Soundless Wind Chime

By: Scott Cranin
In-House Review - Dec 21 2011

Spare, elegant and moving, the love story of Pascal and Ricky has been woven into this gorgeous tapestry of a film.

Told through flashbacks and memories, the emotionally rich, Soundless Wind Chime tells of the journey of Ricky, searching for his own lost soul and discovering the past of his Swiss lover, Pascal. With the love story as the central anchor of the film there are other fragments swirling around that make for a perfect, completed puzzle. While this sounds confusing, the film is so gracefully constructed by writer/director Kit Hung, it all works. Ricky is Chinese and Pascal, Swiss. Their love story is told in English, as that's the language they spoke. Pascal was rough street trade; his abusive boyfriend sent him to the streets to pick pockets. Tiring of his creepy partner, Pascal flees their seedy apartment. At a street café he meets a very shy Ricky, a waiter. Breaking through Ricky's private nature, their shared attraction took hold. Their relationship was marred by jealous spats, punctuated by intensely passionate lovemaking. Shot with an intimacy and intelligence seldom seen in an indie, Soundless Wind Chime is a superb debut feature from Kit Hung; one that will open new doors for all those open to its pleasures.

By: Night Tim

By: chromo.man

This film is not for everyone. It moves slowly and has multiple settings and a fractured timeline that makes it not always clear the "who, what, when and where" of the scenes we are viewing. Part of the story concerns a sort of quest, and that is what watching this film may feel like. Yes, we do care about these characters and the situation they are in, but we may not understand them, and sitting through to the end may be our quest for that understanding. While the production values and acting are fine, the film is ultimately not well-enough crafted to clearly guide us to a successful result of our quest. (Then again, it might be worth a second look.)

2 1/2 stars

By: Amos Lassen

"Soundless Wind Chime"

Memories and Imagination

Amos Lassen

Watch for TLA Releasing's "Soundless Wind Chime". It is the story of Ricky who leaves Hong Kong for Switzerland to find the lost soul and the past of his dead lover, Pascal. He faces a struggle of memories, reality and illusion on his dreamlike journey.
When someone that we love dies, most of us try to find connections to them in different ways. We may speak to them and hope they answer; we may visit places where they were and touch those belongings they left behind; we may get a wind chime that will ring when their souls come back to visit. We are aware that they are dead but it is very difficult to let go and we want to be in touch with them. When Ricky's wind chime does not ring, he has to accept Pascal's death no matter how much he misses him.
There is an attempt to blur the boundaries of reality, memories and imagination. There is contrast that shows the distance between Ricky and Pascal. With a soundtrack that is mesmerizing and hypnotic, the movie plays like a dream. It is a soul seeking journey that Ricky needs to take. Director Kit Hung shows us the tumultuous love affair between Ricky, a young Chinese man who is poor and works as a delivery boy and Pascal, a German-Swiss, who supports himself by stealing. The two lovers meet by chance and soon get an apartment together and it is there that they share their passion until the tragedy of Pascal's death leaves Ricky isolated. His brief flirtation with happiness sends him to Switzerland to find some kind of connection to his dead lover. He cannot escape the ghost of the past.
The film is beautifully photographed and shows us magic in the name of love. Granted the film at times seems to be quite heavy, it is not just a movie, it is an experience.