As we have mentioned in the past, documentaries seem to offer much more opportunities for artistic experimentation in the last few years, through the concepts of the experimentalism and the mockumentary. Bo Wang moves a step beyond by combining the two, in a 37-minute hybrid film that has won a number of awards in festivals all over the world.
An Asian Ghost Story is screening at Thessaloniki Documentary Festival
The story unfolds through various types of cinematic elements, with the narration by the incarnate ghost of a deceased real hair donor providing the connection. A tour guide in Hong Kong, both of the present and of the past, news footage from the 60s and later on, and a dramatization of sorts where a teacher shares a story with her students (?) are just parts of the initial elements. In distinct experimental style, image and sound (narration if you prefer) do not always fit, while the fact that the news deal almost exclusively with hair and wigs, as in the case of a US ban to wigs made from hair from communist countries such as China or Vietnam, while hair from Taiwan, for example, are accepted, setting the tone.
This approach continues throughout the film, as what follows is a man who looks like a doctor starts analyzing the concept of hair. It seems like he is lying out of his teeth, but you never know. When he connects his whole theme with ghosts and spirits, however, the question of his ‘expertise’ gets a definite answer. The next sequence involves combing wigs, while the story of the woman who worked in a wig factory continues through narration.
Everything looks fake and real at the same time, in distinct mockumentary fashion. Feng Shui masters jumping around and reciting Mao’s poems become parts of the story, along with the ever present ghosts that seem to always be connected with hair and wigs. The narrator also changes the story’s focus eventually, focusing on herself, and another absurd tale which has her becoming a wig and travelling abroad. The aforementioned elements continue as the movie progresses, with the stories becoming more and more ludicrous. The “Sadako” interview (and the translation) cements the whole thing in the most fitting way, while songs sung backwards and a series of performances close the movie.
Although difficult to follow on occasion, particularly due to the amount of info and the difference between what is heard and what is shown on screen, to the viewer who does manage to do so, “An Asian Ghost Story” is quite rewarding, both in terms of entertainment and overall context. In that fashion, the rather unique sense of humor takes care of the former, but since this comedic approach still manages to communicate sociopolitical comments, particularly regarding the attitude of the US throughout history and the overall situation of Hong Kong, the latter is also covered.
Bo Wang’s own editing is quite competent here, as the medium of both humor and the experimentalism that permeate the documentary, while the low definition of the majority of the visuals add even more to the absurdity of what is shown on screen. That Bo Wang, however, manages to tame this approach, while retaining both the humor and the seriousness of the comments, even if through metaphor and fake (?) news, results in a rather intriguing movie, with “An Asian Ghost Story” definitely being one of those productions that will reward the “dedicated” viewer immensely.
