Worth: $17.00
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Hu Ge, Wu Lei, Qi Xi, Na Renhua, Gan Yunchen
Intro:
Understated and gently paced (as opposed to slow) ...
Wannabe scriptwriter Wen Shan (Hu Ge) earns his keep by writing eulogies. Approaching middle age, he takes his work seriously, but he’s not the happiest of souls, sleepwalking through life while his scriptwriting dreams remain on hold, despite all the work and study he’s invested into it.
Set in Beijing, All Ears follows Wen Shan from one eulogy to the next, as he mines information to create poetically accurate portrayals of his subjects. As fitting for a tale about a wordsmith, writer/director Liu Jiayin has crafted a strong, almost philosophical screenplay, which is quite likely even richer for anyone who doesn’t have to rely on subtitles. It’s really no surprise to learn that she teaches scriptwriting at the Beijing Film Academy.
The engrossing tales of the departed are told with words alone – no flashbacks.
All Ears’ cinematography is almost as strong as its words.
There’s also a meta angle – according to what you want to read into it – and the film may also hold another clever little surprise. But that will depend on how closely you’re watching…
Hu Ge is likable as the lead, with a decent support cast to provide a sounding board for his character, including Na Renhua as Aunt Fang, and Qi Xi as Shao Jinsui, who shakes up Wen Shan’s world.
If a film about a eulogy writer sounds like it could be a gloomy affair, it really isn’t. Understated and gently paced (as opposed to slow), this quiet drama also has humorous moments. Ostensibly about death, at its heart, All Ears is a life affirming tale with enough substance to make you want to see it again.
