FLOATING LANDSCAPE
Hong Kong/China, 2003, 100 minutes, Colour.
Directed by Carol Lai Miu Suet.
Floating Landscape is a mournful and romantic film from Hong Kong with a Chinese setting. At first rather complex with the focus on several characters and time shifts, the film then evens out into the journey of a young woman whose boyfriend, an artist, has died. The film shows the artist at first, his diary and his indication that he has a fatal illness, his first seeing the young woman and his attraction towards her, especially showing her a sketch of a place that was important to him in his past. Once he has died, the young woman goes to the town where her boyfriend lived when he was young and sets herself in search for the place in order to bury his ashes. On arrival, she encounters a genial young man who gives her directions. He is very good with children, helping them to play, wants to be an illustrator of children's books though he works as a postman. In helping her to find the special place, he falls in love with her, she with him. However, she cannot admit it and this is very painful for the young man. She keeps away from him and then, when she eventually discovers where the place is, wants to go back to Hong Kong. In the meantime, he has received word from Beijing that publishers want to see him about his illustrations. However, the film has a happy ending as a young boy who has been a follower of the postman leads the young woman to find the postman - with the possibilities of a deeper future.
The film is slow moving, showing details of life in the village, showing the sadness and how difficult it is for the young woman to let go of her love for the young man and her memories, even though she discovers she knew so little about him. The film was also painful as the young man, falling in love with the young woman, trying his best to do the right thing by her and finding rejection. However, everything comes together at the end in a satisfying romantic drama.
1. The appeal of this kind of romantic drama? Grief for lost love? Inability to respond to genuine love? The finding of true love?
2. The Chinese settings, the coast, the village, the mountains? The detail of the village and the apartments? The mountain sequences, the trees in winter and in spring with the blossoms? The musical score, final song?
3. The title, the sketch, the reality of the place, the symbolism of the place and Maan's need to find it?
4. The initial structure of the film: Sam and his diary and our seeing him as a painter, the exhibition, his illness? The indication that he had died? The focus on Maan, her relationship with Sam, the beginning of her quest? The strands coalescing with flashbacks to Maan's time with Sam?
5. Sam, young man, congenital illness, his art, his meeting Maan, their falling in love, their time together, her caring for him in his illness, his death? His desire to know where his special floating landscape was?
6. Maan, the strength of her love for Sam, its staying in her memory? Her journey, asking Lit on the beach for directions, going to stay with Tang, Tang's welcoming her, making her feel at home? Her settling in? Her wondering where the floating landscape was? The encounters with Lit, the growing friendship, sharing experiences, talking, sharing stories? His drawings? Their going to the location and trying to find the tree but its not being the right one? Her dependence on Lit, their being together, outings? Her growing hesitation, the depth of her memories, inability to let go? Her abandoning Lit? Her staying away, the passing of the months, at home? Tang and her concern? Her talking with the old man, his death? The old woman and her recognising the place and describing the blossoms? Her decision to go home? Her getting into the taxi - and seeing the wall painted by Lit? Her hesitation, the taxi driver offering to take her to the place, seeing the blossoms, seeing the little boy, following him and finding Lit? Her having visited Lit in his room after his injury, her inability to say anything to him? Her burying the ashes, able to let Sam go, able to be reconciled with Lit and find a future with him?
7. Lit, seeing him on the beach with the children, his work as a postman, a good young man, the encounter with Maan, his offering to help, going to the scene? The importance of their time together, the quality of their sharing, the stories? His ambitions to be an illustrator? The little boy and his following him? His being with Maan, buying the ice cream, her disappearance? His staying away, his leg injury, his work at the post office, being transferred, unable to do his work? The visit from Maan and his going to Beijing? His being at the location after painting the wall, the reconciliation and a future?
8. The subplot with Tang, her boyfriend, the violence? Her love? Her continued support of Maan?
9. The old man and the old woman, their story, their presence, the old man dying, the old woman and her revealing the floating landscape location?
10. The feminine perspective of the film-makers, the focus on Maan and her feelings, her perspective on Sam, grief, her perspective on Lit?
