Friday, May 15, 2009

"Spring Subway" (2002, Dir: Zhang Yibai)

A magnificently shot and breezily enjoyable Chinese melodrama that is nevertheless dramatically episodic and stiled, the director's past as a music video coordinator really shows. Still, sometimes all you are hungry for is corn, and this wouldn't be a bad choice if you are up for something entertaining and sappy, it is at the very least gorgeous to look at. I enjoyed the stories about the peripheral characters more than the leads - the burn victim, the baker, the health-food saleswoman (who was very good and very funny in her subway scenes), the photo girl and the roller-skating young man. The "reveal" about the young man's reasons for never talking to the girl was unexpectedly emotional and the closest the film gets to genuine feeling.

Grade: C-

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