my ambivalent attitude

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

No doubt C.R.A.Z.Y touches on the controversial theme of homosexuality, but it is atypical of films developed from the common genre - the physical part is underplayed and the spiritual and emotional part is explored with greater intensity. Expect no hanky-panky and be prepared to appreciate the hidden message the producers so skillfully transmit across to the audience. Born into a family of five male children, Zac found unwillingly that he was different from the rest in the subtleties of life. The expectations of his father and the pressure from his siblings coerced him into self-denial and the love of his family drove him into attempts to be normal. But the repressed sexual desires proved too much for him to handle on several occasions and he turned to physical torture as an outlet to revert himself to normalcy. Later, a misunderstanding led him to run away from home on a journey and the estrangement served to neutral strained ties as he slowly learned to accept his true nature, while his family decided to love him for who he really was.

A french film with numerous accolades to its name, C.R.A.Z.Y impresses with its director's slick shooting techniques - all the scenes were made with the right temperature and they served their purposes. Certainly no trashy scenes that are unmistakably present in local films, like I Not Stupid Too, which had potential grounds but revealed fledging directing skills. But judging from the meagre number of people in the theatre, I guess few people seem to appreciate it, maybe due to the M18 rating and the limited availability to only Cathay Cineplex in Singapore.

scribbled at 10:33 PM