Moonchildren

"Moonchildren" is the title of a Taiwanese 63 min. documentary by Wu Yii-Feng that I caught in the Substation last Saturday. The director was present as well, and there was a fruitful Q&A after the screening, even though there was only 13 in the audience. The documentary was made in 1990, when Wu was only 30. It's still fresh and moving. They focus on a community of albinos and the discrimination they face in a society that values yellow skin and black hair. They told their stories plainly and simply, giving a human face to a under-represented minority. Many were moved and for me, I find their voices unforgettable.

Even more unforgettable was the 2.5 hour long documentary by the same director they screened a day later in Picturehouse. It was a rather pompous title: "The Gift of Life". It tracked the fortunes of 4 families affected by Taiwan's 1999 earthquake over a period of 3 years. Some of the audience left halfway. Others who stayed wept now and then. I was unmoved because I sensed that there was more exploitation here than in "Moonchildren", and more self-indulgent. But again, the simplicity, humanity and compassion of the film came through. These are simple folks, albeit photogenic and natural in front of the camera. The director was present to talk about the film again afterwards. He shot over 300 hours of footage, then trimmed them down to the 2.5 hour film we saw. Again, the stories of these ordinary folks are unforgettable. But I like "Moonchildren" more.

I'm glad I caught these documentaries. They set me thinking about a lot of things. Chiefly, it made me want to make a documentary like that too... Well, all in good time, I suppose.

Chup