Chinese Box (1998)
Director: Wayne Wang Cast: Jeremy Irons, Gong Li, Maggie Cheung, Michael Hui, Ruben Blades Screenplay: Larry Gross, Wayne Wang, Paul Theroux, Jean-Claude Carriere Producers: Jean-Louis Piel, Lydia Dean Pilcher, Wayne Wang Runtime: 109 min. US Distribution: Trimark Rated R: language, sex
By Nathaniel R. Atcheson (nate@pyramid.net)
There's a unique feeling of desperation intertwined with the events that unfold in Wayne Wang's Chinese Box. The film tells the story of a man named John (Jeremy Irons) during the last few months of British colonialism in Hong Kong. John has lived in Hong Kong for fifteen years, though he feels that he doesn't know his home at all. He takes pictures of the city, and writes about it, but nothing he says or feels is certain or concrete. The only thing he knows without doubt is that he loves Vivian (Gong Li).
Vivian, however, is an ex-prostitute who is associated with Chang (Michael Hui); she wants to marry Chang and raise a family with him, but his social standing ensures that he can not ever have such a relationship with an ex-prostitute. Vivian clearly has strong feelings for John, but refuses to make them known to him. Somewhere in the middle of all this, John meets a woman named Jean (Maggie Cheung), who dresses with eccentricity and seems to live a strange and vibrant existence. He tries to interview her, to find out about the scar that covers half her face, but she's resistant at first. Soon, a strange parallel develops between his relationship with the two women.
Wayne Wang has directed several other pictures, but the only one I've seen is Smoke. I didn't enjoy that film, but now that I can compare it with Chinese Box, it is clear to me that Wang is not a one-trick film maker. There is so much to admire about Chinese Box, but I think the most interesting aspect is Wang's consistent tone and atmosphere. Every scene is shot with a handheld camera, and this gives the film a jittery, in-the-moment feeling. It also keeps the film in John's perspective, and this is a good decision because it keeps the setting foreign, and even a little bit threatening. The atmosphere is eerie and very effective.
Wang's execution of his story (which was actually written by Larry Gross and Jean-Claude Carriere) also helps to characterize the three main people in his story. John, played by Irons with that flustered strength that Irons always manifests so effortlessly, is a well-developed and interesting character, and a perfect type of person to place at the center of this story. Early in the film, he learns that he has leukemia, and that he probably only has about six months to live, and this puts a fascinating dimension onto his actions.
His associations with these two enigmatic women is really at the heart of the story. There are climactic scenes with both Vivian and Jean, and both of these moments are perfectly created by Wang. The best scene in the film is towards the end, and it comes about when Vivian leaves Chang to revert to her prostitute life; John finds her, and she puts on her act for him, but he manages to break it down and prove to her that his feelings are true. This scene is perfect moviemaking, and is strong mostly because of the acting.
Gong Li is a beautiful, talented actress, and is wonderful here in a quiet, understated way. Cheung's performance is entirely different, but complex in that it's clear that she's hiding almost everything about herself that's important to her. The presence of these two interesting female characters is one of the most prominent strengths of Chinese Box.
Wang does, however, make a couple of severe missteps that have surprisingly strong negative effects on the film. There is one scene that completely disrupts the film's detached sense of frenzy -- it's a series of shots in which John is in the hospital, learning that his cancer is fatal, and then he goes outside and sits; during all of this, horribly sentimental music twangs in the background (it's actually performed by Ruben Blades, who plays John's friend Jim). It changes the tone of the film so abruptly that I was literally ripped from the picture just at the moment when I wanted to be most absorbed in it.
Wang also seems uncertain about his reasoning for placing his story against the backdrop of the disintegration of British colonialism in Hong Kong. It's something that he clearly feels strongly about, but Chinese Box isn't long enough to focus on this fascinating love story and still make a meaningful political statement. Aside from these elements, however, I can do nothing but enthusiastically recommend this film -- Wang is a gifted film maker, and he has done a fantastic job of creating a unique love story that draws you in and forces you to care.
*** out of **** (7/10, B)
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Nathaniel R. Atcheson
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