Warm and whimsical films in April's SZ Art Film Screening

With increased spring rainfall, we enter April and the Shenzhen Art Film Screening project has selected three light-hearted English-language movies, four Chinese and two Japanese movies with cheap tickets for designated screenings at the Broadway Cinematheque this month.

                   “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris”

If you’re looking for a feel-good story, “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris” is a must-watch. Set in the 1950s, the movie revolves around a London cleaning lady who falls in love with Dior haute couture and decides to have one of her own. It’s an inspiring story in which dreams come true, and the wardrobe of the entire film is nothing short of astonishing.

                   “A Man Called Otto” 

“A Man Called Otto,” starring Tom Hanks, promises to be intriguing. The movie follows the story of a grumpy widower who is very set in his ways. When a lively young family moves in next door, he meets his match, and a friendship will turn his world around.

                “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile”

“Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile” is bound to make everyone smile. Starring Javier Bardem, the live-action/CGI movie depicts Lyle — a singing crocodile who loves baths, caviar and great music — living in the attic of a house in New York City.

The most anticipated Chinese movie in April is “Journey to the West,” a whimsical story of a science fiction magazine editor who searches for signs of alien civilization in the Chinese countryside. Sharing the same title with the 16th-century Chinese classic, the 2021 movie directed by Kong Dashan is not a story about the Monkey King, but about a modern Odyssey by a generation of idealists.

The movie shot in a mockumentary style combines the vintage aesthetic of realism by collaging footage of VHS images and old TV broadcasting images. With comic side plots, emotional depth and spiritual enlightenment, the movie has received an 8.5 out of 10 rating on Chinese reviewing website Douban.

                “The Cord of Life”

Other films included in the project in April are “The Cord of Life,” “To Be Continued” and “Tale of the Night” from China and “Suzume” and “Just Remembering” from Japan.

Hosted by the Publicity Department of the Shenzhen Municipal Committee of the CPC, the Shenzhen Art Film Screening project selects quality films for local moviegoers monthly, aiming to fuel the progress of art films and support outstanding young filmmakers.

As part of the project, moviegoers can watch the movies for 20 yuan (US$2.9) each in designated screenings at the Broadway Cinematheque. This weekend, they have the opportunity to join a talk with Qiao Sixue, director of “The Cord of Life,” at 1:30 p.m. April 8 to know more about creative ideas in the film and behind-the-scenes stories.

The movie follows an Inner Mongolian electronic musician who accompanies his mother with Alzheimer’s disease back to the grassland to spend their last moments together. The musician uses a red rope to connect himself and his mother to prevent her from getting lost in the journey, and the rope symbolizes the umbilical cord, the lifeline that connects a fetus to its mother.

Ticketing: WeChat miniprogram “百老汇影城”

Venue: Broadway Cinematheque, 5/F, MixC World, Nanshan District (深圳万象天地五楼深圳百老汇电影中心)

Metro: Line 1 to Hi-tech Park Station (高新园站), Exit A