User Reviews

This is a wonderfully conceived first feature that explores the bleak lives of two young people, both modern day victims of the excesses of the cultural revolution and "globalization", who meet and become intimate. The most obvious reference point for me here were the films of John Cassavettes, the most famous neo-realist work of Rossellini and much of the best early work of the French new wave (Varda, Godard, Truffaut of the 400 Blows). The performances by the two leads, Wang Lingbo and Du Huanan are easily two of the best performances of this year. In fact, the amazing screen chemistry and inventiveness reminded me of the best moments of Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland's work in KLUTE. This is an amazing assured and accomplished low budget first feature, beautifully lensed with a 16 mm camera and then blown up

I am wonder if how many Chinese would have opportunity to watch this movie that made tears come to my eyes. I had never heard of the name of this film before i saw this film for the first time. but now i will strongly recommend this film to those who are concerning China and the people lives in here because everything happened in the film is as true as happened in my real life, in a world so close to me . I am really touched by this ordinary love story happened in BeiJing with two humble lower youth. one is from the country farm and another is a descendant of Beijing native who had to move to the frontier with his parents in her childhood for the sake of history and then moved back to BeiJing alone after growing up. The film is grim and cruel ,just like the reflection of this cold society.I like it because of its truth . I love it because I am easily moved by the miserable truth.

Intended to show the life of those not-well-to-do people live on the edge of urban region. Those fall into the category of not-well-to-do is below the middle class, but still above those don't-haves, whom in turn, are better than peasantry. In the rapid economic expansion of China in the 1990's, the wealth is not evenly distributed and the film focus on those who did not benefit much from the economic boom.

The film is meant to describe the so-called weak groups of people that live under the pressures and limitations of life round the edges of metropolis of China. But the film lacks main clues in rendering the idea. If the director wanted to use intentionally the coarse style of photography, the casual method of cut and noisy background music to raise the innermost sympathy of the audience, that would be OK. But this is not the case.

This is a film that is limited not only by the investment but also the director's knowledge of cinematography. Nevertheless, this is a film shot by an emerging director which needs more practice in his career. I do think he is meant to do so.