This is my first time reviewing some of the titles from this festival which is on now until 18 May in locations in London.
The 1997 drama from Taiwan, Murmur of Youth, is a curious beast, stretching to 104 minutes, during which not very much happens for the first 80. Two girls, both called Ming-Lei, are shown leading their lives in and out of schools in their very different environments. One lives in a rural area with her extended family and one lives in a high rise block. Their paths finally intersect 43 minutes into the film when they start working in the same cinema.
And then the floodgates open. They speak! They joke! They confess their crushes and bodily secrets. It is quite the jolt from the previous sedate, almost wordless pace. I did wonder at why it was in a queer festival, but then that became clear in the last 15 minutes, which was also a jolt.
I don't really know what to make of this film. I found it quite dull for the most part, but I did have questions afterward. Also, one will have to google to find a translation of an important document toward the end. A bit of a mystery all around.
Murmur of Youth trailer