Ping guo (2007)

Director:

Yu Li

Writers:

Li Fang (writer)
Yu Li (writer)

Release Date:

21 February 2008 (Russia)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A look at modern-day life in China's capital centered on a ménage-a-quatre involving a young woman, her boss, her husband and her boss's wife.

Plot Keywords:

Rape | Employer Employee Relationship | Masseuse | Massage Parlor | Rape Victim

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Tony Leung Ka Fai	...	Lin Dong
Bingbing Fan	...	Liu Pingguo
Dawei Tong	...	An Kun
Elaine Jin	...	Wang Mei
Meihuizi Zeng	...	Xiao Mei
Zhenjiang Bao	...	Dr. Zhang
Li Fang	...	Mr. Lin
Jinhang Zheng	...	Lin's Girl Friend A
Manyang Zhang	...	Lin's Girl Friend B
Ailing Huang	...	Lin's Girl Friend C
Quinling Mong	...	Police Officer Wang
Yi Zhou	...	Young Police A
Tao Huang	...	Young Police B
Liyuan Dong	...	Fat Woman Customer
Xiaoho Lin	...	Illegal Doctor

Also Known As:

Lost in Beijing (International: English title) (USA) (new title)

Runtime:

Germany:112 min (Berlin International Film Festival)

Country:

China

Language:

Mandarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

China:17 | Hong Kong:III | Philippines:R-18 (MTRCB)

Filming Locations:

Beijing, China

Company:

Laurel Films

Trivia:

The film is banned in China, despite the heavily censored effort from the filmmaker. The producers have been banned from making movies in China for the next 2 years.

This Apple is Fresh

This is the first movie I've seen come out of Mainland China of respectable quality. I'll admit I haven't seen many, but from what I have seen, this is certainly above and beyond.

The story is about a poor migrant couple and a wealthy couple living in Beijing. Their lives become intertwined through a set of unfortunate and somewhat disturbing circumstances.

I'm not perfectly fluent in Mandarin, but the acting was good from all four main characters. The less experienced Bingbing Fang was especially good as Ping Guo, the lead character. The scenery is set amid the toxic haze of a sprawling Beijing with lots of greys and muted colours.

The best thing about the movie for me was the amazing contrast between the lives of the rich and the poor. Even though I'm surrounded by it daily, this movie gives a little bit more intimacy than what I'm normally exposed to. Other common themes were greed and face.

Ultimately, the production values of the movie were very good, from the cinematography to the acting, but the conclusion doesn't really leave you with a good taste in your mouth. I think this is good though, because it sticks closer to what reality might be like, instead of having clearly defined heroes and antagonists with a full circle ending.