Beijing Bicycle (2001)

A seventeen-year-old country boy working in Beijing as a courier has his bicycle stolen, and finds it with a schoolboy his age.

Director:

Xiaoshuai Wang

Writers:

Peggy Chiao, Hsiao-Ming Hsu

Stars:

Lin Cui, Xun Zhou, Bin Li

2 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lin Cui	...	Guo Liangui (as Cui Lin)
Bin Li	...	Jian
Xun Zhou	...	Qin
Yuanyuan Gao	...	Xiao
Shuang Li	...	Da Huan
Yiwei Zhao	...	Father
Yan Pang	...	Mother
Fangfei Zhou	...	Rongrong
Jian Xie	...	Manager
Yuhong Ma	...	Accountant
Guancheng Liu	...	Mantis (as Lei Liu)
Mengnan Li	...	Qiu Sheng
Jian Li	...	Jian's Classmate
Yang Zhang	...	Jian's Classmate
Yuzhong Wang	...	Jian's Classmate

Storyline

Beijing: young men in packs, machismo, class divisions, violence, and indifference. Guei arrives from the country: toothbrushes, hotel foyers, and Qin, a rich neighbor in high heels, dazzle him. He gets a job as a messenger. The company issues him a bike, which he must pay for out of his wages. When it is stolen, Guei hunts for it. A student, Jian, has it; for him, it's the key to teen society - with his pals and with Xiao, a girl he fancies. Guei finds the bike and stubbornly tries to reclaim it in the face of great odds. But for Jian to lose the bike would mean humiliation. The two young men - and the people around them - are swept up in the youths' desperation.

---

Plot Keywords:

hotel | courier | student | boy | messenger | 

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some violence and brief nudity

Did You Know?

Trivia

Despite winning the Jury Grand Prix at the Berlin Film Festival, the film was banned in China. The ban was later lifted in 2004.

User Reviews

Almost there...

A bit irritating at times and certainly not a regular fare even for those used to Asian movies. The story revolves around ideas of going up the social ladder... about how material goods can change your status, and what can happen due to greed.

The main character a peasant from the countryside finds himself in the "wild" urban enviroment and all its impersonal aggresiveness. The big city is unforgiving. The way the main characters tend to react to otherwise incredibly hard situations with silence sure is different from western standards.

Overall a beautiful movie with some very good scenes... still slow at times and could have been better 7 in 10.

Details

Official Sites:

Pyramide [France] (French) sonyclassics.com [United States]

Country:

France Taiwan China

Language:

Mandarin

Release Date:

25 April 2001 (France)

Also Known As:

Beijing Bicycle

Filming Locations:

Beijing, China

Box Office

Gross USA:

$66,131

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$215,854

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pyramide Productions, Arc Light Films, Public Television Service Foundation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Fujicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1