“Look, talent comes everywhere, but having something to say and a way to say it so that people listen to it, that’s a whole other bag. And unless you get out and you try to do it, you’ll never know”
- Jack in A Star is Born (2018).
It’s not the flowers on Valentine’s day that will make your partner love you, rather it is the little things that you do for them consistently, that you will be remembered for. In her lowest times, the main character Ally was able to receive encouragement from her partner Jack, and perhaps that was what gave her the confidence to share her talent with the world.
For those of us who watched the movie together at the last Dear Cinema event, we rooted for Ally and Jackson’s relationship, and deeply felt the full impact of the film’s ending. Yet within the tragedy, we found romance and nuances that we couldn’t wait to discuss with one another and our special guest, artist Luo Xi at the end.
During the discussion, we asked Luo Xi and the audience if they felt like there was anything Ally could have done more to help Jackson in return. There was an unanimous agreement that at the end of the day, one must be responsible for oneself, and thus no matter what Ally would’ve done, she would not be able to change her husband Jackson. Another audience member shared that she felt like Jackson chose to do what he did partially out of his love for Ally, that he knew his departure would lift a burden off of Ally’s shoulders.
At the end of the event, Dear Cinema transitioned into a Valentine’s “Draw and Meet” Social where guests had the chance to draw one another, chat more about the film they saw, and approach special guest and artist Luo Xi for a personalised portrait of their own.
Borne as a love letter to cinema, Dear Cinema is a serial film screening event where we aim to celebrate the power of story through the big screen. If you’re interested in joining our next event, please watch this space for more announcements.
Find out more about Luo Xi on his Instagram @losikaktus_art
Film Selection by Jasmine Xie
Creative Direction by Madina Imami
Hosting by Catherine Chan & Jasmine Xie
Chinese Copywriting by Molly Wu
English Copywriting by Jasmine Xie
Videography & Editing by Dima Veselov
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Women in Media Organiser Miatta Momoh
Cinker Organiser Lillian Wang