May 8
International Film Forum: THE GRANDMASTER
The Grandmaster [Yi dai zong shi] (Wong Kar-Wai, 2013, Hong Kong/China, 130 min.) — Presented by Carol Donelan and Shaohua Guo
Sponsored by CAMS and the Gender & History Collective at the University of Minnesota
“Wong Kar-wai’s martial arts epic, the 2013 Berlinale’s opening-night film, is equal parts existential melancholy and gravity-defying action. Prior to The Grandmaster’s barnstorming pre-credits fighting sequence, the film’s main protagonist, Ip Man (Tony Leung Chiu-wai), is heard expounding his own view toward martial arts to an unseen friend. ‘Don’t tell me how good your skills are, how brilliant your master is and how profound your school is,’ he says. ‘Kung fu: two words. One horizontal, one vertical — if you’re wrong, you’ll be left lying down. If you’re right, you’re left standing — and only the ones who stand have the right to talk.’ […]
“While martial arts aficionados will find fulfillment with the fights — complete with more-than-explicit primers from some of the fighters themselves about the specialties of the art they practice — Wong’s art house fan base also will find much to savor, with the leading characters oozing the kind of longing that defines the filmmaker's oeuvre. The suppressed affections between Ip and the young, headstrong northeastern fighter Gong Er (Zhang Ziyi) doubtless will mesmerize festival audiences converted to Wong’s aesthetics through In the Mood for Love.” (Clarence Tsui, The Hollywood Reporter)