Director and cinematographer Ta-pu Chan is a commercially successful filmmaker in Taiwan. “Grit” comes after a stream of commercials and works for television, as well as two feature films, and it is an unconventional rom-com with an interesting set-up.
“Grit” is screening at Asian Pop-up Cinema
A newsreader's voice from the television is the expedient the film utilises to fill us in on the protagonist's backstory, during the opening credits. Young gang member Yu – A.K.A. Croc – (Kai Ko) was jailed at the age of 17 for a murder that sounds very dubious, and we are led to suspect he probably was forced to take the blame for someone higher-in-hierarchy, like often happens in gangs. 8 years later Yu is out of prison, determined to find a proper job and make his life better. To do so, he can only ask for help to his former gang boss (and probably the real culprit of Croc's charge) Chief Liu (Lee Kang-sheng) who is now working at the city councillor Chang's office. Liu generously employs Croc and gives him all sort of beginner's tasks, tea and coffee, deliveries and answering the phone. In one of his scooter trips delivering flowers to a funeral, he meets by chance farmer Ping (Angelica Lee).
A beautiful, but troubled mature woman, Ping is dealing with a water blockage problem at her farm and when she understands Croc works in an administrative office, she demands answers. Croc, infatuated, wants to help but the issue Ping is facing is more complicated than simple plumbing, as it is caused by her refusal to give up her land for redevelopment. Being the only farmer left in the entire area who resists the expropriation doesn't help her either, as the other farmers are not getting any compensation because of her stubbornness, and they all resent her. But when Croc bites, he doesn't let go even if the stakes are rather high.
“Grit” is a gentle comedy with a pinch of romance and while the humor is provided earnestly by Croc and his clumsy obstinacy – which will pay at the end – the protagonists' romance is a bit of a weaker point, resembling instead an awkward mother-and-son dynamic, not at all due to the age gap between the two, but mainly to a lack of chemistry among them. There is something missing in the character of Ping, a certain depth, a history. She has the farm and family story behind, but her emotional background is not strong enough to shake off a sense of indefiniteness and to ignite any kind of passion in the viewers, let alone Croc. On the contrary, Chief Liu, played by Tsai Ming Liang's regular collaborator Lee Kang-sheng, is a solid counterpart to Ko, playing with panache the brotherly boss who looks honestly helpful at first and slowly reveals his lame intents and total absence of humanity.
Interestingly, “Grit” highlights a great and rare virtue, perseverance. In an era that sees young people's attention span getting shorter and shorter, whatever the factors you might want to blame, it is quite remarkable that Croc's peculiar characteristic – and what make us love him – is a strong determination, concealed as stubbornness at the beginning and gradually flourishing and turning into a more commendable dedication to a cause, in spite of all the difficulties and obstacles. On her side, in a less playful way, Ping too is endowed with the tenacity of a salmon swimming against the current; she ignores the mainstream and resists against the odds and the inequities. This trait is the stronger asset of Croc and Ping and the reason why we empathize with their capers, more than their gentle romance. Sideway, the film lightly touches the struggle Taiwanese farmers have been experiencing with land expropriation and the connivance between corrupted politicians and the underworld.
Certainly this film is not a part of the Taiwanese slow cinema movement, but it is a slow film, some parts more than others, and consequently some of the comedy feels strangely “diluted”. The cinematography is a strong point of distinction in “Grit”. Curated by director Ta-Pu Chen, it gracefully enhances the luminous beauty of the Taiwanese countryside creating a brutal contrast with the dark side of story populated by small crooks. His experience as cinematographer and tv commercial director truly shines through. Kai Ko does a good job, he plays funny, goofy and amiable at the same time, without trespassing on caricature territory.
All in all, despite some weaknesses here and there in the script, “Grit” is a pleasant piece of entertainment, due mainly to its extremely lovable protagonist, the charming Croc.
