Turning Red

 

Directed by Domee Shi and screenplay by Shi and Julia Cho from a story by Shi, Cho, and Sarah Streicher, Turning Red is the story of a Chinese-Canadian teenage girl who turns into a red panda due to a hereditary curse she has inherited from her family as it plays into her growing pains as well as trying to defy the ideas of expectations from her mother. The film is a coming-of-age animated film that follows a young girl who experiences growing pains as she enters into an age where many things change for her in the most unexpected ways as well as coping with the curse she’s inherited from her family. Featuring the voices of Rosalie Chiang, Sandra Oh, Ava Morse, Hyein Park, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Orion Lee, Wai Ching Ho, Tristan Allerick Chen, and James Hong. Turning Red is a majestic and exhilarating film from Domee Shi.

Set in 2002 Toronto, the film revolves around a thirteen-year old Chinese-Canadian girl who experiences growing pains as it leads to becoming a red panda with her mother trying to stop the curse from happening at a worst possible time as it plays into expectations and identity for this young girl. It is a film that does play into this young girl coming of age as her issues is sort of a metaphor about young women having their periods when it is really about a relationship between this young girl and her strict and overprotective mother. The film’s screenplay by Domee Shi and Julia Cho is set during a time period when teen-pop music was still hot with teenage girls being into boy-bands with this Chinese-Canadian girl in Meilin “Mei” Lee (Rosalie Chiang) is someone torn with not just pleasing her mother Ming (Sandra Oh) but also wanting to do things other teenage girls do as she and her three fans are big fans of this boy-band known as 4*Town while gaining an attraction for boys.

Ming would discover drawings Mei made over a young convenience store clerk as she would embarrass Mei as it would lead to a dream involving red pandas as Mei would discover herself as a red panda the next morning. For Mei, it comes at the worst time as Ming would discover this and reveal she went through the same thing but claims to have a cure for it as a ritual would be performed on the day of a red moon lunar eclipse. Mei’s friends would discover Mei as a red panda but accepts her problems as they would support her until a game of dodgeball where an antagonistic classmate gets her angry as she becomes the red panda much to the delight of a lot of her classmates who thinks she is the cutest thing. Mei and her friends would use the red panda as a way to raise money to buy concert tickets to see 4*Town while not revealing anything to Ming as the concert is a week before the red moon lunar eclipse yet Ming’s mother/Mei’s grandmother Wu (Wai Ching Ho) is set to arrive in Toronto for the ritual with Mei’s aunts as well where a lot of revelations are unveiled. Even as it play into Ming’s own experiences as the red panda and her own relationship with her mother forcing Mei to make decisions for herself and what she wants.

Shi’s direction is definitely full of lively visuals and lavish presentation as it is set in 2002 Toronto during a lively time in popular culture as it relates to the music teenagers were listening to. Even as there’s a lot of attention to detail in Shi’s direction as it relates to the people living in Toronto as there’s not just Asians but also people of Indian/Pakistani/Punjab descendants, Koreans, African-Canadians, and many others where it is this community where everyone lives together and interact where Mei helps her parents run one of the few Chinese temples in the city. With the aid of animation supervisors Aaron J. Hartline and Patty Kihm as well as production designer Rona Liu, with art directors Jason Deamer, Carlos Felipe Leon Ortiz, Laura Meyer, and Kristian Norelius, in bringing a lot of attention to detail on the look of the Lee’s family temple and the places in and around Toronto. The city is a key character in the film as it play into Mei’s own growth as well as this sense of conflict over doing everything to please the parents or to follow your heart.

Shi’s direction does have a lot of wide shots that often feature shots of CN Tower in the background as well as the Rogers Centre (then known as the SkyDome) with the latter being the centerpiece of the film where 4*Town is to perform. There are some unique close-ups and medium shots that Shi creates in the animation as it plays into Mei’s emotional mood swings such as the moment she discovers she became a red panda as well as her mother’s reaction. The film’s third act relates to not just the ritual that would free Mei from her red panda persona but also this concert that she and her friends want to go to as it plays into a conflict that Mei goes through. Even as there’s revelations about her mother and her own complicated relationship with Mei’s grandmother as it culminates with this moment of a young girl trying to understand her mother and the pressures of a child having to do whatever they can to live their own life but also to please their parents. Overall, Shi crafts a riveting and intoxicating film about a young girl dealing with growing pains by turning into a red panda.

Cinematographers Mahyar Abousaeedi and Jonathan Pytko do amazing work with the film’s cinematography in creating lighting schemes for some of the interior scenes at night as well as the look of the ritual for the film’s climax. Editors Nicholas C. Smith and Steve Bloom do excellent work with the editing in playing up some of the humor and action-inspired moments with some straightforward cuts as well as some stylistic moments. Visual effects supervisor Danielle Feinberg does nice work with the visual effects to help enhance the look of some of the sets as well as creating some effects for some of the filmed video stuff that Mei and her friends create. Sound designer Ren Klyce and co-sound editor Coya Elliott do brilliant work with the sound as it help play into the way music sounds from afar as well as the sound effects in Mei’s transformation into a red panda. The film’s music by Ludwig Goransson is incredible with its mixture of traditional Chinese instruments and orchestral elements to play into this clash of cultures while its music soundtrack features additional music from Destiny’s Child, DJ Casper, and a couple of Asian boy bands plus original songs by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell for the fictional group 4*Town that features vocals from O’Connell, Jordan Fisher, Josh Levi, Topher Ngo, and Grayson Villanueva as the group singing these songs in the style of early 2000s pop music as it is a highlight of the film.

The casting by Natalie Lyon and Kevin Reher is wonderful as it feature some notable small voice contributions from the quartet of Lori Tan Chinn, Lillian Lim, Sherry Cola, and Mia Tagano as Mei’s aunts, Lily Sanfelippo as a classmate in Stacy who is among the first who sees the red panda as she thinks it is cute, Sasha Roiz as one of Mei’s teachers in school, Addie Chandler as a convenience store clerk whom Mei and her friends have a crush on, Tristan Allerick Chen as a classmate named Tyler whom Mei and her friends aren’t fond of as he’s often antagonistic towards them, and James Hong in a terrific small voice role as a local elder in Mr. Gao who helps take part in the ritual as its shaman. Wai Ching Ho is fantastic as Mei’s grandmother/Ming’s mother Wu as a woman who is aware of what is going on with Mei while also trying to reconnect with Ming feeling that there’s unfinished business. Orion Lee is excellent as Mei’s father/Ming’s husband Jin as a man who is often quiet while understanding what is going on yet believes that Ming is expecting too much from Mei where he would discover something about Mei’s time as a red panda that would prove to be inspiring.

The trio of Hyein Park, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, and Ava Morse are amazing in their respective roles as the aggressive and energetic Korean-Canadian Abby Park, the mellow Indo-Canadian Priya Mangal, and the tomboyish Miriam Mendelsohn as Mei’s best friends who are big fans of 4*Town as they also help Mei with her dilemma despite the fact that Ming thinks they’re a bad influence. Sandra Oh is brilliant as Mei’s mother Ming as a woman who expects the best from her daughter but is also strict and overprotective where she slowly unravels over what Mei becomes as well as not letting Mei be herself. Finally, there’s Rosalie Chiang in an incredible voice performance as Meilin “Mei” Lee as a thirteen-year old Chinese-Canadian teenager who experiences growing pains in the form of a red panda whenever she gets really emotional as she doesn’t just deal with this new identity but also her own issues with her mother but also not wanting to go against her as it is a performance filled with energy and angst.

Turning Red is a phenomenal film from Domee Shi. Featuring a great ensemble voice cast, themes of growing pains and generational conflicts, dazzling visuals, and an amazing music score and soundtrack. The film isn’t just this compelling coming-of-age film that explores a young girl coming of age but also an exploration of the mother-daughter relationship and the expectations parents have towards their children that are overwhelming at times. In the end, Turning Red is a sensational film from Domee Shi.

Pixar Films: Toy Story - A Bug's Life - Toy Story 2 - (Monsters Inc.) – (Finding Nemo) – The Incredibles - Cars - Ratatouille - WALL-E - Up - Toy Story 3 - Cars 2 - Brave - Monsters University - Inside Out - The Good Dinosaur - (Finding Dory) – (Cars 3) – Coco (2017 film) - The Incredibles 2 - (Onward) – Soul (2020 film) - (Luca (2021 film)) – (Lightyear) – (Elemental (2023 film)) – Inside Out 2 - (Elio) – (Toy Story 5)

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First Cow

 

Based on the novel The Half Life by Jonathan Raymond, First Cow is the story of a loner who befriends a Chinese immigrant as they hope to strike it rich in the Oregon territory as they borrow milk from a cow that belongs to a rich landowner. Directed and edited by Kelly Reichardt and screenplay by Reichardt and Raymond as it explores two different men who try to create a new life in the 19th Century in the Oregon territory as they also try to do something for themselves. Starring John Magaro, Orion Lee, Toby Jones, Ewen Bremner, Scott Shepherd, Gary Farmer, Lily Gladstone, Alia Shawkat, and Rene Auberjonois. First Cow is a rapturous and evocative film from Kelly Reichardt.

Set in 1820 in the Oregon territory, the film revolves around a baker who meets a Chinese immigrant as they become friends as they hope to become rich upon encountering a cow that belongs to a rich landowner from Britain. It is a film with a simple premise as it plays into two men trying to create better lives in a land that was in the early stages of being explored while a rich landowner arrives with a cow that he wants to have as he awaits for another cow to create a cattle farm. The film’s screenplay by Jonathan Raymond and Kelly Reichardt does follow a straightforward narrative though it opens with a small scene set nearly 200 years later where a young woman (Alia Shawkat) is walking her dog as she finds a shallow grave as it leads to the story of these two men in the cook/baker Otis “Cookie” Figowitz (John Magaro) and King-Lu (Orion Lee) who befriend each other as they’re both outsiders in this expedition through the Oregon territory. The latter was hiding from the Russians after he killed one of them while the former is treated poorly by fur trappers as the two choose to work together and then meet this cow whom they would milk at night and make food to sell.

Reichardt’s direction is definitely ravishing in the simple compositions that she creates as she shoots the film on location in Oregon while presenting it in a 4:3 full-screen ratio format as it gives the film an intimate look. While there are some wide shots that Reichardt creates to get a look into the locations including the film’s opening sequence with the young woman walking her dog. Much of the film has Reichardt emphasizing on close-ups and medium shot to play into the intimacy while creating shots that do last long to get a sense of the location and what the characters are dealing with in their environment or in a certain situation. It adds to the dramatic suspense in some of the situations that include scenes of Cookie milking the cow while King-Lu is on a tree being a watchdog trying to see if anyone is going to show up. There is this suspense that emerges yet there is also peaceful in the way Cookie talks to this cow.

Also serving as the film’s editor where Reichardt aims for something straightforward in the editing, it adds to the way the film is paced where it is slow but only because time was slower then as it relates to how Cookie creates biscuit or how one walks to town from a house. It also play into this growing discomfort later in the film when the Chief Factor (Toby Jones) takes notice of Cookie and King-Lu’s small business as it leads to this meeting where the two are invited to his home as there is this tension emerging. Notably as it play into what Cookie and King-Lu are figuring out what to do next as they have these small ambitions to make a better life for themselves but there is that danger of being caught. Especially in what leads to that first scene of the woman with her dog finding this shallow grave as its ending is more about these two men contemplating their next move but also lost dreams they have for a new world for themselves. Overall, Reichardt crafts a mesmerizing and engaging film about a loner cook and a Chinese immigrant trying to start a new life with the help of a rich man’s cow in the early days of the Oregon territory.

Cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt does incredible work with the film’s cinematography with its emphasis on natural lighting and low-key colors to help maintain a realistic look and tone for the film as well as providing vibrant yet dark colors for some of the daytime exterior scenes. Production designer Anthony Gasparro, with set decorator Vanessa Knoll and art director Lisa Ward, does amazing work with the look of King-Lu’s shack as well as a local pub and the home of the Chief Factor. Costume designer April Napier does fantastic work with the costumes as it play into the period of the time with animal fur for some of the hunters as well as a refined suit that the Chief Factor wears.

Visual effects supervisor Chris Connolly does terrific work with some of the film’s minimal effects as it is mainly set-dressing for a few bits of the film. Sound designer Leslie Shatz does brilliant work with the sound in capturing the atmosphere of the locations as well as maintaining a sparse tone for some of the quieter moments of the film. The film’s music by William Tyler is excellent for its low-key folk based score with its usage of string music including guitars and violins to maintain the film’s somber tone.

The casting by Gayle Keller is superb as it feature some notable small roles from indie musician Stephen Malkamus as a fiddler, Dylan Smith as a fur hunter who berates Cookie early in the film, Gary Farmer as a native guest of the Chief Factor in Totillicum, Lily Gladstone as the Chief Factor’s native wife, Scott Shepherd as a military captain working with the Chief Factor, Ewen Bremner as one of the Chief Factor’s security officers in Lloyd, Alia Shawkat as a woman with a dog who finds the shallow grave in the film’s lone 21st Century scene, and Rene Auberjonois in one of his final film performances as a trader with a raven as he takes a liking to what Cookie and King-Lu have created.

Toby Jones is excellent as the Chief Factor as a British landowner who brings a cow to the Oregon territory as he hopes to make money on the land as he is amazed by what Cookie and King-Lu have created unaware of the source of its creation. Finally, there’s the duo of John Magaro and Orion Lee in great performances in their respective roles as Otis “Cookie” Figowitz and King-Lu as two different men who are outsiders that choose to do things their way to make a new life for themselves with Magaro as a cook who knows what to though he’s a loner while Lee maintains a calm approach to King-Lu as a man that knows how to sell things but also with ideas as Magaro and Lee have an amazing rapport together in just being two men who become friends all because they didn’t want to play by anyone’s rules.

First Cow is a phenomenal film from Kelly Reichardt featuring incredible leading performances from John Magaro and Orion Lee. Along with its understated look and tone, a simple yet engaging story, rich sound design, and a somber music score by William Tyler. The film isn’t just this fascinating story of friendship and small ambition but also a story of two men trying to do things their way during a time where everyone had a role to play on a land that is being discovered. In the end, First Cow is a sensational film from Kelly Reichardt.

Kelly Reichardt Films: River of Grass - Old Joy - Wendy & Lucy - Meek's Cutoff - Night Moves (2013 film) - Certain Women - Showing Up - The Auteurs #72: Kelly Reichardt

© thevoid99 2021