Outsiders: On Neo Sora’s Happyend▞ 7. The Soul of an Artist: On Hong Sang-soo’s By The Stream▞ 6. The Two Maidens: On Trương Minh Quý’s Viet and Nam▞ 5. The Master and Her…
![[TIFF 2024] “The Inheritance: On 𝐴𝑙𝑙 𝑆ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝐵𝑒 𝑊𝑒𝑙𝑙 and 𝑃𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑇ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑛𝑠” by Nirris Nagendrarajah](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/tiff2024-asian-cha.png?w=1024)
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TIFF 2024 ▞ Introduction▞ 8. Band of Outsiders: On Neo Sora’s Happyend▞ 7. The Soul of an Artist: On Hong Sang-soo’s By The Stream▞ 6. The Two Maidens: On Trương Minh Quý’s Viet and Nam▞ 5. The Master and Her…
![[TIFF 2024] “𝑀𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝑒𝑛 𝑎𝑏𝑦𝑚𝑒: On Lou Ye’s 𝐴𝑛 𝑈𝑛𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑑 𝐹𝑖𝑙𝑚” by Nirris Nagendrarajah](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/an-unfinished-film_poster.jpg?w=705)
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TIFF 2024 ▞ Introduction▞ 8. Band of Outsiders: On Neo Sora’s Happyend▞ 7. The Soul of an Artist: On Hong Sang-soo’s By The Stream▞ 6. The Two Maidens: On Trương Minh Quý’s Viet and Nam▞ 5. The Master and Her…
![[TIFF 2024] “Introduction: TIFF 2024” by Nirris Nagendrarajah](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/tiff.png?w=1024)
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📁 RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONS📁 RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Click HERE to read all entries in Cha on All We Imagine as Light. Payal Kapadia (director), All We Imagine as Light, 2024. 118 min. Payal Kapadia’s debut film, A Night of Knowing Nothing…
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📁 RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONS📁 RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Kangyu Garam (director), Lucky, Apartment, 2024. 96 min. This review may contain spoilers. What would hate look and feel like if it took on a sensory form? South Korean…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “A Queer Shape of Smell: Kangyu Garam’s 𝐿𝑢𝑐𝑘𝑦, 𝐴𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡” by Soo Ryon Yoon](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/lucky-apartment.jpg?w=1024)
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📁RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONS 📁RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Pat Boonnitipat (director), How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies, 2024. 127 min. This review may contain spoilers. Dare I say it, Pat Boonnitipat’s How to Make Millions Before…
![[REVIEW] “Amah, You’re My First Place: Pat Boonnitipat’s 𝐻𝑜𝑤 𝑡𝑜 𝑀𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑀𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝐵𝑒𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝐺𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑚𝑎 𝐷𝑖𝑒𝑠” By Rhanydell Bien Baysa](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/before-grandma-dies.png?w=936)
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📁 RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONS📁 RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Élise Girard (director), Sidonie in Japan, 2024. 95 min. Sidonie Perceval (Isabelle Huppert) is a writer, or at least she once was. She has now decided to…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “Spectral Valency: Élise Girard’s 𝑆𝑖𝑑𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝐽𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑛” by Oliver Farry](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/elise-girard-director-sidonie-in-japan-2024.-95-min.jpg?w=559)
Cha 