So Close to Paradise

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So Close to Paradise
Directed by Wang Xiaoshuai
Produced by Han Sanping
Written by Wang Xiaoshuai
Pang Ming
Starring Wang Tong
Shi Yu
Guo Tao
Wu Tao
Music by Liu Lin
Cinematography Yang Tao
Editing by Liu Fang
Yang Hong Yu
Distributed by United States:
Cinema Village Features
Hong Kong:
Edko Films
Worldwide:
Fortissimo Films
Release date(s) Hong Kong:
December 10, 1998
United States:
March 9, 2001
Running time 93 min.
Country China
Language Mandarin Chinese
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

So Close to Paradise (simplified Chinese: 扁担·姑娘; traditional Chinese: 扁擔·姑娘; pinyin: Biǎndān, Gūniáng) is a Chinese film directed by Wang Xiaoshuai, a member of Chinese cinema's so-called Sixth Generation. It is alternatively known by the English title Ruan's Song or by its original Chinese title, The Girl From Vietnam (Chinese: 越南來的姑娘; pinyin: Yuènán láide gūniáng).[1] The film was a coproduction of the Beijing Film Studio, and Beijing Jin Die Yingshi Yishu. The film's literal title, The Pole-Carrier and the Girl refers to two of the main characters played by Shi Yu and Wang Tong.

The film follows two migrants, Dong Zi, and Gao Ping as they travel through Wuhan's underground and in the process kidnap a nightclub singer.[2]

Contents

[edit] Cast

  • Shi Yu as Dong Zi, a naïve migrant dockworker.
  • Guo Tao as Gao Ping, Dong Zi's friend, a small-time criminal.
  • Wang Tong as Ruan Hong, a Vietnamese cabaret singer.
  • Wu Tao as Su Wu, a local gangster.

[edit] Plot

So Close to Paradise takes place in the 1980s in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. The film follows two young migrant workers. Young innocent Dong Zi, a pole carrier or coolie, works at the docks eking out his meager existence. His friend Gao Ping is older and more cynical, and has fallen into a life of petty crime.

Gao, however, has been cheated out of a small amount of money from a local gangster Su Wu (Wu Tao). Enraged, Gao drags his friend into Wuhan's underground. Their first stop is a local bar/nightclub where they meet Ruan Hong, a Vietnamese singer who is said to know Su Wu. After speaking with her, Gao and Dong kidnap the young woman and drag her to Gao Ping's apartment where Gao first rapes her and then becomes her lover.

At the same time, however, Dong Zi, who is horrified by the behavior, begins to be drawn to Ruan as well. Soon, all three are drawn into not only a love triangle, but the seemingly inevitable confrontation with Su Wu.

[edit] Production history

So Close to Paradise began production in 1994 and was initially marketed under the title of The Girl from Vietnam (Yuenan lai de guniang).[3] While the film was produced with official backing (in contrast to some of Wang's earlier films), its release was nevertheless delayed and its content subject to substantial censorship by the state apparatus.[1] Indeed it took nearly four years before the film was finally screened.[3] Reasons for the problems have been speculated to revolve around both the film's gritty depiction of urban life, as well as the fact that a central character is Vietnamese.[3][4]

[edit] Release

Paradise was originally shown in mainland theaters in the fall of 1998 (nearly four years after production began), and was eventually shown in Hong Kong in December of that year (under the title Take Me Off) at the 1998 Mainland-Hong Kong-Taiwan Film Festival. Following Hong Kong, it reached foreign shores under the title of So Close to Paradise.[3]

The film received a Western premiere at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival as part of the Un Certain Regard competition.[5]

[edit] Reception

The film received generally positive reviews from western critics. A.O. Scott, of The New York Times, compared the film's film noir qualities to fellow Sixth Generation director Lou Ye's Suzhou River, though he ultimately states that Paradise generally fails to engage the audience. At the same time, he showers praise on the film's technical aspects, stating that "Mr. Wang's extraordinary sense of color and composition reanimates some of its secondhand attitudes."[1] Derek Elley of Variety, generally praising both the cast performances (as "flavorful") and the more technical aspects of the film.[3] The Hollywood Reporter meanwhile is generally negative in its review, arguing that the film's simplistic noir story lacks proper "execution" leaving it "heavy-handed and lethargic."[4]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b c Scott, A. O. (2001-03-09). So Close to Paradise-Movie-Review. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2007-10-06.
  2. ^ Several sources, notably the New York Times, and the Hollywood Reporter, mistakenly state that the film takes place in Shanghai.
  3. ^ a b c d e Elley, Derek (1999-03-18). So Close to Paradise Review. Variety. Retrieved on 2007-10-06.
  4. ^ a b Schenk, Frank (2001-03-15). So Close to Paradise. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved on 2007-10-09.
  5. ^ Johnson, G. Allen (2001-03-08). REVIEW: The Other Side of Suzhou River; Wang's "So Close to Paradise". indieWire. Retrieved on 2007-10-08.

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Films directed by Wang Xiaoshuai

The Days (1993) • Frozen (1997) • So Close to Paradise (1998) • The House (1999) • Beijing Bicycle (2001) • Drifters (2003) • Shanghai Dreams (2005) • In Love We Trust (2008)
v • d • e
Cinema of China