Category: First Impressions
-
π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS RyΓ»suke Hamaguchi (director), Evil Does Not Exist, 2023. 106 min. RyΓ»suke Hamaguchiβs follow-up to his Oscar-nominated hit Drive My Car starts off as a seemingly much more…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] βEnigmatic Pronouncement: RyΓ»suke Hamaguchiβs πΈπ£ππ π·πππ πππ‘ πΈπ₯ππ π‘β by Oliver Farry](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/evil-does-not-exist-new.jpg?w=1000)
-
π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Babak Jalali (director), Fremont, 2023. 88 min. “Fortune messages are a responsibility. Consciously, or unconsciously, they are going to act on the flux of things. They shouldn’t…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “Inside the Fortune Cookie: Babak Jalali’s πΉππππππ‘” by Oliver Farry](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/fremont.jpg?w=799)
-
π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Wong Ping (director), Sorry for the Late Reply, 2021. 15 min. βIf youβve ever stepped into the supernatural world during a hike, or have gotten lost in…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] βSeeking Freedom in the Midst of Sexual Fetishes and Voyeurism: Wong Ping’s πππππ¦ πππ π‘βπ πΏππ‘π π
πππ𦔠by Octavia Chen](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/sorry-for-the-late-reply_wong-ping.jpg?w=830)
-
θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “A Historic Thriller Steeped in the Mythical Mists of Time: Yangsze Choo’s The Fox Wife” by Kevin McGeary Yangsze Choo, The Fox Wife, Henry Holt and Company, 2024. 400…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “A Historic Thriller Steeped in the Mythical Mists of Time: Yangsze Choo’s πβπ πΉππ₯ ππππ” by Kevin McGeary](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/the-fox-wife_yangsze-choo.jpg?w=974)
-
π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Γlise 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] βSpectral Valency: Γlise Girard’s πππππππ ππ π½ππππ” by Oliver Farry](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/elise-girard-director-sidonie-in-japan-2024.-95-min.jpg?w=559)
-
π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Click HERE to read all entries in Cha on Life Ceremony. Sayaka Murata (author), Ginny Tapley Takemori (translator), Life Ceremony, Granta Books, 2023. 272 pgs. Sayaka Murataβs Life Ceremony is a disturbing…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] βWhen The Translations Hit, They Really Hit: Sayaka Murata’s πΏπππ πΆπππππππ¦β by Grace Najmulski](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/life-ceremony_cha.jpg?w=933)
-
θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [FIRST IMPRESSIONS] βA Portrait of Those Left Behind: The Foolish Birdβ by X. H. Collins Huang Ji and Ryuji Otsuka (directors and screenwriters), The Foolish Bird 笨ι³₯, 2017. 118 min. One…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] βA Portrait of Those Left Behind: πβπ πΉπππππ β π΅πππβ by X. H. Collins](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/the-foolish-bird_cha.jpg?w=800)
-
π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS ClickΒ HERE to readΒ all entries inΒ ChaΒ onΒ Perfect Days. Wim Wenders (director),Β Perfect Days, 2023. 123 min. Perfect Days (2023) is a drama directed by Wim Wenders, from a script written…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “An Excellent Example of Slow Cinema: Wim Wenders’s πππππππ‘ π·ππ¦π ” by Jennifer Eagleton](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/perfect-days-copy.webp?w=1024)
-
θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “An Outrageously Ambitious Not-Quite Masterpiece: Yan Lianke’s Heart Sutra” by Kevin McGeary Yan Lianke (author), Carlos Rojas (translator), Heart Sutra, Glove Atlantic, 2023. 426 pgs. Just as the late…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “An Outrageously Ambitious Not-Quite Masterpiece: Yan Lianke’s π»ππππ‘ ππ’π‘ππ” by Kevin McGeary](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/heart-sutra.jpg?w=995)
-
π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Apichatpong Weerasethakul (director), Mysterious Object at Noon, 2000. 83 min. “Enlisting locals to contribute improvised narration to a simple tale, Apichatpong charts the collective construction of the…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] βSimultaneities and Narratives in Apichatpong Weerasethakulβs ππ¦π π‘πππππ’π ππππππ‘ ππ‘ ππππ” by Richell Isaiah Flores](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/mysterious-objects-at-noon.jpg?w=1000)
-
π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Lawrence Kwan Chun Kan (director), In Broad Daylight η½ζ₯δΉδΈ, 2023. 106 min. In Broad Daylight combines two major news stories that expose abuses against the vulnerable: the…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] βNothing Under the Sun Is Truly New: Lawrence Kwan Chun KanβsΒ πΌπ π΅ππππ π·ππ¦πππβπ‘β by Tin Yuet Tam](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/in-broad-daylight_poster.jpg?w=1024)
-
π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Nick Bradley, The Cat and the City, Atlantic Books, 2020. 304 pgs. Nick Bradleyβs The Cat and the City is a patchwork of short stories and vignettes…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] βTroubling Facets of Life in Tokyo: Nick Bradley’s πβπ πΆππ‘ πππ π‘βπ πΆππ‘π¦β by Vicky Wong](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nick-bradley_the-cat-and-the-city.jpg?w=977)
-
πΒ RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπΒ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Click HERE to read all entries in Cha on Hiroko Oyamada. Hiroko Oyamada (author), David Boyd (translator), The Factory, New Directions, 2019. 128 pgs. The cover is what first…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] βSome Sort of Enclosed System: Hiroko Oyamadaβs πβπ πΉπππ‘πππ¦β by Jane McBride](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/hiroko-oyamada_the-factory.jpg?w=931)
-
θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “History As Written by the Successful Underdogs: Jing Tsu’s Kingdom of Characters” by Kevin McGeary Jing Tsu, Kingdom of Characters, Riverhead Books, 2023. 336 pgs. The earliest known empire…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “History As Written by the Successful Underdogs: Jing Tsu’s πΎππππππ ππ πΆβπππππ‘πππ ” by Kevin McGeary](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/jing-tsu-kingdom-of-characters.jpg?w=994)
-
π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Click HERE to read all entries in Cha on The Flowers of Lhasa. Tsering Yangkyi (author), Christopher Peacock (translator), The Flowers of Lhasa, Balestier Press, 2022. 205 pgs. The city of Lhasa in Tibet is…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “Four Women Migrant Workers: TSERING YANGKYIβS πβπ πΉπππ€πππ ππ πΏβππ π” by David W. Landrum](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/flowers-of-lhasa_tsering-yangkyi.jpg?w=1024)
-
π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Goro Miyazaki (director), Hayao Miyazaki (co-writer), From Up on Poppy Hill, 2011. 91 min. Yokohama is somewhat in the shadow of neighbouring Tokyo but itβs the second-largest city in…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] βOne Foot in the Past, One Foot in the Future: Hayao and Goro Miyazakiβs πΉπππ ππ ππ πππππ¦ π»πππβ by Jeremiah Dutch](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/1_hvheoa-xbqexnbq1dk9jzg.webp?w=1024)
-
θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “Slightly Off-kilter Worlds: Yun Ko-eun’s Table for One” by Jennifer Eagleton ClickΒ HERE to readΒ all entries inΒ ChaΒ onΒ Table for One. Yun Ko-eun (author), Lizzie Buehler (translator),Β Table for One: Stories, Columbia University…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “Slightly Off-kilter Worlds: Yun Ko-eun’s πππππ πππ πππ” by Jennifer Eagleton](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/yun-ko-eun_table-for-one.png?w=1024)
-
π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Ocean Vuong, Time Is a Mother, Penguin Random House, 2022. 112 pgs. Building a foundation on the aftershocks of his motherβs death, this collection of Ocean Vuong further explores,…
![[REVIEW] βIβve Plagiarised My Life to Give You the Best of Me: Ocean Vuongβs ππππ πΌπ π πππ‘βππ” by Jennifer Eagleton](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/time-is-a-mother-1.jpg?w=932)
-
π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Jun Ichikawa (director), Tony Takitani, 2004. 75 min. Tony Takitani is a film about loneliness and its unwavering cloudinessβthe way it makes you want to lie down in a…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “Human Loneliness: Jun Ichikawa’s ππππ¦ πππππ‘πππ” by Yimin Huang](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/takitani.jpg?w=345)
-
π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Kim Jee-woon (director), Cobweb, 2023. 135 min. Song Kang-ho (best known for Parasite and A Taxi Driver) in Cobweb Kim Ki-yeol (Song Kang-ho, best known for Parasite and A Taxi…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “In the Tradition of Film-set Comedy Dramas: Kim Jee-woon’s πΆπππ€ππ” by Oliver Farry](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/first-poster-for-cobweb-starring-song-kang-ho-centers-v0-nlwknv9ea1za1.jpg?w=1024)
-
π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Satyajit Ray (director), Branches of the Tree, 1990. 130 min. Made and released in 1990, Satyajit Rayβs Branches of the Tree arrives as an artefact of a bygone sensibility,…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] βAn Artifact of a Bygone Sensibility: Satyajit Rayβs π΅ππππβππ ππ π‘βπ ππππβ by Toshi Tomori](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/mv5bndfmztg0mdetytrhzc00mjvilthlywytmdm2mta1ownkzjuxxkeyxkfqcgdeqxvynjm3mdiwnjc40._v1_.jpg?w=1024)
-
π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Paul Lynch, Prophet Song, Oneworld Books, 2023. 320 pgs. Although I was reading about a fictitious Ireland, as I began Prophet Song, Paul Lynchβs Booker Prize-winning novel, I felt…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “To Flee or Not to Flee: Paul Lynch’s ππππβππ‘ ππππ” by Jennifer Eagleton](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/prophet-song.jpg?w=978)
-
π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Celine Song (director), Past Lives, 2023. 106 min. Life is a sea, a kaleidoscopic cornucopia of experiences with a myriad of people. We start in shallow waters of first…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] βThe Beauty of the Unsaid: Celine Songβs πππ π‘ πΏππ£ππ ” by Elliot Ng](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/https-__cdn.sanity.io_images_xq1bjtf4_production_e1bdf7c917e4a436ec391336e8a05dcba478d275-3840x2063_custom-8d06a6607db24746e6e697791cd638654a1f0dda-s1100-c50.jpg?w=1024)
-
π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Nick Cheuk (director), Time Still Turns the Pages εΉ΄ε°ζ₯θ¨, 2023. 95 min. This review contains major spoilers. With five nominations in the 60th Golden Horse Awards, Nick Cheukβs tightly…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] βA Poignant Appeal: Nick Cheukβs ππππ ππ‘πππ ππ’πππ π‘βπ πππππ ” by Flora Mak](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/time-still-turns-the-pages.jpg?w=980)
-
π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Satyajit Ray (director), Kanchenjungha, 1962. 102 min. Satyajit Ray hardly needs an introductionβeither in the field of arts and culture or cinema itself. He singlehandedly spearheaded the New Wave of…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “The Mighty Peak: Satyajit Ray’s πΎπππβππππ’ππβπ” by Haimanti Dutta Ray](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/image-w1280.webp?w=1024)
-
θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “The Liminality of Being: Anthony Chen’s The Breaking Ice” by Jonathan Chan Anthony Chen (director),Β The Breaking Ice, 2023. 97 min. Arresting visuals, an immersive soundtrack, and interesting ideas do…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “The Liminality of Being: Anthony Chen’s πβπ π΅πππππππ πΌππ” by Jonathan Chan](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/breaking-the-ice_cha-banner.png?w=1024)
-
π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Click HERE to read all entries in Cha on Hiroko Oyamada. I have had this feeling of being quiet and alone recently, since graduating from university, with the pressure…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “Reading on Slow Quiet Days” by Joefel Bolo](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/joefel-bolo_cha.png?w=1024)
-
π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Hou Hsiao-hsien (director), A City of Sadness, 1989. 157 min. Since its release in 1989, the epic proportions of A City of Sadness have transcended its story by becoming a…
![[FIRST IMPRESSION] “Pain and Persisting: Hou Hsiao-hsien’s π΄ πΆππ‘π¦ ππ ππππππ π ” by Natalie Wong](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/a-city-of-sadness.png?w=1024)
-
πΒ RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπΒ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Wong Kar-wai (director),Β Happy Together, 1997. 97 min. βI had no regrets till I met you. Now my regrets could kill me.β And then Lai Yiu-Fai (Tony Leung) runs away…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “They Cannot Be Happy Together, They Cannot Be Happy Apart: Wong Kar-wai’s π»ππππ¦ πππππ‘βππ” by e rathke](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/happy-together_cha-an-asian-literary-journal.png?w=1024)
-
π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Dina Nayeri, Refuge, Riverhead Books, 2017. 336 pgs. Home does not always represent comfort or safety. Often, it becomes a place from where you need to flee. I am…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] βIn Perpetual Transit: Dina Nayeriβs π
πππ’ππ” by Fathima M](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/refuge-cha-an-asian-literary-journal.png?w=1024)
Cha 