July 27th: Go Back To China (FILM) and PolyMars X ScoreSpace Jam (Day 2)

Today was not bad.

Today I watched a film called Go Back To China. It's about a spoiled girl who gets cut off from her trust fund and is forced to go help her father at his factory. Through this experience, family bond and self character improves. I think the film delves into stereotypes, but also points out glaring problems in Asian countries. It also supports the stereotypical Asian (Chinese, to be specific) father character, who is extremely strict and blunt. However, this film really has lots of large character changes that made me feel very connected to the characters. Sasha, the spoiled girl, turns from someone who wanted to make me stop watching the film, to a respectable girl, who works hard and learned the value of familial bond, sacrifice, and hard work. The change is very beautiful and seeing someone grow like that is interesting to see. The character shift of her father is also uplifting to see.  He turns from the typical strict father, to someone who learns to appreciate and prioritize family, and to be kinder to people in life. The acting really proved to present two different characters in a single person; One prior to growth and one after growth. The growth in relationships and personalities is heartwarming.

I have some criticism about the film though. For one, the resolution is absolutely random. Sasha was able to fix his father's relationship with the toy manufacturer because her friend just happened to be friends with the mom of a famous toy reviewer. What is that resolution? I find that to be the most random, rarest event that could save this movie! Frankly, I find it to be only imaginative. The speech of the children of the father was also a little weird. I felt like the conversation they had with the father was weirdly translated, overly formal, despite every conversation being in a casual setting. I felt the accent was also a little exaggerated and over-expressed. I felt that it took some immersion out of the film, especially because of the frequent use of it.

Something interesting I noticed about the film was the camerawork. I believe it's intentional so that there is a more interpersonal feel. It's a little shakier, like someone is holding the camera. I just think it was a little weird, but honestly the camera quirk isn't really important, nor did it contribute to much. I think it was overused though.

I also worked on my game jam submission for the PolyMars X ScoreSpace Game Jam. This time, I actually have a collection of all of the updates I've been doing along the way, along with planning papers! So hopefully I have enough to actually make a development/behind the scenes video of it. I think I'm 10% done with the artwork, 45% done with the mechanics, but 100% done with the planning. Hopefully I finish everything tomorrow! I hope homework doesn't get in the way though.

Thanks for reading,
Issac