R E V I E W
A LOVE OF BLUENESS
Mei Ah. 2000. 97 minutes.
Directed by Huo Jianqi
Screenplay by Si Wu and Dong Zhou
With Pan Yue-Ming, Yuan Quan, Teng Rujun
Huo Jianqi worked as an art director before making his first film in 1996. His third film, Postmen in the Mountains, won awards when it played at the Montreal World Film Festival in 1999. This is his fourth film. It has won several awards in Mainland China.
MOVIE
Plot: Rookie policeman Tai Lin yearned to be an artist before he failed an examination and followed in his father's footsteps. One day he interrupts an apparent suicide attempt by a woman standing on the edge of a bridge. He detains her when she claims to have murdered her husband, despite her protests that it's all a joke. It turns out that Liu Yun is a performance artist, but Tai Lin is not amused and is glad to be rid of her when she is released.
She pursues him just a little, though, and he is surprised to find himself becoming attracted to her after they spend some time together. He is drawn to her artistic side, and she is drawn to him because he is a policeman, he thinks. This thought is reinforced when she asks him to find a man named Ma Baijul. She won't tell Tai Lin why she wants to find him, but when he mentions the name to his superior, Tai Lin discovers that Ma Baijul was responsible for the death of a police officer 20 years in the past. It's a case that was never solved by Tai Lin's father and continues to haunt him in his retirement; Tai Lin's mother is simply irritated.
Reluctantly Tai Lin pursues the case, while trying to protect Liu Yun from the truth. Gradually, a connection between Tai Lin, Liu Yun, Liu Yun's mother (confined to a hospital after an accident sent her over the edge mentally), and Ma Baijul is revealed, and threatens to tear apart the relationship developing between Tai Lin and Liu Yun.
Performances: Uniformly strong.
Production: The story takes place where love, memories, and pain collide. Director Huo Jianqi allows breathing room for the characters to be revealed and for the mystery to be unraveled. Colors are used effectively to convey a variety of moods, and potentially self-conscious devices (such as slow-motion footage and characters looking directly into the camera) are used sparingly.
The film will not bowl you over with a buzzsaw of movement and emotions. It treasures quieter virtues -- it's perfect for an overcast winter day, curled up on the sofa, a blanket over your feet. The sentiments that arise seem to come from deep inside the characters, overflowing to the surface. Settle in to be moody and contemplate your life.
The source material was a novel, "Performance Artist," by Fangfang (according to the credits). Zhao Lei served as cinematographer. Wang Xiaofeng composed the excellent musical score, which sticks to minor chords, no matter the instrumentation. Liu Fang edited the film.
Rating: Category IIA.
DVD
Look: The letterboxed presentation looks fine. Colors throughout are a bit muted, although that seems to reflect the intention of the filmmakers. Occasional imperfections are evident in the source print.
Sound: A Dolby Digital 2.0 (stereo) Mandarin track is the only audio option. It sounds perfectly adequate for this drama.
Subtitles: The white removable English subtitles are easy to read and well timed. Traditional and simplified Chinese subtitles are also provided.
Features: Nine chapters can be selected from a still-frame menu. The "databank" consists of a brief synopsis and cast and crew listing (the director and lead actors). No time coding is provided - the running time of 97 minutes is approximate (from the back of the DVD cover), but I believe it actually runs a few minutes shorter.
RECOMMENDATION
Rent. A fine mystery and love story with a firm grounding in the emotional lives of its characters.
(Reviewed by Peter A. Martin; April 11, 2002)
Copyright 2000-2002 by Peter A. Martin. All rights reserved.
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