Second Hand Rose is a Chinese rock band from Beijing. The band is known for its bold combination of traditional Chinese instruments with solid rock & roll fundamentals and performances that include intense stage play elements. Zhang Yaoyuan, who is currently doing a PhD in Films at the Tokyo University of the Arts, decides to focus on Liang Long, the lead singer of the band, in the month before his New Year's Eve concert in 2019, when he also shot his very first film, “Little White Boat”, directed by Geng Zihan.
On Stage is screening at Osaka Asian Film Festival
“On Stage” is an unusual documentary, particularly when one considers its main theme. For starters, Zhang was allowed to follow Brother Long, as many refer to him in the movie, quite closely, before, during and after his work. However there are very few moments in the film where he is actually alone with the documentarian, with the exception of one where he is taking a break in a private bath. Most probably, his life, as is the case with many stars, includes very few private moments, but still the gap in the portrait is quite significant, even if he presents a number of stories of his past, and his current thoughts, while recorded.
Furthermore, although the focus is on music and the particular performance, the footage of the band actually performing is very brief, with the epicenter of the movie lying, almost exclusively, on what is happening backstage. Again this could be attested to rights issues, but the gap becomes even bigger through this approach. Thirdly, the documentary does not seem to include any kind of negative aspect regarding the “protagonist”, maybe with the exception of that he drinks a lot, in an approach that could be described as an eulogy. Lastly, and this time in an aspect that actually benefits the movie significantly, Zhang has chosen to shoot the whole thing in sharp-contrast black and white, an approach that works exceptionally well in visual terms.
Apart from these elements, however, the movie emerges as rather easy to watch, for a number of additional reasons. The most significant one is that Liang Long is a charismatic persona, a rather open man, filled with humor and kindness, who is frequently quite enjoyable to just watch. The moments he drinks with friends, the ones when he talks to the director, the ones when he tells his stories, and the ones he is getting his makeup on are the highlights of this element. Furthermore, a number of peripheral characters and comments are also quite interesting, with the location scouter who talks about Shunji Iwai and Japanese directors in general, the discussion about North Korea, and the overall attitudes of various musicians and actors “behind the camera” being quite enjoyable. These aspects, along with the decent job done in the editing, also because at 79 minutes, the movie does not overextend its welcome, are the ones that carry the film for the majority of its duration.
In the end, and on a personal note, the documentary made me to want to meet Brother Long (and have a drink or two with him) and also to search about the music of “Second Hand Rose”, which I guess fulfilled the purpose of the film, even if Zhang Yaoyuan chose a sideway route to achieve it.
