介绍:
In his semi-autobiographical movie "11 Flowers," Wang Xiaoshuai has been extremely personal in presenting the spiritual and sexual awakening of a teenager. Moviegoers may identify with the film's sentiment, but still ask for more.
The film is set in a rural town in southwest China in 1975, a year before the end of the Cultural Revolution. The 11-year-old boy Wang Han is receiving painting lessons from his father. His new artistic perspective encourages him to more closely observe the world around him, thus leading him to learn of a murder that the adults are gossiping about. Later, an in-person encounter with the murderer makes him contemplate the apparently peaceful – but actually tumultuous – lives of the adults' life at that time. At the same time he is also entering puberty.
Known as one of the "sixth generation of Chinese cinema," Wang Xiaoshuai studied painting in middle school before he majored in directing at the Beijing Film Academy. The cinematography of "11 Flowers" is most impressive, and moviegoers can enjoy almost every shot like a classical painting.
Certainly the picturesque shots help viewers absorb the nuanced feelings Wang is trying to convey, but an audience needs more than just beautiful, moving pictures. Wang is perhaps best known for his sensitive portrayal of young people, and this time the hook is his personal awakening, but he falls short of the mark.
For one thing, the boy Wang Han is too mature for an 11-year-old. Portrayed as quiet and somewhat isolated from his fellow playmates, the boy is often shown in close-ups staring at something in the distance and lost in thought. The director may have wished to present the character as he once was, but in doing so he has totally missed the point of awakening.
The father character is overly artsy. His longing for freedom may seem logical against the historical background, but seems odd for an obscure and ordinary man in a remote town. Moreover, his lessons on painting and Monet sound more bookish than fatherly.
Perhaps the director is occupied too much with his personal feelings. In the length of 110 minutes he takes his time showing almost every detail he could manage about the lives in a rural town in 1975. His effort could very well appeal to the nostalgia of people who shared his experience, but for those who live outside the director's own personal experiences, the bulk of his message is lost in the distance between the viewer and the screen.
Wang has spoiled himself with "11 Flowers." The richness of personal feelings gives the movie a humanistic touch, but the lack of depth in the characters and storyline may well leave viewers wishing for more. On my scale from one to ten, "11 Flowers" gets a five.
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