One of the most surprising movies of the Fantasia Film
Festival was “The Rooftop” by Jay Chou. You don’t really know what to expect
from a Mandarin musical (especially if it’s your first time seeing one), but in
my case, I was blown away. Maybe it’s because of how crazy I get when someone
mentions “The West Side Story” or “Moulin Rouge”, and this piece was indeed
reminiscent of these two.
The movie is set in a fantasy world named Galillee City.
This imaginary city is divided into two communities, one on the Rooftop and the
other on the ground. As one might expect one has more power than the other, and
we do find ourselves in a story of class divide. The Rooftop inhabitants are
poor but happy people, that look at life from a very positive perspective.
While the ground population has the power, but suffers the vicissitudes of
rampant corruption as the rich mainly inhabit it. The Rooftop has a view of a
billboard featuring a rising star named Starling, who is also the dream girl of
our main protagonist Wax, played by the director himself Jay Chou. By chance
Wax gets to meet his dream girl and befriend her, but their love precipitates a
battle over power and money, which gradually turns into an all-out feud between
the Rooftop and the ground.
By now it should have become obvious that the plot resembles
The West Side Story’s. While the
mise-en-scene and cinematography, as well as the camera movements provide you
with beautiful imagery similar to the one on display in Moulin Rouge.
This beautiful musical has something to offer for any type
of viewer. Action, music, drama and romance meet in an exhilarating clash of
color and lights. A strong recommendation, sober or less.
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