Most's film was shot in Malaysia's own Cameron Highlands, and Tan Twan Eng, the author of the film novel, explained how the scenes are "a work of art." He's right, the shots highlighted the beauty of Cameron Highlands, making me want to visit myself! I'm going to say a rating of 7 out of 10 ratings.
The film is about Malaya during the 1950s and features various cultures in terms of people and languages, which reveals how diverse Malaysia was during the colonial period.
The story is about two people from different backgrounds who come together through their passion for building a Japanese garden while learning more about each other despite having distinctive goals.
War survivor Yun Ling (Sinje Lee) had lost her sister Yun Hong (Serene Lim) during the Japanese invasion. Nakamura Aritomo (Hiroshi Abe) is a former Japanese imperial gardener living in a quaint Japanese house in Cameron Highlands.
Yun Ling wants to create a Japanese garden to honor her late sister, who has always wanted a Japanese-style garden of her own.
She is finding the aid of Aritomo, who is hesitant to aid at first. Eventually, given the socio-political tensions in Malaya at that time, they broke down their respective barriers and let each other into their lives.
The film has flashback scenes that allow the audience to see Yun Ling's life from two separate periods of time. Lee plays the younger Yun Ling both during and after the war, while the popular Taiwanese actress Sylvia Chang portrays Yun Ling in her sixties.
The two-hour film felt a little slow-paced in some respects, but for me, the end was really intense, because everything began to fall into place as the older Yun Ling figured out more about her history by unraveling the clues Aritomo had left over thirty years ago.
If you don't mind sitting through the movie, you'll find out how Yun Ling finds the closure she's looking for, which has been surprising with her all along.
What the earth can you expect from this movie? Expect to weep, feel some rage, and even laugh a little, but you're mostly going to cry.
The hardships seen during the war are heartbreaking to watch. Lee, Chang, and Lim really represented their characters through their non-verbal gestures, which brought me to tears.
Not to mention Aritomo, played by Japanese actor Abe, who is not your regular gardener. Behind his upright attitude lies a soft spot for Yun Ling.
While The Garden Of Evening Mists tells a distinctly Malaysian tale, it made me feel like I was often watching a foreign film because of Tom Shu-Yu Lin's excellent direction.
Author: Shobana Manokaran
A good recommedition
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