In my quest to find more films by Japanese filmmaker Takashi Miike, I stumbled upon a messageboard talking about each user's favorite Miike movie. An oft echoed answer was The Bird People in China. Quite an odd title, considering Miike's filmography. It was a bitch trying to find a copy but when I finally did, I left it to simmer on my hard drive for well over 4 years. I finally watched it just the other day and I am left mildly entertained.
The story revolves around the idea of traveling to new places and exploring exotic locales. It romanticizes the entire idea of travel. Maybe that's why so many of us want to travel, it's a chance to get out our ruts. The impetus for change might just be a change of scenery.
There is something quite compelling about the idea of foreign love. How often have we entertained the possibility that we just might meet our special someone abroad? They say that communication is the basis of all relationships, so how does foreign love work if you can't communicate verbally? There are other forms of communication whether it be sign language, gestures, or some physical expression of love, but it's quite hard to discuss the particulars and complexities of a culture you don't quite understand. Perhaps its the simplicity that intrigues us. There's no need for such prattling things as politics or religion. It's a love based on the irrationality of love.
For some, the foreign and exotic is a thing that repulses, but for others, its a thing that attracts. Just ask the Japanese, they always dig on Americans.
How two people can connect from two completely different worlds is a beautiful thing. I wonder if I someday experience it for myself?
