3 minute read
If you could watch one film for the first time again, what would you pick?
as a film ever hit you so hard on a first watch that you wish you could go back and experience the emotion again? Perhaps a twist you never saw again that you wish you could relive the shock of. Perhaps you just want to fall in love with your favourite film all over again. Our writers break down their approach to recapturing the magic of special cinema.
If I had the chance to watch a film for the first time again, it would be Chunking Express (1995) by Wong Kar Wai.
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The first time I watched the film was when I was 18 years old and at a public screening at my undergraduate university. Chungking Express was the film that drew me into my love for cinema.
If I had to re-watch a film with my memory of the first watch being wiped, it would have to be Aftersun. Weeks of Twitter hype and Paul Mescal’s face enticed me into watching it, but if I’m being completely honest, I wasn’t immediately won over when I put it on. The first hour or so felt like watching paint dry, yes these father-daughter interactions were heart-achingly wholesome, but that’s all that this movie seemed to be. It was nice - but was this really what people had been raving about? Cut to another forty-so minutes later and I’m bawling my eyes out. Oh my god, ‘this is phenomenal’. The real plot of the movie lies within its implications, a truly groundbreaking concept from first-time feature film director Charlotte Wells. Would wholeheartedly recommend having your first watch if you haven’t yet had the privilege.
Like most people, I grew up watching lots of films. I watched popular Hollywood productions, Bollywood classics, and many other kinds of cinema as I grew up. Yet, it was this film from Hong Kong that captured my heart and I delved into appreciating and studying cinema in detail. The film describes two different stories featuring two lovesick cops in Hong Kong. The film takes on the genre of romance, comedy, and drama.
The film showcases the multicultural elements of the city of Hong Kong. Along with its release in the 90s, Hong Kong had been transferred from the British colonial administration to China. Hong Kong as a nation has had various definitions implanted into it as its colonizers have changed over the years. Hong Kong was originally a territory in the memory to watch again in my view isn’t quite straight forward. On first thought, you would go to your favourite film, however, is that really your favourite film because of the first time you watched it, or for other reasons.
Qing Dynasty and then it was colonized from 1843 to 1941 by the British. The Japanese also acquired Hong Kong briefly from 1941 to 1945 and after it was reclaimed by the British Empire from 1945 to 1997. Through the British Empire, Hong Kong was a manufacturing hub that became a melting pot for both eastern and western cultures. Chungking Express is an immersive experience that highlights the impermanence of the idea of Hong Kong. The film incorporates visually incoherent shots and bright colours. This chaos is a semblance of the uncertainty Hong Kong was facing during the time of the handover.
For me, Chungking Express is an unexplainable phenomenon. The film provides a magical escapade and narrates the stories with a beautiful flow. I would love to watch it again for the first time and be entranced by the story and filmmaking.
On that note, the film I’d love to watch for the first time again would be the 2015 film Circle. My first impression from this prompt would be Silence of the Lambs – probably my favourite film of all time. But when thinking about it, my love for that film increases with every re-watch, not because I fell in love at the first watch. This also made me realise I have that relationship with a majority of my favourite films.
Circle however, is a psychological thriller, where fifty people awake in a room, only to find one of them will die every two minutes, but the decision of who lasts with them. Given the fact, the entire plot is based on predicting the order of 49 deaths, watching again for the first time would definitely add another level of intensity. The films interesting yet subtle political commentary also adds and extra layer, and I would do anything to watch the final twist for the first time again. That leaves me confident on my decision, Circle is the film I’d love to rewatch for the first time again.
