LIFE IS WONDERFUL review
It comes as little surprise Life Is Wonderful helmer Lu Hong was an assistant director on popular idol drama Honey and Clover. Her début feature betrays the same preoccupation with picture-postcard cinematography, whimsical artistic flourishes and tidy life lessons which don't really amount to much. At the same time, it is gently, whimsically pretty, means well and is so lovingly put together it's an undeniably charming diversion, if a somewhat inconsequential one.
The storybook opening sequence introduces us to Chi Ting, a little girl whose parents have apparently abandoned her in the port city of Kaohsiung to live with her grandmother (veteran Taiwanese actress Lu Yi Ching). Chi Ting is terrified of the feisty old lady, who works as a seer and exorcist, setting aside a regular portion of her earnings as a contribution to the mysterious Life Of Never End Co. (hence the alternative English title for the film).
Her grandmother won't tell Chi Ting where her parents are, or why they ran off, so the girl devotes herself to finding a way back to Taipei under her own steam, slowly co-opting the local kids who first taunt her, then come round to helping her out. Only - predictably - things aren't as clear-cut as they seem.
Though saying that could give some people unrealistic expectations. On one level, things are exactly what they seem; Life Is Wonderful has barely a whisper of real peril, even to the point a child's distress seems more like some prettified stage mannerism than anything genuinely upsetting. There is conflict and a resolution, but most of it remains firmly in the background - never really gone into, much less spelt out.
But while Hong shoots her dreamlike narrative as a little too hazy and directionless overall, she does still manage a languid, idyllic atmosphere that suits Chi Ting and her story enough the film never becomes merely background noise.
Kaohsiung is beautiful, layered in baking, arid sunlight, but still alien. It's a fascinating new world, but it's not home, and Hong's direction does turn this into a relatively restrained subtext rather than an afterthought. At the same time, it's an engaging paean to Taiwan's coastline, a much more heartfelt love letter than something like Somewhere I Have Never Travelled.
Plus the director's young leads give solid, winning performances - they're young enough they still seem a little theatrical, perhaps even forced here and there, but by and large they're believable and sympathetic. Hong's story may not amount to much, but however she chooses to dress it up she clearly has some understanding of how a child sees the world, and how badly petty schoolyard squabbling or shifting family dynamics can sting.
Lu Yi Ching is excellent, clearly relishing the chance to play around with what's arguably a fairly nothing role. Again, the climactic resolution is perfectly apposite, but the payoff still doesn't live up to the amount of fevered speculation the narrative engages in. The one main plot thread that seems to promise some excitement largely peters out. Still, Ching throws herself into fleshing out Chi Ting's gramdmother enough her humanity and cheerful pragmatism leave more of a lasting impression than any synopsis would lead you to believe.
The resolution does feel earned, at least, which is to be applauded, and it is quietly moving, simplicity notwithstanding. Other than a couple of missteps Life Is Wonderful is at least basically consistent. Again, unlike something like Somewhere I Have Never Travelled it's never pretentious, and if it doesn't shoot terribly high at least it lands very close to its target. Nothing very dramatic happens, yet the film does elicit a genuine feeling of empathy and wistful satisfaction come the ending. It's a mood piece rather than a story proper, perhaps, but entertaining for all that.
It's under eighty minutes, yet never feels too short, and while it does arguably underperform in some respects this never feels down to any lack of competence. It's simplistic, but the film is still effective enough it suggests Hong didn't want to overreach any more than she had to. It's a shame it doesn't poke fun at itself more often, or explore its themes more thoroughly, but Life Is Wonderful is still a lovely, unassuming story about a little girl trying to grow up and as such comes recommended all the same.
