“Girl breaks up with Man. After 105 days and 12 hours, he departs for a place that reminds him of the early days in their relationship. Meanwhile, the Girl goes back to Kyoto, looking for her past memory of a Thai admirer, who did not have the courage to approach her before, but left her a prologue of a story. The Girl continues the story within her dream, of a novelist traveler who keeps heading east in order to meet a girl from the East. The Girl refuses to wake up, as her dream might become reality, and she herself might become a dream.”
“Men Without Women….” works as a slowed paced, atmospheric piece, which delicately relays the feeling of lost connections. The flow of the production progresses in away that feels dreamlike and compliments the subjects own observations on the world around them, which is a mix of abstract observations and emotional reflections. Overall, the tone becomes undeniably romantic through the calming transitions and deeper meditations on the concepts of love and lose. The delicate approach is undeniably the key to making the project successful, and thankfully is pulled off with a great degree of tact that leaves an uplifting impression on the viewer, even if the content does not always reflect positive concepts.
To have such a degree of success with the flow, the technical aspects of the production had to match in quality. Thankfully, the visuals are nice and soft, filled with idyllic locations and well framed shots. The film’s score also compliments the tone, focusing on light and calm background sounds that create a relaxed atmosphere. However, the technical aspects are not perfect throughout and this is particularly noticeable in flashback scenes which have the odd creative choice to establish this timeline oversaturation of light. Unfortunately, this choice gives the visuals a garish tint which blemishes an otherwise strong presentation.
The performances, which largely appear in the way of narration over scenery, continue on the successful sound design of the music, by being spoken in relaxing hushed tones that add to the introspective narrative. When the actors are on screen, they seem to embody the sense of longing echoed in the voice overs. However, given the bulk of dialogue is found in voice over, it is hard to really overly praise any of the performances.
I will admit to being less than impressed with Cheng Thim Kian after seeing “Bee My Friend“, which was my introduction to his work. However, and although my opinion on that film remains the same, “Men Without Women….” has left me with a deeper appreciation of the director’s talent and a willingness to further explore his work. The films are comparable to some degree but, for myself, there is much more charm in the more free flowing and interpretive narrative of this production. Overall, I really enjoyed the experience and emotions carried throughout this impassioned short film, it is a somewhat euphoric experience with such a relaxing flow that I can see many people appreciating “Men Without Women…”.
