XIU XIU: THE SENT DOWN GIRL (TIAN YU)
Reviewed by Harvey Karten, Ph.D. Stratosphere Entertainment Director: Joan Chen Writer: Yan Geling (Novella), Joan Chen Cast: Lu Lu, Lopsong
On the surface, "Xiu Xiu" emulates a fable, a legend, though in fact the novella "Tian Yu" on which the film is based was inspired by the experiences of a woman known by the writer, Yan Geling. Look just a bit below the surface and you'll find that this story--which centers almost exclusively on the relationship of two people from different cultures and generations--is one of the most scathing indictments of Chinese Communism yet filmed. Taking place during the waning days of the Cultural Revolution (1967-1976), the tale illustrates that even during this period of the most intensely communistic strivings of the People's Republic, your future could well be determined by money, family influence, and connections in the right places. Wherever Communism has taken root, the people have received far greatest promises than any government could realize. By bringing this concept down to a simple tale that focuses on a 15-year-old girl who comes of age during a period of particular upheaval in contemporary China, Shanghai-born director Joan Chen effectively dramatizes the lies and depravity endemic to that country's political system.
The story is narrated by a passionate admirer of the principal character (Luoyong Wang), who is sadly taking leave of his young girl friend Wenxiu, nicknamed Xiu Xiu (Lu Lu). An innocent resident of the city of Chengdu, she has been promised a job as a leader of the prestigious girls' Iron Cavalry, an appointment which would presumably be awarded after a one year's training program at hard labor followed by a six months' assignment to a remote region bordering Tibet. At the Spartan training camp, the only entertainment for the youthful participants is an occasional black-and-white propaganda movie, concluding with a song in which the entire audience joins. To Xiu Xiu's surprise, she is ultimately sent down to a barren, isolated land to work the horses with a twenty-year veteran horse herder, Lao Jin (Lopsang), known far and wide as a man who had been castrated during a Tibetan uprising and who therefore poses no threat of improper conduct with the girl.
At the conclusion of the six months' assignment--during which time she has become fond of the much older man who treats her gently and who has obviously been taken by her innocent charms--she is eager to return to the bustling Chengdu, but no such luck. Nobody comes to pick her up and give her the documents she needs to live there. Instead, a number of individuals pass through, claiming the ability to help her get the residence permits in return for her sexual favors. She quickly loses her innocence and her modesty, while the unhappy Lopsang is impotent to come to her aid. ULtimately Lopsang, the only person outside her own family to care for her, grants her the peace she so earnestly seeks.
Because "Xiu Xiu" is brutally critical of the Communist system, we can be sure the film will not be shown in her own country. Filmed by Ms. Chen without a permit, its crew worked in remote regions of Tibet, regularly moving to avoid the authorities. The movie was shipped out where the work was honored in Taipei by sweeping seven Golden Horse (Oscar) awards, including best picture, director, actor, actress, screenplay, song and music. Selected in the U.S. for festivals at Fort Lauderdale, Telluride, San Francisco and Hawaii, "Xiu Xiu" effectively satirizes utopian regimes by highlighting a girl who is innocent, optimistic and trusting until the system turns the despairing young person into a whore. In the title role, the seventeen-year-old Lu Lu projects unsullied naivete, her first-rate performance impressively converting her into a desperately unhappy, exploited woman. Director Chen is so adept at her job that she is able to show the seething that influences every muscle of the impotent Lao Jin's body while simultaneously depicting the playful chemistry that sheaths a genuine chemistry between these two people. Ironically, an American can expect to pay $6,000 to tour the very regions highlighted by Yue Lu's dramatic photography, an area so stifling to the film's principal character that she would sooner die than endure another month.
Rated R. Running time: 99 minutes. (c) 1999 by Harvey Karten
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