Stonewalling

That giant statue of young Mao's head in Changshan looking so glorious is such a contrast to this young woman in her claustrophobic life. Despite what appears like opportunity in going to school to learn English and becoming a flight attendant, there is a sense of quiet desperation for her character, with her mother a link in a pyramid scheme hawking the cure-all "Vital Cream," and she herself looking into selling her eggs for cash. She listens in as wealthy clients examine young girls as if they were livestock, the scenes of which are perhaps even more disturbing because they are so matter-of-fact, but can't do it herself because she's found out she's pregnant. To pay off a lawsuit aimed at her mother and to conceal the fact she's having a baby from her boyfriend and others, she hatches a scheme to essentially sell her baby. It's a sobering window into commodification and dehumanization which certainly had merit, but for me the film was too ponderous, far too long at 148 minutes. Ironically, despite the length, I'm not sure I ever really learned enough about this character. In any event, it was too dreary for me to enjoy.