QUITTING A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2002 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): * 1/2
The best drug addition movies are usually depressing but rewarding. Yang Zhang's QUITTING (ZUOTIAN), however, manages just to be depressing, as the lead actor phones in his autobiographical performance. The movie, which is based on a true story, has little to say other than that parents shouldn't spoil their kids, especially if the kids are grown up and addicted to heroin.
Hongshen (Jia Hongshen) and his sister (Wang Tong), who appear to be in their early twenties, share an apartment. As the movie opens, their parents (Chai Xiuling and Jia Fengsen) have retired early so that they can come and live with them. The parents want to be near their son so they can help him with his drug addiction. They mistakenly believe that indulging his every whim is the surest path to his recovery. His sister thinks that giving her brother money will help him. Hello! Aren't these obviously the worst possible things that his relatives can do? Acting like a rebellious toddler, Hongshen, while not high on drugs, starts kicking his own television set and threatening to break it unless his parents give him money. Of course, this pathetic behavior is quickly rewarded with cold cash.
In most scenes, Hongshen plays the part of himself without one scintilla of emotion. His words are rude and angry, but his facial expressions are those of a statue. Hongshen spends most of the movie ridiculing his parents, saying that they act like peasants and have no class. Coming from a guy who has been frying his brain for the last few years, Hongshen's criticisms sound rather hollow.
QUITTING isn't worth your time. If you want to see a film about drug addition, there are many better choices.
QUITTING runs a long 1:52. The film is in Mandarin with English subtitles. It is rated R for "drug content" and would be acceptable for high school seniors and older.
The film opens in the United States on September 20, 2002. In the Silicon Valley it will be showing at the Camera Cinemas.
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