Greatest Bootlegs of the Decade #10: Invisible Waves
posted by The Joe
In defense of bootleg DVDs . . . sometimes, films never see the light of day in America, and this is no reason to never see the film at all. Edward Yang jumpstarted Taiwanese cinema, yet only YiYi has been released here. Fruit Chan expertly showcases everyday life in China yet only his section in 3 Extremes can be seen legally, which in no way resembles the rest of his work. Sabu is one of the most well-known Japanese comedy directors, but Unlucky Monkey is all you can get. And the recently-released Red Cliff had a whopping 2 1/2 hours cut from the original version which may never get put back in.
This, my friends, is bullshit. I have a deep respect for bootleggers, as they put a lot of work into translating so many films into so many languages in order to give this ‘lost’ cinema its rightful exposure (though sometimes those subtitles are iffy . . . when I saw Dead or Alive 2 before its U.S. release, I was unable to figure out what was being said at any given point).
So with that in mind, this countdown to the new decade will focus on my ten favorite films of the last ten years that are not officially released in America.
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Pen-Ek Retanaruang is the filmmaker who breathed new life to Thai cinema in the mid-90s, and his slow, hypnotic style is only matched by fellow countryman Apichatpong Weerasethakul. But where the latter director dabbles more in art films, Pen-Ek injects his style into well-worn genres, which makes for a one-of-a-kind experience.
After making the career-high Last Life in the Universe, Pen-Ek reteamed with actor Tadanobu Asano and cinematographer Christopher Doyle to make this existential film noir. Considered a disappointment for failing to live up to the perfection of his previous feature, the talent and style of the piece still makes it a crime to merely dismiss. Or not release in the U.S. Oh, and it actually is a fairly great film too.
After inadvertently killing his girlfriend, a man flees Macau for Thailand in an attempt to cope with his guilt, and avoid possible arrest. But the relocation doesn’t prevent his problems from following him, as his new friends could be potential enemies.
It should be noted that Pen-Ek’s follow-up, Ploy, is also currently without U.S. distribution, and is also completely worth watching.
Invisible Waves – Trailer (NSFW)