Springtime In A Small Town

Synopsis: It’s 1946, the end of WW2 and the Japanese have withdrawn from China. Dai Liyan (Wu Jun) and Yuwen (Hu Jing Fan) married just before the start of the war, and have now returned to Liyan’s family residence. Liyan’s health is poor, and his wife is feeling the weight of having to look after her ailing husband. Zhang Zhichen (Xin Bai Qing), an old school friend of Liyan’s, drops in for a visit and suddenly their days are much brighter. Especially for Yuwen who has her own connections to the handsome visitor.

Tian Zhuangzhuang, is one of the revered members of the so-called fifth generation of Chinese directors who graduated from the Beijing Film Academy after it re-opened in 1978. This is his first feature since he directed The Blue Kite in 1992. A remake of a popular film from the 40s, it is essentially a chamber drama dealing with the awakening of repressed desire. In the hands of an experienced director and his cinematographer, Mark Lee, what could be considered a small story, takes on a depth that draws the viewer deeper and deeper into the claustrophobic world of its characters.

The camera is used to track the movement of the characters both physically and psychologically. As Yuwen’s feelings for Zhichen become more obvious, her restlessness is mirrored through the roaming eye of the camera. Silently, yet insistently, we follow her. There is nowhere to hide and she must deal with her dilemma; should she stay in her arranged marriage, or follow her heart and flee with her first love? Zichen’s loyalty to his friend is also tested. There are lines that should not be crossed, but when the heart is involved, these lines can easily blur.

When Liyen’s sixteen year old sister Dai Xiu (Lu Sisi) is added into the mix, a further complication arises. This addition may have had the potential to tip the story from drama to melodrama, but once again, whether through strong direction or the abilities of the actors, or both, the film manages to avoid becoming too cloying. Xiu’s youthful energy interrupts the tortured world in which the adults make their moves, with the occasion of her birthday bringing the issue to a head. The use of light and shade, the symbolic nature of objects, such as a silk scarf, or a much-loved pot plant remind us of how adept the Chinese filmmakers are at layering their stories by using everything in the frame.

Liyen’s retainer, Lao Huang (Ye Xiao Keng) in identifying the fickle nature of Spring, sets the scene for the way in which the emotional lives of the characters are about to unfold. There is a scene at the beginning where Yuwen sits embroidering. At this point we know little about her needs and desires. A very similar scene is shown at the end of the film. By this stage we know her choices and what she has been through. It’s very Zen. Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water, after enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. Nothing on the outside appears to be different, and yet her life will never be the same again.

 

 

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