The Drummer

“The powerful vibration of the drum can awaken a man’s soul.”

I had a chance to hear a drum team play for a local venue last year and the vibrations from the beat of the drums thundered so powerfully throughout the room that you could  literally could feel the vibrations penetrate your body.  It was intense and electrifying to the point you had to remind yourself  to breathe.

Having experienced such a performance was one of the things that drew me to this movie.

“The Drummer” is about a young man named Sid from Hong Kong who plays the drums for a rock band in the evenings.  His father, a local gang leader with a mean streak, tries to get Sid out of trouble after Sid is caught sleeping with the  rival gang leaders mistress.

His father sends him away to hide out in the outskirts of Taiwan which is where he stumbles upon some  Zen Buddhist drummers practicing for a performance.  It is here that he finds his peace and his purpose.

The movie did have its imperfections, and there were a few violent scenes, however, the drum scenes which included drummers from Taiwan’s U-Theatre,  made up for any imperfections as there energy was above and beyond shear exhilaration.

Title: The Drummer

Director: Kenneth Bi

Writer: Kenneth Bi

Starring: Jaycee Chan

Genre: Independent Film/Drama/Film Movement

Language: Mandarin / Cantonese

Released: 2007