EIFF 2013: Beijing Flickers Review

Director: Yuan Zhang.

Starring: Duan Bowen, Li Xinyun, Lv Yulai, Shi Shi.

Running Time: 96 minutes.

Synopsis: Newly dumped San Bao (Duan Bowen) eats a glass in drunk desperation while out on the town. With the help of his best friend and a hospital wardmate, the trio help each other through their individual problems.

Young, poor and restless, the characters at the heart of BEIJING FLICKERS may border on eccentric, but Yuan Zhang paints a realistic portrait of the struggles of getting by. Dealing with money, politics and the bonds of family, this is not your run of the mill social commentary.

Opening with San Bao’s narration, we learn that he hasn’t spoken in over one hundred days. Sending us back in time to discover the origins of his muteness, we witness how his happiness literally vanished in the form of runaway labrador pal, Lucky. As sickeningly metaphorical as this may be, the film rolls with comic undertones that work very much to its advantage, especially in its darkest moments.

Bowen’s natural presence ensures his silent protagonist is a fascinating one, never overcompensating through expression or physicality. Though he is undoubtedly the centre of the film, BEIJING FLICKERS never focuses on anyone specific, introducing numerous interlinking yarns that compliment its central quartet. However, it’s hilarious, plastic surgery-loving Xioa Shi (Shi Shi) who steals the show with his comic timing and transfixing dancing. A poetry-spewing breath of fresh air who forms an attachment to the silent San Bao while recovering in hospital, he threatens to walk away with the film with the subtlest of glances.

Women may be the source of San Bao and best friend Wang Ming’s (Lv Yulai) troubles, but both sexes are given equal weight. The duo may drown their sorrows, but the fairer sex are also shown as victims and arguably struggle even more to get by in Yuan Zhang’s world. Lead female You Zi (Li Xinyun) escapes the sexual predators that many of her housemates fall foul to, proving both fun and mesmerising as the talented singer songwriter who recovered San Bao’s phone after his moment of glass-munching madness.

Bloody violence may be shied away from, but suicide remains a prominent theme and occasionally threatens to kill the fun dead in its tracks. Some may wish to die, others float along in numb existence, and the rest work every hour possible to make ends meet in a place where money dictates. Allegiances may be tested by those assumed as family, but this is a film full to the brim with the bittersweet pains of trying to make it. Apart from some indulgent stealth mode fun when plotting hypothetical revenge on a friend’s ex-boyfriend, there’s no fancy tricks here. Political unrest (notably regarding healthcare) shines through in a world where brotherhood and friendship are portrayed as the one true cure, but BEIJING FLICKERS remains a very enjoyable ensemble piece due to its excellent casting and infectious nature.