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Review
by Kozo: |
Director
Stanley Kwan attempts to mold Sammi Cheng into a Maggie
Cheung-type actress with Everlasting Regret,
a film adaptation of Wang Anyi's popular and influential
novel Changhen Ge. Cheng is Wang Qiyao, a young
student in Shanghai whose simple beauty impresses photographer
Mr. Cheng (Tony Leung Ka-Fai), who suggests that Qiyao
enter a beauty contest. Qiyao wins 2nd runner up, and
promptly catches the eye of Councilor Li (Hu Jun), a
Nationalist official who makes Qiyao his mistress, and
even furnishes her with a sumptuous Shanghai flat. But
times in Shanghai - and larger China - are changing
quickly, and Councilor Li is but the first of many men
to make their mark on Qiyao's life. For a Chinese woman
living in an increasingly rigid society, Qiyao's sordid
past becomes a millstone, and yet she struggles to rise
above it. Can she? And is a workable movie made of her
struggle?
The answer to the first
question is: no, she can't rise above it. Despite clinging
to her dignity, Qiyao is ultimately drawn into one negative
relationship after the next, and her final fate is as
oddly fitting as it is distressingly tragic. The second
question is far more complex, but unfortunately, the
answer also seems to be no. Everlasting Regret made news before its Venice Film Festival debut because
it had to be trimmed to appease Chinese censors, and
the film definitely seems to be missing something. Gone
are overt references to the rise of Communism and the
impact of the Cultural Revolution, and the viewer has
to make all connections between Qiyao's life and the
changing times in Shanghai without help from the actual
film. The conceit is a tough one, as only those familiar
with the original novel will get the exact timeline,
while those with working knowledge of modern Chinese
history will only be partially aided (reviewer note:
I fall into this category). Those without any knowledge
of the life and times of Shanghai will be totally in
the dark, and Wang Qiyao's story may end up meaning
absolutely nothing to them.
That said, it's questionable
if Kwan ever did assemble enough material to make a
complete adaptation of the novel. Everlasting Regret is epic in scope, and attempts to squeeze in plenty
of story in under two hours time. Too frequently we're
introduced to a new man in Qiyao's life, only to find
him in bed with her next, and out of the picture shortly
thereafter. After Councilor Li disappears following
the rise of Communism, Qiyao takes up with Ming (a dubbed
Daniel Wu), the rich son of a Shanghai businessman.
Ming impregnates Qiyao, but is gone within twenty or
so minutes after we learn that he's too irresponsible
and/or immature to marry her. The pattern continues
with Qiyao's husband, a sickly gentleman Qiyao marries
only to secure a father for her child, and with Kela
(Huang Jue), a younger man who is introduced to Qiyao
after her daughter has grown into adulthood. All the
while, Qiyao struggles with a difficult life reflected
in Shanghai's changes, but the film flickers by too
quickly to register the changes emotionally. We certainly
get what's happening to Qiyao, but the significance
of the events is muted by the omitted (read: political
and historical) information.
Which brings us to the
most difficult topic: Sammi Cheng's acting. Cheng's
role in Everlasting Regret is an incredible departure
from her signature romantic comedy heroines, and local
media attention has been largely focused on the success
or failure of her work here. Unfortunately, the role
seems to be slightly beyond Cheng's range, and for the
most part she seems distant and uncomfortable. On one
level it's hard to fault Cheng, as the film's emotional
distance is created not only through her performance,
but also through a number of filmmaking choices. One
is the noticeable omission of explicit historical detail,
but the other is Kwan's choice to tell Wang Qiyao's
story from Mr. Cheng's perspective. Everlasting Regret is narrated by Tony Leung Ka-Fai's character, which
is odd because he's not there all the time, and his
perspective is ultimately one of distant and impossible
affection. Presumably he can see into Qiyao's core in
a way that the audience can't, but the film itself doesn't
back him up.
Qiyao herself is a frustrating
character that's hard for the audience to warm to. She
may be steadfast in maintaining her dignity, but ultimately
she seems like a passive witness to the men who come
and go in her life. She clings to them emotionally,
but the relationships are barely explored and her emotion
barely felt. Cheng appears shut off for a good portion
of the film, and her impure Mandarin doesn't help much.
Only on occasion do we see into Qiyao's core, such as
in a head-banging crying fit that's terrifying and effective
in its emotional shock value. Cheng also excels at some
quiet moments of acting - in particular one sequence
where she halfheartedly comforts her sickly husband
while Mr. Cheng looks on - but most of the time she
simply appears to be staring uncomfortably into the
distance. The disconnected story only makes matters
worse; most of the time, it's as if we're separated
from Sammi Cheng and Wang Qiyao by a layer of thick
glass.
Everlasting Regret certainly possesses its positives. Some of the supporting
performances are remarkably felt, especially from Tony
Leung Ka-Fai as Mr. Cheng, and Mainland actress Su Yan
as Qiyao's childhood friend Lili. There's also a rich,
and all-too short peek into Shanghai's past glamour
and decadence, and Stanley Kwan and William Cheung Suk-Ping
(art director/editor/Wong Kar-Wai buddy extraordinaire)
work overtime to make the film look and sound beautiful.
The filmmakers take great pains to represent thirty-four
years of Shanghai through exacting period detail and
intimate interiors, and their effort is appreciable.
Also appreciable is the effort by Sammi Cheng, who departs
greatly from her girl-next-door roles to take on a film
guaranteed to piss off the vast majority of her fanbase.
Sadly, neither Cheng nor the filmmakers can convince
us that Wang Qiyao is a character worth watching for
two hours of our time. For this movie, that's a big
problem.
Everlasting Regret is still worthy viewing for many as it features numerous
talking points that should interest the Hong Kong Cinema
faithful. It's got a classic director of the Hong Kong
New Wave, a Hong Kong megastar in her first attempt
at an art film, and a Wong Kar-Wai collaborator doing
his usual exemplary job. It's also a far-reaching, ambitious
movie that certainly tries harder than its Hong Kong
Cinema contemporaries. But it's the attempt that stands
out more than the actual result. Stanley Kwan and Sammi
Cheng reach exceptionally high in Everlasting Regret,
and while commendable, their initial collaboration (there's
talk the director and actress will re-team soon) falls
disappointingly short. Ultimately, Everlasting Regret is more admirable than successful. (Kozo 2005) |
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