Ren xiao yao (2002)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Zhang Ke Jia

Writer:

Zhang Ke Jia (writer)

Release Date:

22 January 2003 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Youth | China | Bus | Disenchantment | Provincial

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

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:
Ai Jun Ren	...	The Hairdresser
Limin Wang	...	The Karaoke Customer (as Wang Li Min)

Also Known As:

Ao no inazuma (Japan)
Plaisirs inconnus (France)
Unknown Pleasures (International: English title)

Runtime:

France:113 min (Cannes Film Festival) | Japan:112 min

Country:

South Korea | France | Japan | China

Language:

Mandarin | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

UK:12A

Filming Locations:

Datong, Shanxi, China

Company:

E-Pictures

Trivia:

Mandarin title refers to a song by Richie Ren

Movie Connections:

References Tin seung yan gaan (1999)

Artistic, Compelling, & Existential

The story begins with an outline of the mundaneness of the lives and future of two Chinese youths, and progresses into showing in a short amount of time just how much their lives and personal situations change; dealing with unemployment, troublesome love lives and coming into their own a beautiful story unfolds.

With allusions to the film Pulp Fiction throughout and a recurring song that touches the heart, with solid performances by all of the actors (especially Zhao Tao) it was a very good film. My only criticism is at times the story can be slow, though overall the story is far more interesting than one sees in normal cinema.

The film was particularly strong in the simplistic nature of the film-making itself, with nothing ever over-the-top. It aimed to tell the situation as how it really is, and to tell life like how it really is, not some sort of Hollywoodized conception of life. The artistic reflection that was put into the film shows a great and amazing depth to it that is often hard to find.

Overall, a great film my Jia Zhang-ke. The feelings of hopelessness that he is able to make oneself feel make this a must-see for anyone who enjoys sad cinema and existentialism, and is interested in the struggles of youth and issues of modernization and globalization.