Unknown Pleasures (2002)
"Ren xiao yao" (original title)

Two unemployed Chinese teenagers have trouble resisting the temptations of the Western world.

Director:

Zhangke Jia

Writer:

Zhangke Jia

Stars:

Wei Wei Zhao, Qiong Wu, Tao Zhao

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Wei Wei Zhao	...	Bin Bin
Qiong Wu	...	Xiao Ji
Tao Zhao	...	Qiao Qiao
Qing Feng Zhou	...	Yuan Yuan
Hongwei Wang	...	Xiao Wu
Ru Bai	...	Bin Bin's mother
Xi An Liu	...	Xiao Ji's father
Shou Lin Xu	...	Sister Zhu
Ren Ai Jun	...	Hairdresser
Dao Xiao	...	Mr. Ren
Zi Ying	...	Concubine
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Zhubin Li	...	Qiao San
Ai Jun Ren	...	The Hairdresser
Limin Wang	...	The Karaoke Customer (as Wang Li Min)

Storyline

Two unemployed slackers, neither with job prospects nor motivation, hang out in sheltered town in China trying to make sense of their aimless and uncertain futures. As youths, they struggle for individual freedom and the social responsibility that comes along with it.

---

Plot Keywords:

china | youth | haircut | bus | rain | 

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

---

Details

Country:

South Korea France Japan China

Language:

Mandarin English

Release Date:

22 January 2003 (France)

Also Known As:

Unknown Pleasures

Filming Locations:

Datong, Shanxi, China

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$1,918 (USA) (4 April 2003)

Gross:

$8,103 (USA) (4 April 2003)

Company Credits

Production Co:

E-Pictures, Hu Tong Communications, Lumen Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min 113 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mandarin title refers to a song by Richie Ren

---

Connections

References Pickpocket (1997)

User Reviews

Gritty but boring

I saw this film at the IFP LA Film Festival on June 16, 2003. It started out pretty well, but became aimless and sort of meandered. I couldn't root for any of the characters. The background of economically depressed mainland China is interesting, but only for a while. After half an hour, I wanted characters I cared about, but this movie didn't have any. It's not that the young actors weren't talented, it's just that the script was anti-climatic and didn't leave me wanting more, I just wanted the movie to end.