Doomed Romance in Films: From ‘Brief Encounter’ to ‘In The Mood For Love’

The short flings. The adventurous rendezvous of couples entranced with an inescapable desire for romance—but with a twist. Both sides are married, they have signed themselves into society’s most powerful and binding agreement of a monogamous relationship. However, there is a mighty and persuasive dilemma; their love for each other is as true as everything […]

Meaning in Architecture: Why, Why Not A Face?

“Whether it be the sweeping eagle in his flight, or the open apple-blossom, the toiling work-horse, the blithe swan, the branching oak, the winding stream at its base, the drifting clouds, over all the coursing sun, form ever follows function, and this is the law. Where function does not change, form does not change. The […]

Bengawan Solo: How an Indonesian folk song became the post-WWII Asian Zeitgeist

My first viewing of Wong Kar-Wai’s deeply melancholic In The Mood for Love (2000) was also the first time I’ve heard of Bengawan Solo in a foreign film or any foreign media for that matter. It was odd and surprising. I was completely ignorant of the influence this local Indonesian folk song had overseas before […]

Casa Poli: the distant cube in Chile’s Coliumo Peninsula

(This essay is a ‘case study’ type of essay that includes self authored graphical analyses) Context Located in the Coliumo peninsula of Chile, Casa Poli is a residence designed by Mauricio Pezo & Sofia von Ellrichshausen—principals of their established firm Pezo von Ellrichshausen—that sits heroically, yet solitarily atop a dramatic cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean’s […]

Chungking Express: The Midnight Gloom and The Unpredictability of Existence

There are a lot of things in common between He Zhiwu (Takeshi Kaneshiro) and Cop 663 (Tony Leung Chiu-wai), the two main characters from the two split parts of Wong Kar-Wai’s sui generis Chungking Express. The most obvious similarity being their profession as a police officer living their lives in Hong Kong’s underbelly. But the […]

What is Broadly Specific?

Broadly Specific is a compendium of ideas and creativity from contributors who are passionate about a diverse range of subject. As the name suggests, we do not like to tie ourselves down to one niche but rather allow ourselves the flexibility of being able to write about everything while analyzing one specific unique thing about […]

Our Writers

Website Instagram: @broadly_specific Founder and writer : @bondansyamsu (Bondan) Co-founder, editor, and writer: @vimaaala (Troy) Writers: Geraldine: @tangeraldines