MyRating: YYY1/2Director: Li Yu
Cast: Sylvia Chang, Fan Bingbing, Chen Po Lin, Fei Long
True friendship is the most blessed thing in the world. Life may get so difficult, but with true friends around to share the burdens, there should not be a problem that is too difficult to overcome, if not to be casted away. This refreshing friendship was depicted beautifully in this art-house movie by Li Yu, a Chinese controversial female director, whose 2007 film Lost in Beijing was being banned in China due to its gratuitous sex contents.
Three best friends, living carefree and reckless lives in the city of Chengdu, China, find that their friendship may be the only thing matters the most in their aimless lives. Ding Bo (Chen Po Lin) hates and blames his father for his mother's death, and the fact that his father will get remarried again makes Ding Bo hate him even more. Nan Feng (Fan Bingbing), a beautiful young girl who sings at a bar in the town, comes from a disfunctional family with a history of alcoholism and domestic violence. While Fei Zao (Fei Long) is often bullied by other people all his life due to his overweight body, that makes him an easy target to be mocked. But no matter what, they stick together and back up one another, whether to accompany Ding Bo to his father unwanted marriage, or to help Nan Feng out when she needs a lot of money, or to face gang members who bullying Fei Zao.
When they decide to move from their houses and find a new place to live by their own, they rent a room in an apartment and share the place with the owner, a widowed and retired Chinese opera singer Chang Yue Qin (Sylvia Chang), who is still mourning for the recent death of her son. But soon they start a conflict with the landlady due to their different lifestyles, as the three youngsters are more of night creatures who are still hanging around in the pubs pass midnight, while Mrs. Chang has a routine hour to practice singing her opera vocal out loud early every morning, at the time they are practically still sleeping. Only after when they start to know each other well, and the three friends help Mrs. Chang to overcome her anguish towards her deceased son, they can start to appreciate one another and become friends. And a journey together to Buddha Mountain, where they help to rebuild a damaged temple after the Chengdu earthquake, their friendships with Mrs. Chang bonds stronger, and the three friends also start to learn the real meaning of life.
It's always interesting to watch a human drama, where the not so perfect humans are put in a not so perfect world, with their real and perfect problems. And this movie told the fact of real life that is not always sweet. Each character has his or her own pitiful background, and all of them are trying to escape and forget their problems, even trying not to think of their uncertain futures, whether they realize it or not. But the one thing they have, that others may feel jealous, is their strong friendships. This is what I like the most about this movie. It's a joy to watch this three friends took the adventures walking aside the railway tracks and across the hanging bridge with river deep down below. Or when they hitchhiked on a freight train, shouting in the air while the train travels across mountains and tunnels, like there are no problems at all in the world. Let loose yourself and just scream. Today is today, and the world is us, and only us with the world.
There are many quiet moments with camera shooting only close-up to the faces of the characters, including when the trio shouting on the freight train, sometimes with no sounds but only the music scores, trying to grab the essense of youth and the joys that they express. Also when the scene where Chen Po Lin and Fan Bingbing swimming together with many long takes under water. All these make the movie looks artistic (this movie actually won the Best Artistic Contribution Award at the 23rd Tokyo International Film Festival). However, the use of too many close-ups with the shaky moving camera takes may not be comfortable for the audiences who watch it. For most moviegoers, this movie may also be felt boring because of its rather slow pace. The story also did not like the usual commercial movie where everything run fast with high intensity conflicts, this movie has many static and quiet moments, in order to give you time to enjoy the beauty and think about life.
All the actors acted pretty natural, with the highlight given to the senior actress Sylvia Chang, who gave a solid performance as the grieving landlady with an anger inside, that may tear her apart. Her interactions with the three youngsters were fun to watch. The very beautiful actress Fan Bingbing also gave quite an interesting performance here. Not exactly outstanding, but we can see how she tried to show that she is not only beautiful face. This may excite her fans, she has at least a couple of long-take kiss scenes in this movie, including the long kiss scenes with Chen Po Lin, and a kiss scene with a girl, with blood flowing down her face, when she challenged the gang members who bullied Fei Zao. Chen Po Lin and Fei Long also acted well in playing their characters.
There are many quiet moments with camera shooting only close-up to the faces of the characters, including when the trio shouting on the freight train, sometimes with no sounds but only the music scores, trying to grab the essense of youth and the joys that they express. Also when the scene where Chen Po Lin and Fan Bingbing swimming together with many long takes under water. All these make the movie looks artistic (this movie actually won the Best Artistic Contribution Award at the 23rd Tokyo International Film Festival). However, the use of too many close-ups with the shaky moving camera takes may not be comfortable for the audiences who watch it. For most moviegoers, this movie may also be felt boring because of its rather slow pace. The story also did not like the usual commercial movie where everything run fast with high intensity conflicts, this movie has many static and quiet moments, in order to give you time to enjoy the beauty and think about life.
All the actors acted pretty natural, with the highlight given to the senior actress Sylvia Chang, who gave a solid performance as the grieving landlady with an anger inside, that may tear her apart. Her interactions with the three youngsters were fun to watch. The very beautiful actress Fan Bingbing also gave quite an interesting performance here. Not exactly outstanding, but we can see how she tried to show that she is not only beautiful face. This may excite her fans, she has at least a couple of long-take kiss scenes in this movie, including the long kiss scenes with Chen Po Lin, and a kiss scene with a girl, with blood flowing down her face, when she challenged the gang members who bullied Fei Zao. Chen Po Lin and Fei Long also acted well in playing their characters.
The change in the relationship between Ding Bo and Nan Feng from best friend to become lover was not explored good enough though, it felt too sudden, as suddenly they became lover. But the change in the relationship was what the audiences may expect. The ending also turned to be a bit fairy tale, as I don't think the film has prepared us enough to accept what we have to accept in the end. The ending may force us to reflect about life and death. I enjoyed and liked this movie as much as I enjoyed the beauty that the film offered. It's a moving movie with heartwarming friendships. (MJ)
