05/17/06 Beijing Bicycle

Beijing Bicycle (2001), directed by Xiaoshuai Wang

watched solo; DVD rental (Netflix) @ home; suggested by Jeff

Quietly one of the most sad and depressing films I've seen, and in a story that involves no death or vast destruction. It is an insular tale that begins with one man's journey from a rural town to the big city of Beijing, only to have his life collide with one of the local boys' circle of friends. Young Guei arrives from the country to find work as a lowly bike messenger, scrap to get by, and cling to the hopes that even the bike he must ride to work will someday be his through his wages. On one terribly unlucky day, the timid Guei finds that his sole possession of a bike has been stolen, is subsequently fired, and begins a citywide quest to find it in order to gain his job back. He stumbles across teenage schoolboy Jian and his pack of ruffian friends who claim that Jian has purchased said bike secondhand, while Guei believes them to be the thieves. Focused completely on trying to gain back the one piece of dignity he has left, Guei is faced with the nagging fact that Jian is not willing to part with what he symbolizes as a rite of passage in his teenage world that his father had never bought for him before. The story follows the struggles, altercations and bickerings between the two young men over possession...and ultimately what the bike means symbolically to both of them. The alliterative movie title simply signifies the cultural impact of the bicycle as a means for transportation, livelihood, and self-worth in China's capital city. The movie is saddening in that it's hard to watch the bullied Guei and the arrogant Jian battle over the bike incessantly...only to be a bit redemptive in their mutual compromise to share the bike in the end...only to have that arrangement shattered once again by poor timing and ignorance. It's a simple tale played very understated by both lead actors. I only hope that if you do have a bike in China Jeff...don't let Chinese hooligans in hoodies beat you up and take it. Stay strong.

4 out of 5 stars