As general Wang Sheng fights his way through, he comes upon a graceful and stunning beauty (Xun Zhou) amid the dirty bandits. She lies barely covered by an animal pelt next to a murdered man and as the general makes his appearance, she is noticeably intrigued by him. He carries her to safety and as his army make their way back, a lone lizard looks on almost as an omen as the titles come up.

At the army’s return to their city, Wang Sheng’s wife Chen Peirong (Wei Zhao) appears and is instantly and understandably wary of the young looking Xiaowei’s proximity to her husband. This early sense of danger leads her to future revelations regarding the newly rescued damsel.

As evening settles, two new visitors make their appearances not only on the unsuspecting town but the minds and memories of Wang Sheng and Peirong.

First the army chases down a dangerous and stealthy killer but as he vanishes, a familiar soul is waiting outside the city gate. It turns out to be the former army general Pang Yong. He had turned his back on his legion two years prior when the woman he loved married Wang instead, and has since been a drifter and vagabond. As thoughts weigh heavy on Wang’s mind, his wife attempts to console him and they end up making love but afterward Wang awakes suddenly after having a wet dream of Xiaowei. These ominous dreams continue as they slowly change his attitude towards her.

Zhou Xun

Brother Yong awakes the next morning, visibly experiencing a hangover and leaves despite everyone’s invitations. He makes his way to a neighboring town where he attempts to find future drunken solace in a local restaurant.

There he meets a young woman by the name of Xia Bin who shares her meal with him. I initially wanted to review this film for the beauty of Xun Zhou and Wei Zhao but then another appears in Betty Sun Li .

Her look is dressed down to give off a rough and tough tomboy charm as she is a Demon Buster on the look out for a cunning fox spirit/demon who her grandfather hunted at one time. Her skills soon come into play as Peirong enters the establishment and explains to her former love Yong how she suspects Xiaowei to be a demon set out to part her from Wang. Bin and Yong eventually team up to unmask the demon but this is not the only union to come from this section of the film.

As a demon, Xiaowei wears human skin as we wear clothes, but it ages quickly and must be sustained by the eating of human hearts. For this dirty little task she employs a lizard demon, the stealthy killer mentioned earlier, who obviously loves and worships her.

Betty Sun Li

As the plot thickens and the hunt continues, a discrepancy in Xiaowei’s background is called in to question. This allows Yong and Bin to enter Wang’s household and watch her more closely, causing her to speed up her plans to become the general’s wife. Her new plot not only puts Peirong in mortal danger but Wang’s loyalty to his wife is severely tested. This is where the final battle is staged and the final love is chosen. The fantasy element of the film is done well with decent special effects and fitting set and costume design.

At first I was turned off by the cinematography for it is not aesthetically impressive, but this aids in not focusing too much on the beauty of the setting but more on the story and weaving turns of the plot. The editing at times makes the film feel rushed but to a certain extent this is a plus, so the viewer doesn’t have to deal with a 120-150 minute film but instead a mere 100 minutes. Painted Skin has its faults in a lower than average production value but makes up for this by focusing more on an entertaining story than on sparkling visuals.

Isabella

The shots feel disjointed but not only do they give an idea of what is to come but they showcase the talented eye of cinematographer Charlie Lam and his excellent framing. The music is also introduced here with artsy guitar strumming and piano playing. Now while the score won best film music at the Berlin International Film Festival, I feel that it grows repetitious later as it never changes in tempo.

The story truly begins at this point with a stoic and at times inanimate Bik-Yan on the trail of Chen-Shing. The editing choices in this section found me floundering in confusion with the scene beginning with Bik-Yan confronting Chen-Shing in a bar, presumably due to infidelity, and bashing a glass into his head. But it quickly cuts to Chen-Shing performing the same act to a cowering man in the same bar but at a previous time.

This flashback is not the first but it does set up a series of confusing time jumps in the film. While the cinematography is strong, the editing done by Wenders Li leaves the film scattered and disconnected. And while the film has jumped back before the incident between the two main characters, it also presents a genesis between them as they have a one night stand. The film shows no sex scene nor nudity, only a cut to the morning after with the naked back of Leong. At first you suspect her to be a prostitute as she rifles through Chen-Shing’s wallet, but she eventually leaves without any payment.

At this point, a B story begins with a series of small paragraphs that detail the inner workings of Chen-Shing’s police work. I don’t know if it was the director’s choice to display this part of the story this way or if it was due to either lack of budget or time, but they never really fit with the film and they take you away from the drama. I could understand doing this due to lack of time for the film runs 109 minutes, but I think through better editing, these sequences could have been filmed and added.

Finally the film gets back to the scene at the bar when Bik-Yan bashes the glass into Chen-Shing’s head and the subsequent hospital visit where she makes a startling revelation: she is his daughter. Now this raised a rather disturbing question in my head: if she new this was her father then why did she allow him to take her to bed?

Even Shing asks her this question down the line and she bitingly returns with, You screw around with so many women, you were bound to get around to your daughter. With this answer you can almost interpret it as an act of revenge for abandoning her mother.

Either that or she sees it as the only way to connect with her father as she witnesses a multitude of prostitutes leaving his apartment on a routine basis. She also asks for a reparation of $3,000 which seems low for the amount of distress she must have suffered, but it turns out it’s merely to cover her unpaid rent.

The mother, Isabella recently died of lung cancer and young Bik-Yan cannot live on her own. She is also desperate to retrieve her dog, also named Isabella, which is trapped in her place. The dilemma involving her dog is what inevitably strikes up a camaraderie between the two. Now while the whole purpose of the film was to connect these two characters, the way it happens just feels out of left field, not natural or plausible at all.

Though the characters are now connected, they are still very much divided. There are many scenes of the two simply sitting next to each other without a thing to say. The scenes play long and let the uncomfortable tension mount. This section of the film also sees Yan move in with Shing.

This act allows the two to take a part in each other’s lives and at times change them. The most important change comes when Shing is confronted with a life-changing decision that may leave him estranged from his daughter once more. Whether he decides to return to his disheartening ways or grow and become a cemented part of Yan’s life is his major conflict in the story.

While the artsy feel of the film is welcome at some points with the imaginative and adept cinematography, others are not, such as the puzzling editing choices that leave the film as more of a collection of shots rather than a cohesive flow and the cliche score which ends up dull and worn by the end of the film.

The acting and story are decent but take a back seat to the high concept of the shots and the disjointed feel that the editing gives off.

The movie is available for rent on Netflix and purchase on Amazon.

The dvd includes Cantonese and Mandarin audio with traditional and simplified Chinese subtitles as well as English. Special features include three separate commentaries from Chapman To & Isabella Leong, director Ho-Cheung Pang, and director of photography Charlie Lam. Unfortunately, none of which include accompanying English subtitles.

Isabella Leong on SLF

Lost in Beijing

The film has been steeped in controversy due to the realistic tone and with its roots in a censor-heavy China.

Trouble started even before its premiere with Chinese censors demanding multiple cuts of the sex and gambling portrayed as well as scenes in slum-like settings. And despite the film acquiring international distribution, it still had problems being released in its own country.

Director Li Yu

On January 4, 2008, not only was the film officially banned in China by SARFT but the director Li Yu along with the Laurel Films production company were prohibited from filmmaking for two years.

LIB stars Fan Bingbing as Liu Pingguo, a struggling foot masseuse living in a rundown section with her window-washer husband An Kun (Tong Dawei).

The film’s output is instantly jarring with a passionate love scene between Liu and her husband in the shower. The scene, while it feels gratuitous, is actually an important plot point and sets the mood for later debauchery.

The last shot of the scene has the couple continuing their affair in the shower fading out as the Beijing  skyline comes into view.

After work, she shares some drinks with a recently fired co-worker Xiao Mei (Zeng Meihuizi) and in a literal blur of drunkenness she unknowingly comes on to her boss Lin Dong (Tony Leung Ka Fai). The cinematography is very effective and innovative in this sequence with the use of an unfocused camera and quick cutting.

Tony Leung Ka Fai

Her boss, a known womanizer welcomes the attention and begins to force himself on her. I’ll admit, I found the beginning of this scene comedic but it quickly turns unsavory. Liu midway realizes her mistake and tries to fend off Lin who eventually ends up raping her.

And in an absurd coincidence, An Kun witnesses the crime while dangling outside washing the window. The exceptional cinematography and editing continues with some nice POV and frantic cuts of an engraged An Kun out for blood.

Now this is where the main dispute of the film is set. Liu becomes pregnant and is unaware of who fathered the child. Lin along with his wife Wang Mei (Elaine Jin) who is unable to bear offspring, offer a deal to An Kun.

Elaine Jin

If Lin is the father, he will keep the child and pay off An Kun. While this premise is an intriguing one, the subsequent events of the story kept me from enjoying the film.

My prime objection is the complete lack of moral substance within any of the characters. While the young couple have hopes for a better life in agreeing to it, the contract just feels unethical and wrong, which degrades my opinion of everyone involved.

Another aspect of the film that turned me off were the random shots of the local humanity and setting. I understand what the director was going for, but these would be more appropriate for a documentary than a drama as they didn’t involve any of the cast.

And overall the performances were the high point of the film, but there were some scenes near the end with characters just staring off in the distance, contemplating. They added nothing and slowed down the pace to a standstill.

While I enjoyed the look and feel of film as well as the performances, the characters’ actions were what inevitably left me with a bad taste. It’s very hard to watch a film from start to finish when midway through you lose all hope for the characters and the faith in their future outcomes.

Lust, Caution

It stars Wei Tang as the foolhardy young student Wong Chia Chi who poses undercover as Mak Tai Tai in a resistance effort to assassinate Mr. Yee (Tony Leung Chiu Wai), a high-ranking official of the Wang Jinwei Regime.

The film starts out in 1942 Japanese occupied Shanghai with Wong Chia Chi already knee deep undercover as Mak Tai Tai. She befriends Mr. Yee’s wife Yee Tai Tai (Joan Chen) and becomes a part of her inner circle of friends, thus ensnaring Mr. Yee with her beauty.

The first scene is a game of mahjong, which becomes an important center piece to the film.  Much like the ongoings of war and espionage, the game takes strategy and with each match the stakes behind each player’s motives increase. Also a great amount of subtle acting takes places within these scenes, mostly using gestures and eye movements. It’s really a chess match.

The next act of the film takes place when it flashes back to 1938 Hong Kong where we see the first transformations of Wong Chia Chi from a shy freshman at Lingnan University to the confident elegance of Mak Tai Tai. With this metamorphosis I would like to commend not only the production value of the film but also the costume design.

It’s incredible to see street scenes with hundreds of extras all in appropriate 1940s garb. Mak Tai Tai’s outfits especially fit her for they emulate the films of the era. And what is she but acting in a role of espionage. This also brings me to the use of mirrors throughout the film. Not only do they represent analytical reflection but each time we see a character doubled in a mirror, it’s as if we’re seeing their other selves. With Wong Chia Chi we see Mak Tai Tai (and vice versa) and with Mr. Yee we see the man, not the figure.

As the story progresses Mak Tai Tai eventually entraps Mr. Yee with the use of her beauty and flirtation and becomes his mistress. The following love/hate relationship between them is the real meat of the film.

And as featured as Wei Tang’s beautiful physiognomy is, her naked body is given more of a role in this section. The film boasts more than a few sex scenes, with each one more revealing and lengthier than the last. And this is why the film received a NC-17 rating in the U.S.

There are many high points to this film such as the epic tale that it depicts, but with this comes one of its downfalls. The story is extremely specific and anyone not familiar with the history behind the setting can become lost very easily.

While it’s difficult to fully understand the backdrop of the film, at the same time it’s very easy to relate to the character of Wong Chia Chi and her motives behind her actions.

Wei Tang in her first film role masterfully illustrates not only the turmoil but the determination of such a brave and cunning woman. It’s also amazing how she holds her own against the prolific  Tony Leung and his subtle and humanizing portrayal of such a callous figure.

The first of the three we meet is Ou Fanfan (Xun Zhou), an introvert scientist who has trouble attracting men. Besides that, whenever she’s touched by a man, her body stiffens comically.

Second comes Tang Lu (Kitty Zhang Yuqi), a cold-hearted yet highly attractive business woman,

more concerned with her company’s growth than choosing a mate.

When she enters the office, every man is so mesmerized that his work is immediately halted,  computers start smoking, and objects slide off desks.

And lastly is Tie Ling (Lunmei Kwai), a free spirited yet tough writer/musician/boxer who has delusions of an imaginary pop star boyfriend. She rides a big motorcycle, dresses in a punk rock style, and can punch your lights out too.

Now while each character is intriguing enough on their own, where they intertwine is when the film really starts getting interesting. The main theme of the story is attraction, which is the scientific obsession of Fanfan who develops a pheromone patch that can attract any man. This attracts Tang Lu who has the ambition to market it, and Tie Ling is tied in through a secondary character.

The first thing I noticed about the film was the beautiful menu cards and credit sequence which was very well choreographed and designed, and this sort of choreography followed throughout the film, especially with Fanfan. Secondly, the movie is extremely comedic and laugh-out-loud fun to watch. And third, the music is amazingly catchy, and leads the film along in most cases.

Now on the fault side, the story becomes convoluted towards the climax when all the women meet head-to-head. For they all have their own agendas and eccentricities and a lot of action and important information gets lost in the mix. And this is yet another film with multiple endings. You think you’ve finished the story and they tack on two more. Even while the credits roll, the story is still going. This lack of a satisfying and ultimate ending hurt my overall feeling for the film and it left me in need of closure.