Lost in Beijing--Film Review
My fiancé and I decided to make a date night out of this homework assignment, so I made some Chinese food and brought home the projector from my classroom to project the Netflix’d film on the wall, instead of huddling around my laptop. We picked Lost in Beijing over the City of Life and Death because David wasn’t in the mood for depressing history. It was described as a dark comedy, but we found very little of it funny. An interesting date night it was indeed…
I guess I should have figured out that it was “Not Rated” not because its a foreign film, but because “R” was not strong enough. I would personally consider it pornographic, with all of the nudity and sex scenes, including raping an intoxicated woman. It is certainly not something you would show in a classroom (or a family room). The rape scenes were incredibly hard to watch, as was the repeated choking and other abuses.
Coming from a female director, I think it really points out that this is what life is like for some women. Obviously, we don’t go around assuming generalizations about American life based on the garbage Hollywood puts out, but if you can get past the muck there is usually social commentary embedded somewhere. As a social commentary, this film demonstrates a lot of things about society in the city, especially for women—all three of the main female characters are victims.
Aside from the sex scenes, you get a good taste of what life in Beijing is like, both for the well-to-do business man and the poor country folk barely making it in the city.
The constant exchange of and conversations about money confirms what Professor Dube has said, that money is a comfortable topic. Prostitution seemed commonplace; money will buy you whatever you want—sex, dismissal of adultery and rape, and even a baby. You really feel for the young woman, Liu Pingguo, as her dignity and unborn child are bartered for in yuan. No one stops to ask what she wants; no one cares how she feels. The film demonstrates a certain disparity between men and women in society, that there is still an element of women being property. The women in the Golden Basin salon were all seemingly willing to do little extras for cash. It was also pretty clear that threatening to go to the authority wasn’t a very effective action.
You see An Kun struggling with his decision to sell his wife and son for cash, and being unable to cope with the ramifications of his greed. You see Xiao Mei fired and turning to prostitution, which ultimately leads to her demise (which shows up randomly an hour after you last see her character). You see the boss’s wife struggle with infertility, infidelity, and retaliation.
The appearance of religion and old wives’ tales midway through the film revolving around the pregnancy was interesting—even amidst the filth, these traditions still have a role in the culture.
Overall, it was a pretty unpleasant film, and the plot moved slowly, especially the longer it dragged on. We kept muttering “what?” not for lack of following the plot, but for lack of understanding why. We felt lost in "Lost in Beijing." There wasn’t a clear moral message. There is no hero, no happy ending. I guess we could walk away with the idea that money can’t buy you happiness, even in Beijing.