From the title, you can guess Wu Na’s Song and Moon is about romance. If your knowledge of putonghua and Chinese minorities is up to speed, you’ll also pick up on the film’s Chinese title, Xing Ge Zuo Yue (行歌坐月), which refers to a set of ancient customs of non-verbal communication of young women and men of the ethnic Dong minority.

The film starts out with the peaceful chanting of a Dong man amidst the lush, natural scenery of his village in Guizhou. This fresh green landscape is present throughout the film, and Wu Na’s focus on the gorgeous landscape highlights the contrast between the outside world and the village.

Wu Na is a young director (born in 1987), and majored in English. Her other identity, though, is that of a Dong girl from the Rong Jiang River area. Her passion for the customs and rituals of her hometown led her to create this film tribute, but the storyline is rather incomplete. The film follows two romances: that of Xing and her man Fei, and Xing’s married aunt Lian and Lian’s ex-boyfriend Shi. According to Dong tradition, a young man can approach a young woman he is interested in by bringing a musical instrument to her house and playing while she sits and does needlework. The young man expresses his love in song, and she in the things that she sews for him. But, as Wu Na shows, young people are increasingly drawn towards the bright lights of China’s big cities.

The storytelling is contrived, but the film maintains a pleasing rhythm. On the surface, it’s a delicate romance, but it is also a story of eroding traditions in the face of development. ¥40.

DETAILS

What: Song and Moon

Where: Broadway Cinematheque Moma

When: Fri., Jan. 6, Wed., Jan. 11 and Sun., Jan. 15, 7:30pm

Tel: 8438-8258 ext. 8008