Slow films aren't for everyone, and nor should they be. Certain films demand patience as they take you for a relaxing ride, revealing their inner workings at a leisurely pace. Such is the case for Niu Xiaoyu's “Virgin Blue”, a slow, soft, and consistently confusing film, but not one that's without moments of stark humanity and longing. Oh, and bear costumes.
Virgin Blue is screening on New York Asian Film Festival
Yezi (Yezi) is a college graduate who decides to stay with her grandmother (Shengzhi Zheng) for the summer. The two struggle to sleep and find themselves daydreaming when awake, wandering through a quiet existence. As the summer drags on, Yezi finds herself soaking in the memories of her childhood and family, eventually finding herself unable to distinguish dreams from reality.
Yezi sleepwalks through her mostly sedentary life at an achingly slow pace, with the line between dream and reality quickly becoming blurred. The camera carefully pans around her grandmother's flat, often following a shimmering light, the origin of which is unknown. Is this the sign of a spiritual presence watching over Yezi and her grandmother, or is the college graduate merely hallucinating? We never get a clear answer to this or any of the other questions the film raises, which can be frustrating when you're looking for narrative points to grasp onto and explore with interest.
Although it may not seem like it at first, there's a surprising amount that the film is juggling in terms of narrative, with not everything clicking. We're told that both Yezi and her grandmother struggle to sleep, which explains the dream-like sequences dotted throughout, yet it's one of several plot points that falls by the wayside. The inclusion of a pregnant woman having her fortune told ties into the film's themes concerning spirituality but is ultimately a confusing addition to an excessive runtime. The same can be said for peculiar narrative pauses that break the fourth wall and serve only to confound.
There's something to be said about the way in which “Virgin Blue” captures the longevity of grief. Yezi and her grandmother both recall visions of the former's grandfather, whose spirit is a constant presence. Grandma, whose mind is slowly waning with old age, can't remember exactly how many years it's been since her husband passed on, while Yezi's memories of her grandfather see his age vary from scene to scene. There's a distinct aching feeling for how things were when wandering through Yezi's memories, which is something that many of us are sure to have felt at some point. There's a tenderness to how these memories are portrayed, giving the film a surprisingly comforting atmosphere.
For the most part, Xiaoyu's camerawork is slow and purposeful as she invites us to take in every detail of Yezi and her grandmother's flat. There's lots of focus on clocks and reflections, as it's left open as to whether someone is actually lurking in the background or if it's a figment of Yezi's imagination. Given the limited environment and the lack of narrative urgency, the director does a great job at keeping the film visually engaging, always finding new ways to take us around the cosy flat.
However, the visual style changes on a dime when we venture into the outside world at night. During these scenes, the space surrounding Yezi's home is transformed into a twinkling stage of sorts, where colorful characters, both young and old, perform bewitching slow song and dance numbers. There's something beautiful about these dreamy scenes, as not only are they striking to the eye, but they somehow serve as soothing intervals, breaking up Yezi's mundane everyday life.
“Virgin Blue” is an odd, intimate, and purposely ambiguous project – all of which are features that are sure to frustrate some viewers. However, there's a captivating quality to Niu Xiaoyu's imagery and something almost nostalgic about the small pocket of existence that the film captures. Showcasing some positively hypnotic imagery and featuring a restrained yet strong lead performance, “Virgin Blue” is nothing if not a distinct debut for the budding writer-director.
