For this class assignment, we were tasked with incorporating text into a composition as tone or value. I decided to create an original image inspired by scenes from the short film “Kiss of the Rabbit God” by director Andrew Thomas Huang and utilize text from a short response I had written for the film. As the film includes both Mandarin and English dialogue, I decided to write in both languages. 

The film explores a closeted gay man’s inner and outer worlds and the spiritual encounter that guides him to self-acceptance. To capture this duality, I portrayed the facade of the outer world as a hazy torso covered in colored signs, a detail from the film reminiscent of War Kong Wai’s Hong Kong aesthetic. Meanwhile, the true inner world rests within the chest near the heart and is rendered with clarity. The gestures of the hands and the poses of the characters exude a solemn peacefulness that balances the violence of the knife and blood. Through this act of sacrifice, the protagonist is liberating his inner self.

Film Response:

“请告诉我故事。。。”

Visceral is the word that surfaces on my tongue as I watch “兔儿神”.  Sounds and sights so evocative that I am enveloped by the film. Not only emotions but senses 火、 水、 烟、 刀、血 establish the space around me. Unburdened by exposition, 而且没有多聊天儿的压力，我感觉这个故事。

Mirroring the contrast of red and green is the contrast between the protagonist's outer and inner worlds. Saturated colors blur together in a haze reminiscent of 王家卫的电影that drapes over reality like a veil. In contrast, the inner world, where truth resides, is clear and sharp.

Hand-held cameras capture the chaos of the restaurant with fast cuts and jerking, sharp turns that left me with whiplash. Such techniques yanked me into the protagonist’s experience: 没有空，没有休息，没有感想。 Anxiety and stress rapidly flooded the space, only to dissipate with an abrupt entrance into the protagonist’s dreams. 

“没东西可以怕。你可以城边自己的住。”

So quiet, so sensitive. Almost eerie, almost empty. A void that feels both expansive and intimate at once - the inner self. Rather than silence, an echoing, pulsing, electronic hum simmers around the space. A caressing whisper of inner thoughts, infused with 耐心、通达、和沉痛。Each glimpse of the inner world 感觉好像心在等爱。

Citations:

Film: “Kiss of the Rabbit God” directed by Andrew Thomas Huang