Unknown Pleasures
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Ai Jun Ren, Juan Antonio Samaranch, Ren Ai Jun, Ru Bai, Xi An LiuDVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Subtitled); Cantonese (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Running Time: 113 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-03-16
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: New Yorker Video
Movie Reviews of Unknown Pleasures
Movie Review: A couple of corrections
Summary: 4 Stars
Several reviewers in their otherwise thoughtful summaries misrepresented the location of this film. It's not set in Shanghai or Beijing, but in a town in Shanxi Province (I'm pretty sure it was Datong).
Provincial Shanxi is a very different thing from Shanghai or Beijing, both of which are huge, world cities with strong cosmopolitan elements - far from the closed, limited environment depicted in this film. Part of the dilemma of these kids is that there isn't much for them to do in a provincial town in Shanxi, which from the look of it has missed out on China's "economic miracle."
Anyway, this is the second of Jia Zhangke's films that I've seen, and though I thought there were a few too many lengthy shots of Xiao Ji wrestling with his motorcycle, it's well-worth your time if you want to gain some insight into China in transition. Dramatically I found it to be a much stronger film than PLATFORM, which is also really interesting for the sociological insight, but for me was difficult to follow - too many characters who were not clearly drawn and whose stories lacked dramatic tension. The characters in UNKNOWN PLEASURES are recognizable; their stories, while not particularly uplifting or optimistic, are real and poignant.
I'd watch this one in a double-bill with BLIND SHAFT (excellent "film noir meets documentary realism"), and then I'd go play with kittens and puppies to cheer myself up.
Summary of Unknown Pleasures
UNKNOWN PLEASURES follows two 19-year olds, Bin Bin and Xiao, as they wander the streets and hang out in pool halls, dance clubs and karaoke bars looking for excitement. Sparks fly when Xiao Ji meets a beautiful dancer, and Bin Bin pursues romance with a young student. Taking a cue from American crime movies, the temptation of easy money becomes too alluring and in a final attempt to break free, Xiao Ji and Bin Bin embark on half-baked plan to rob a bank.A harrowing account of disillusioned young people living in China, beautifully photographed by famed cinematographer Yu Lik-wai, UNKNOWN PLEASURES cements Zhang-ke's reputation as one of China's most important filmmakers.
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