介绍:
About a quarter of a century ago, when Taiwan movie "My Beloved" was aired in cinemas, viewers were advised to bring a handkerchief, because the touching story was supposed to induce massive and unstoppable weeping. Now, 25 years later at the previews of Peter Ho-sun Chan's recent big screen product, the guests find small envelopes on their seats containing a tissue. That, combined with earlier news releases about the movie, is enough to inform the viewers that they are in for a weeper.
But Peter Chan is far too ambitious to stop at a simple story about child abduction. Instead he has decided to challenge himself in the making of a realistic documentary. When the film hits Chinese cinemas in late September, moviegoers will be treated to a complex story involving multiple characters and at least two different perspectives. As the director himself has reiterated on many occasions, the focus is not on child abduction. A thoughtful viewer who has watched the film would understand that his aim to paint a realistic picture of many issues in contemporary Chinese society.
However, as a market-minded director who has had much experience working in Hong Kong and Hollywood and has only moved to Beijing in recent years, Peter Chan can not assume that he understands the lives of people on the Chinese mainland. In fact, even the directors of China's annual New Year Gala - who for the last few decades have been very successful in tugging the heart strings of Chinese audiences - have suddenly lost their ability to impress increasingly demanding viewers. How can we expect someone coming from outside the local culture to deliver a killer punch to filmgoers' tear ducts?
We can't. Neither can the director. That's why he conspires with old-time partner and script writer Zhang Ji. Based on a true story of divorced parents who lose their child, Zhang Ji expanded the story to include others who have suffered the same fate, and even more people who stand to benefit or lose from these abduction cases. In a word, Zhang's portrayal highlights the complexity of some of China's problems. They are deeply entangled just like the coil of electric wires and internet cables which is shown right in the beginning and repeated time and time again in the film.
Perhaps it is exactly that complexity that compelled the producers to stop at just pointing out the questions, but the choice of actors and actresses also suggests their adherence to a realistic approach. Actor Huang Bo's talent obviously extends far beyond the profile of a popular comedian. His secret is to release totally different versions of himself to fulfill different characters. Actress Zhao Wei plays the wife of a child kidnapper. Her skills have always been in question, but since her role here requires not so much acting as just looking ugly and speaking in her own dialect, we should at least give her some credit for making that sacrifice. Actor Zhang Yi and actress Hao Lei deliver the most impressive acting and maintain it throughout the entire film.
So, all in all, “Dearest” is a film that deserves two hours in the cinema, at least to learn more about the problem of abduction cases, and perhaps a little more about China.
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