A sumptuous, beautifully conceived melodrama, Kwan's Red Rose White Rose is an ingenious formal construction that takes its novelistic source material to heart while managing to never feel restricted by it. Red Rose White Rose is a relatively straightforward melodrama dealing with desire and repression but the directorial vision on display here may be Kwan's finest achievement. Kwan finds great utility in the dualistic structure, employing two distinct aesthetics rooted in impressionism that aim to exude the underlying emotions on display. What transpires is a story of existential or spiritual concerns, and Kwan draws from abstract imagery and impressionistic lighting to convey the gravitas of this battle between internal impulse and external expectations, detailing the kaleidoscope of emotions that define us but also how they can often be in contention with not only our internal logic but social constructions related to expectations, duties, and obligations which are necessary to living in the communal nature of our world. Vividly expressing the intangible nature of love and how it often can conflict with various external norms or expectations, Red Rose White Rose ultimately doesn't seem to suggest it has the answers to such complexities. It shows how this man's obligation and duty to others drives him into unrequited love but does it condone this ultimately? I don't think so because what Kwan seems to suggest is living is not a zero-sum game, it's one merely of choices and conviction. Regret, pain, joy, love, and melancholy are inevitable so in one respect following one's desires solely is a bit naive when we ultimately should acknowledge the multitudinous forces on display in which every individual decision is influenced by external factors, whether they be social, economic, cultural or political. In a sense, Red Rose White Rose in its dualistic structure ultimately rejects binary classifications entirely. Would really love to see this get a 4k restoration, it is such a beautifully constructed film.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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