Tokyo Film Fest: CLAUSTROPHOBIA Review
[Our thanks to ScreenAnarchy reader James Hadfield for the following review.]
Screenwriter Ivy Ho has penned some memorable films in her time, including July Rhapsody and Comrades, Almost a Love Story, but this is the first time she's gotten behind the camera to direct one of her own scripts. Claustrophobia is an almost infuriatingly subtle piece of work, which implies much more than it actually shows.
Told in reverse, the story revolves around Pearl (Karena Lam), an attractive young woman who works in the marketing department of a struggling import-export firm. Each day, she leaves the cramped confines of her office to share a car home with her coworkers: boorish know-it-all Karl (Felix Lok), talkative tart Jewel (Chucky Woo), shy nerd John (Derek Wsang) and handsome family man Tom (Ekin Cheng).
The film opens during one such commute, which for Pearl will turn out to be her last. As they pull up outside her apartment, Tom announces that he has recommended her for a position at another company, though the tension between the pair suggests that this is the end of more than just a professional relationship. As the film progresses, Chang rewinds the clock to show the events that have led up to this point, ending up a year prior to the opening scene.
By the time the credits roll, however, you may still find yourself wondering what exactly happened. In films like Memento, reverse chronology is used to withhold information that sheds light on the subsequent events, but there are no great moments of revelation to be found in Claustrophobia. It's a film without any emotional meltdowns or big gestures. All we see are the ripples: the awkward silences, the meaningful glances, all leaving the viewer to piece together the details of the story.
This will probably prove too much effort for some, and part of me wonders if Chang could have afforded to be a little more explicit. All the same, this is a film that rewards the patience required to unravel its secrets, and it stuck with me for a few days after watching it. Anyone who's had the hots for someone at their office will be able to relate to the dilemma of the central character, brought out by Lam's beautifully understated performance.
Review by James Hadfield
