Review of The Secret Life of Words (2005) by Jinfang N — 28 Jan 2008

This movie touched my heart quietly. Somehow a video appeared in my brain when I think about this movie. In a rainy and damp day, I sit on a stool in front of my house (my old village house back when I was a child).

I watch the rain, listening to the quite sound of raindrops hitting tree leaves, and thinking about my life. This movie is like a Chinese ancient poem, it tells the stories of traumatic souls, but in a tone with only slight sadness.

"Melancholy", may be that is the right word. I love Josef, who doesn't. He has sunny personality and heart. He jokes even when his body was seriously damaged. About Hanna, instead of showing sympathy, I would like to say she is lucky in meeting Josef, who changed her fate.

Just like Hanna, many other people did not make any mistakes causing their tragedies. But their soul and hope are destroyed by the tragedies. With traumatic memories, even though they work hard, being nice to people, only because they are unhappy, people disdain them, isolate them, laugh at them��.

Many Chinese would know the story of â??Xiang Lin Saoâ??, a poor woman. Her only fault is that she repeats her tragic story again and again. And finally not only her hope, but also her life was eaten away by her tragedy.