The Chinese movie “Lost in Beijing” is produced and
designed mainly by director Li Yu, who is good at to represent the reality and
dark side of Chinese modern society. The storyline just as the name of the
movie “Lost” and emphasized on the individuals that living in the lower status
of the social structure and too normal to break through the shackles of
impoverished living conditions.There are some specific plots could be easily
neglected but very important to represent many citizens in different social
status and completely distinct life style in China capital and biggest city
Beijing. For instance, the scene of “touching Buddha” appeared twice, first
time is when boss Lin and his wife and all their friends were gathering
together and played the poker, second time is when Liu Ping-guo got drunk with
her workmate friend Xiao Mei due to Xiao Mei was fired. For the boss and her
wife, touching Buddha means they want to get better fortune and earn more
illegal money when they gambling. In the contrast, the individuals who living
in the lower status, like Ping-guo and Xiao Mei, they have no choice to chose
what they want but only have to accept inequitable social rules.
The second point cannot be ignored is the symbol of
virginity. In the movie, the conversation between Ping-guo and Xiao Mei on a
bridge that Xiao Mei told Ping-guo someone wants to date with her and get her.
Therefore, she needs to become the “virgin” again and Ping-guo suggested buying
the fake “virginal membrane”. The viewers could find the metonymy from this
plot depicted that traditional Chinese thinking still shaped the society in the
obvious area. Most Asian countries same as China are patriarchy
social structures in the historical background. Therefore, women are difficult
to assert their own rights or against the unfair distribution of income and
status. So that women used to obey the control and power of men, such as Liu
Ping-guo argued with her boss about the rape, but she finally reached a compromise
that she promise not to tell anybody this thing due to the boss made fired
threats to her. Moreover, she also disputed with her husband An Kun about
children issues that she did not wants the baby, nevertheless, she still cannot
insisted her own ideas eventually.
Moreover, it is diverse opinions that could compare
with two previous film reviews about “Lost in Beijing”. Wilkinson (20007)
described the theme of film straightly “Like many cities filled with bustling
commerce, it is also filled with the lost and lonely, struggling to get by.” It
is so true that due to individuals are easily lost themselves when living in
the heart of the metropolis. Because the majority of those people that appeared
in the movie, mainly from rural area or under-developed regions in China, they
never know the reality of urban areas and how dangerous it is. They leave their
hometown and come into the one of the most developed cities in China without
own house and relationships only for one reason: money. Also because of high
price of houses and commodities, many individuals attempt to do anything that
they could earn the money. Meanwhile, the construction of city will become more
prosperous. In contrast, more potential risks in morally and financially will
be arisen through the process of advancing. Rural people hardly acclimatize themselves
to new social environment and regular circle rapidly.
Furthermore, the views between Wilkinson and another
film review’s author Scott, who was emphasized on the theme of relationship
reduced to transactions in the city are very different. On the one hand, Scott
considered that the narrative meaning of the film “offers both the pleasures
and the limitations of old-fashioned class-conscious pulp” and “the director
and her cast work in a rough style”. On the other hand, Wilkinson glorified
that the “acting is uniformly excellent, with the stars eloquently exploring
the concept of being lost from different perspectives – from An Kun’s
materialism to Lin Dong’s emotional vacuum.” Different authors focus on
different angle to review the film, Scott paid more attention to the surface
plots and technology skills. The films represent the social reality in details
even though it is seems like old-fashioned and too natural, however, it is
precisely because the naturalistic shooting skills that shocked viewers mind
through most realistic methods. In addition, Wilkinson noticed the profound
signification through the psychological analysis about the characters. He came
up with “An Kun’s materialism” and “Lin Dong’s emotional vacuum”. Neither of
them achieved their aims finally, the baby is the storyline but also the reason
lead to tragedy ending for both of them. An Kun wants money but he cannot leave
his child instinctively due to the fact that he is the born father at all. Lin
Dong always dreamed has own baby and the sudden surprised news filling his
whole life again. Both of them could not reveal their own real inner world to
themselves.
In other words, they lost themselves, from such complicated
circumstance.
The criticized opinion from Scott is “the film’s emotional
tone is blurry”. All the while, the clearly emotional tone really runs through
the movie. Chinese films are good at to pretend the strong emotion and show it
through silent face-to-face and cry or loud argument between two main
characters. Chinese films and most Asian movies as well, are totally different
with westerns. The former always focus on an indirect way of expressing emotion
without visual impact, such as metonymy, audience would easily understand the
meaning by associated with other plots. However, the latter is enthusiastic
about represent the emotion through direct and straight ways. Besides,
Wilkinson argued that “while the dense plotting of the film, means it feels a
little slow in parts – and could perhaps have done with a trim for length
rather than unsuitable content.” In the film, there are many scenes about the
normal people and their daily life, some are living in the lower status in the
society and grab the rubbish for a living, and some are taking the extremely
crowded train to their companies, some are living in the wealthy dreaming life
with lonely inner world. Everyone in the capital city have their own goals and
different life styles, sometimes they lost, but sometimes they could wake up
immediately and keep striving for their future. All of these scenes
demonstrated that how the citizens living authentic life in Beijing though the
director mainly depicted in the dark side.In conclusion, “Lost in Beijing” mostly described the inequitable
social rules and relations between individuals who living in the lower status
and middle or upper status. The rights and power always controlled by the rich
one and it seems difficult to keep balance between the extreme poor and wealth.
Although many kinds of problems still existing in the contemporary modern
society, the strong faithful about future will walk through streams of “Lost”
and emerge unscathed.
Rating:4/5
Olivia Gao (43394043)
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