11th Singapore Short Cuts (1st Weekend Highlights): Ben, Orbits, The Sri Lanka Diaries, Corners
You should watch this if: You're a fan of authenticity in your travelogues. "Sri Lanka Diaries" was shot by Jingliang entirely on her iPhone, guerrilla-style, as she travelled with a friend through Sri Lanka. But she did not intend from the beginning to make a film for the public eye. The result is a personal gift to her travel companion, cobbled together from her footage and recorded conversations with native guides and fellow travellers. Experience, through this film, a sliver of contemporary Sri Lanka: ochre dirt paths, distant glimpses of Mt Everest, couples steadying each other on a crowded railroad train. Listen in, too, on an intimate voiceover conversation at the film's end, when Jingliang shares some of her difficulties working on an earlier thesis film and reflects on her ethic as a director.
Avoid this if: You like your films briskly cut. "Sri Lanka Diaries" meanders as much as Jingliang & co. probably travelled, and a tighter edit might have yielded a more consistently engaging experience for the viewer. (View the entire film)
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Martin Hong
Writer: Colin Low
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