Some films from AAIFF '09

thanks to michelle for commenting and following my endless ramblings :) here are the 3 films that i managed to catch at the festival:

• white on rice - dir. david boyle, released in USA
  "40-year-old Jimmy is growing up, or at least he's getting older. While mooching the upper bunk of his ten-year-old nephew's bed, he enjoys the never-ending generosity of his sister Aiko, and dodges the wrath of his impatient brother-in-law Tak. He thinks that if only he could get married all his problems would be solved. But when he falls head over heels for Tak's niece things only go from bad to worse." - from imdb.com.
  
  - i liked this one a lot. it has the clever writing and feel of away we go with a mr.bean-esque protagonist who gets into so much trouble that you just can't help but love and hate him at the same time. not to mention bob, the dry-humored, wise-beyond-his-years young boy (very much like olive from little miss sunshine) who is really more grown up than any of the adults in the film. you are bound to laugh out loud, tear up a little and take a piece of this family along.
  

• pastry - dir. risky liu, released in hong kong
  "The youngest in a long line of daughters traces the story of her life through the weddings of her sisters. As each member of the family comes to terms with her own womanhood, a simple egg tart becomes the anchor of their experiences and emotions." - from asianinny.com
  
  - if you understand cantonese, can read chinese subtitles or don't mind reading english subtitles (although i don't know how well they translate), check this one out. it definitely has the hong kong cinematic feel, but the genuine innocence and candid charm of the protagonist bring an indie spin to the film and draw the audience into some serious familial and social issues through a humorous narrative. if you love egg tarts or have an equivalent pastry in your culture, you'll also appreciate the symbolism of food in this film.

• fruit fly - dir. h.p. mendoza, released in USA
  "Filipina performance artist Bethesda moves into an art commune to search for her long missing biological mother. Along the way, she comes to realize that she just might be a fairy princess, fag hag, fruit fly." - from imdb.com
  
  - although this is a musical, the characters rarely break into song for no apparent reason. i found that the songs were well-written and purposeful - constantly moving the story forward. this is definitely a coming-of-age story about self-discovery, friendship, family and hope. mendoza introduced the film as being more asian and gayer than his first film, colma: the musical, but i actually didn't find that many references to race as opposed to sexuality. regardless, i think this film is really about people and life, with awesome shots of san francisco and some very catchy tunes. the singing is average and the recording can be more polished, but you will walk away feeling young, rejuvenated and hopeful about what the future may hold.

other films that i didn't watch but were well-received and recommended at the festival:

• formosa betrayed - dir. adam kane, starring james van der beek
• whatever it takes - dir. christopher wong
  
• children of invention - dir. tze chun
• li tong - dir. nian liu

there were also a ton of other films at the festival, so check them out here! these films are making their way around the festival circuits, so see if they are playing at a local theater near you :) support indie films!