NEW YORK ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL, July 12–28, 2024

[Chris Knipp]

BUSHIDO (Kazuya Shiraishi 2023)

Aside from occasional silliness and a bit too much Go-playing, this foray by Shiraishi into the world of Jidaigeki period samurai drama is stately and beautiful.

Bushido 碁盤斬り ("Gobangiri,""Go Board Cutting") , 129 mins., debuted May 1, 2024 at the Far East Festival in Udine, Italy. Screened as part of the NYAFF, showing Tuesday Jul 23, 8:15pm (Beatrice Theatre, SVA Theatre)
Intro and Q&A with director Kazuya Shiraishi

[Chris Knipp]

CAREFREE DAYS (Liang Ming 2023)

Actor-turned-filmmaker Ming's novel-based sophomore picture about a young woman with life-threatening kidney failure and her journey with two friends is full of troubling realism, chaos, and energy. Perhaps a bit too much, but an exciting new talent whose complex, rich way of filling the screen made made me think of early Jia Zhang-ke.

Carefree Days 逍遥游 (Xiao yao you, "Carefree Journey"), 122 min., debuted Sept. 22, 2023 at San Sebastián. Screened for this review as part of the 2024 NYAFF.

SCHEDULE:
Thursday Jul 18, 3:15pm
Film at Lincoln Center
Sunday Jul 21, 1:00pm
LOOK Cinemas W57

[Chris Knipp]

A PR release from this year's NYFF features gay-related films.

LGBTQ+ Visions and Horizons: Queer Lives Unbound at NYAFF
This year at NYAFF, we're proud to highlight films that explore the intricate experiences of the queer community. From gut-wrenching tales of clandestine affairs to death-defying love stories and families torn by the law, these films are sure to have you deep in your feels.

Feature Films


Balloon's Landing poster
A Balloon's Landing
Sunday Jul 14, 4:15pm
LOOK Cinemas W57

Writer meets gangster, sparks fly, and off they go on a magical, life-changing Taiwanese odyssey. This heartwarming BL tale is a breathtaking journey of unexpected connections and self-discovery.


All Shall Be Well poster
All Shall Be Well
Saturday Jul 13, 9:00pm
Film at Lincoln Center

Intro and Q&A with director Ray Yeung, actress Patra Au and actor Tai Bo

A sexagenarian goes on a grief-stricken odyssey through Hong Kong's legal labyrinth after her life partner's death, in Ray Yeung's lyrical, devastating ode to love's resilience against the odds.


Front Cover poster
Front Cover
Thursday Jul 18, 6:00pm
Film at Lincoln Center

Intro and Q&A with director Ray Yeung, actors Jake Choi and James Chen[/B]
An evocative tale of love, identity, and cultural collision set in the high-fashion world, in which two men from different backgrounds find a profound connection.


The Missing poster
The Missing
Sunday Jul 21, 4:00pm
Film at Lincoln Center
Tuesday Jul 23, 6:00pm
LOOK Cinemas W57

This animated masterpiece deploys everything from childlike, two-dimensional drawings to rotoscoped action to explore harrowing themes in its compelling portrait of a young man who must overcome his trauma or completely lose himself—literally.


The Time of Huan Nan poster
The Time of Huan Nan
Saturday Jul 13, 6:00pm
LOOK Cinemas W57

A dynamic, vibrant tale that blends the best of Taiwan’s new BL wave with the trademark sentiment of its landmark cinema, as it perceptively probes the passions of youth in 1991 and today, showcasing forgotten fashions and paying homage to Back to the Future.


Twilight's Kiss poster
Twilight’s Kiss (Suk Suk)
Sunday Jul 14, 6:00pm
Film at Lincoln Center
Intro and Q&A with director Ray Yeung and actor Tai Bo, Star Asia Lifetime Achievement Awardee

A landmark of “forbidden love” cinema, this profoundly moving portrait of a later-life relationship between two married men in Hong Kong sensitively probes the isolation faced by those living outside traditional family structures.

***

[Chris Knipp]

THE ESCAPING MAN (Wang Yichun 2023)

Wang Yichun, who excels at doing several contradictory things at once, shows us one of the kindliest of kidnappings, while satirizing the new Chinese privileged class.

The Escaping Man 绑架毛乎乎 ("Kidnapping ...."), 101 mins., was screened for this review as part of the 2024 NYAFF. For What's in the Darkness the 47-year-old director, who studied French before becoming a fimmmaker, won the best director award at the 9th FIRST International festival in Xining, China and it was included in the Berlinale Generation section in 2016. This is The Escaping Man's international debut.

SCHEDULE:
Friday Jul 26, 9:00pm
SVA Theatre
Intro and Q&A with director Wang Yichun and producer Zhao Wendi

[Chris Knipp]

GOLD BOY (Shusuke Kaneko 2023)

Adaptation of a Chinese serial set on the island of Okinawa that plunges us in the troubling world of three evil teenagers, who keep killing people, and join up with an adult mark they've spotted murdering his rich in-laws whom they originally plan to blackmail.

Gold Boyゴールド・ボーイ ("Golden Boy"), 128 min., Japanese theatrical release Mar. 8, 2024. Screened for this review as part of the 2024 NYAFF (Jul. 12-28).

SCHEDULE:
Friday Jul 19, 3:00pm
Film at Lincoln Center
Saturday Jul 20, 4:00pm
LOOK Cinemas W57

[Chris Knipp]

LOVE LIES (Ho Miu-ki 2023)

About a relationship on a dating app that is completely false, yet keeps getting closer and closer. A new, clever inversion of the rom-com. Veteran actress Sandra Ng and K-Pop star Cheung Tin-fu are brilliant in the leads, with a good supporting cast.

Love Lies 我談的那場戀愛 ("The Love I Had"), 116 mins., was screened for this review as part of the 2024 NYAFF (Jul. 12-20).

SCHEDULE:
Monday July 15, 8:45pm (Walter Reade Theater, Film at Lincoln Center)
Intro and Q&A with director Ho Miu-ki

[Chris Knipp]

FOR ALICE (Chow Kam Wing 2023)

Hong Kong film about a mysterious elderly rescuer who turns out to be a close relative of a young woman: nostalgic treatment, an impressive two-hander.

For Alice給愛麗絲 ("For Alice"), 82 mins., debuted in New York Jul. 13, 2024, and was screened for this review as part of the 2024 NYAFF.

SCHEDULE:
Saturday Jul 13, 3:45pm
Film at Lincoln Center
Intro and Q&A with director Chow Kam Wing, screenwriter Lam Tsz Ki, and cast members Tai Bo and Kuku So

[Chris Knipp]

BE WITH ME (Hwarng Wern-ying 2023)

A complex, multi-time-frame portrait of a the viewpoint of a Taiwan production designer and several men in her life, including her grandfather, with flashbacks that review - selectively - Taiwan's history back to the Forties. Flawed but impressive.

Be With Me 車頂上的玄天上帝 ("The God of Heaven on the Roof"), 130 mins., was screened for this review as part of the 2024 NYAFF.
SHOWTIME:
Sunday July 14, 1:30pm
LOOK Cinemas W57