This was a major surprise. A mainland Chinese movie, that in places is close to surrealistic in it’s imagery. To get a film like that through the Chinese censors signals a major change!

And major change is, what this film is about. China is changing at an enormous rate, and how does that change the Chinese? Can they keep up with the changes, or do they fall apart?

Baobar is a beautiful young girl, who is slowly falling apart. She is trying to cope with childhood traumas and hoping for a passionate, romantic future. Liu also dreams of love and is bored with his materialistic life. To relieve boredom he confesses his dreams and uneasiness to his video camera. Baobar finds his video tape and falls for him. She wins his love, and the move in together in an old abandoned factory building. Can Baobar forget her traumas, will they stay in love and live happily ever after?

Dizzying camera movements, fast cutting and a kaleidoscope of colors makes for a furious opening of the film. Director Li Shaohong (the only female Director of the famous fifth wave generation of Directors in China) wanted to make a film about the massive changes in China. What happens to the soul as we embrace this hectic modern life? We yearn for love, but will we recognize it, if we are lucky enough to meet it? Is love just a dream?

This is no perfect film. The storyline could have been better and some of the wild camera trips seems to be there just to show off, but still a mainland Chinese film like this – and one with the beautiful Zhou Xun to boot – is absolutely worth watching.

Uffe Stegmann
March 14, 2004

GALLERY