A Vida é Bela

Can Andrew Lau, better known for his Infernal Affairs movies, cop dramas and action films, deliver an outright romantic movie? Sure, as A Beautiful Life shows, although riddled with enough genre clichés compensated by an amazing timeline for the narrative to develop, more than watching a couple develop in their love for each other from a chance meeting until the standard happy ending - it's meant for the Chinese market after all, so I suppose it has to stay within the confines that all will be well no matter how bleak everything can become.

As far as romantic movies go, this one's pretty ambitious in its timeline and narrative development, that it is almost akin to watching the natural progression of a relationship that worked, although for a romantic film, you'd sort of figure a life threatening disease kicking in at some point in order to play up the main theme of sacrifice, a cornerstone for something unconditional. In a tale of two halves, it shows how one party demonstrates that level of care and concern for the other, before tables get turned in almost a reciprocal manner, though you might add that one of the two probably drew the shorter end of the stick.

Another Hong Kong-China co-production, A Beautiful Life follows the life of Li Peiru (Shu Qi in her umpteenth romantic role of her career), a real estate agent who's perpetually drunk, in a relationship with her married boss in the hopes that she can stay in Beijing and lead the life of a tai tai. Well not quite, since she's emotionally miserable almost all of the time. She chances upon Fang Zhendong (Liu Ye), an honest cop who's the immaculate do-gooder, all round Chinese hero of sorts who inevitably falls for the free spirited lass.

As subplots to beef up the narrative, there's the brotherly love between Zhendong and his autistic brother Zhencong (Tian Liang) where the latter is also engaged in his own romantic dalliances with the mute girl Xiaowan (Feng Danying), where this almost blissful couple is in stark contrast to the more testy one between Peiru and Zhendong. And when I mean testy, it's that perennial test of trust and leap of faith where Zhendong goes against the warnings of his blind confidante (played by Anthony Wong no less) when Zhendong coughs out hundreds of thousands of dollars to sponsor Peiru's dream of opening up her own shop.

Seriously, the movie really dragged on and the finale was something that failed to man up, opting for the cop out to sooth audience's expectations rather than to follow through with its own intent involving unfortunate demise. Perhaps it really played to the points of one not having to be afraid when being with the one you love, or if you were to want to read it a little deeper, it's a socio-political suck up made where China stands as big brother despite its flaws, looking after the rogue entities who embrace various frowned upon vices, only to be seen ever ready to embrace them back into the fold, and show them the route to eternal happiness as one big family.

What made this work though happened to be the incredible chemistry between Shu Qi and Liu Ye especially, playing stock characters with aplomb that made their romance believable. One of the scenes that stood out was an incredibly long, single take where the duo had to walk down an extended walkway, one being drunk while the other constantly being that pillar of support, engaging in honest conversation that I would have shuddered to think about the effort that went behind making this one take possible. Cinematography was also top notch in this film capturing the hustle and bustle of the city, in contrast against the more serene villages, though this should come as no surprise given the director's background.

The Chinese title for A Beautiful Life underwent a change from the literal translation of the English title, to the more oomph filled one that reads a vow not to let the other party be lonely. And in some ways it's a more fitting title given the way things progressed between the characters in their give and take, and ambitious melodrama in wanting to cover the different stages, progression and development in a couple's love life. And that with their family as well.

This is the story of how a greedy and shallow woman is transformed by love. In order to appreciate this movie, you have to get past the first part, where actress Shu Qi plays a very unlikable character, who uses her policeman friend to clean up her messes with no regard for his feelings. If you can persevere through that, she eventually realizes that her former life is worthless, and that he is the only one worth caring about. Then the film becomes a beautiful love story. Shu Qi does a great acting job in this movie. Watch for the scene where she is drunk walking down an alley. It's a long scene done as a single shot. If you're going to watch this movie, watch it until the end. It's worth it.

This film is all heart. A policeman rescues a drunk real estate agent who is drop dead gorgeous and takes her home. He stands by her throughout the film despite her sometimes ignoring how good he is to her. The message is anti-materialism and shows there might be hope for china before they follow our path to decline in the USA. He is good to everyone in his life and at work, but tragedy keeps falling on him, but he does not give up hope. He takes care of his little brother. The photography is very well done and the actors are top rate. It has been nominated for Hong Kong Movie awards and should be nominated for best foreign picture if Harvey Weinstein does not promote the Intouchables through the roof.

We did a double take when we first read that Andrew Lau's next project after the martial arts vigilante flick "The Legend of Chen Zhen" was a romantic drama between two unlikely individuals with a melodramatic twist. After all, this is the director of hard-boiled crime thrillers like "Infernal Affairs" and "Young and Dangerous", whose occasional foray out of his comfort zone has only been to the relatively safe rom- com territory (i.e. the Andy Lau-Shu Qi romance "Look For A Star").

But with a distinct change in genre, Andrew Lau has cemented his reputation as one of the best contemporary directors in Hong Kong- because this drama is not only warm and engaging, it is also exceptionally moving. Indeed, it is probably one of the most heartfelt films you'll see this year, a resounding affirmation of the strength and the courage true love gives to its beholder, and the more sentimental viewers among us will best be advised to get their Kleenexes ready.

Turning once again to his favourite leading lady, Andrew Lau casts Shu Qi in the role of Li Peiru, a young and ambitious real estate agent from Hong Kong in the city of Beijing trying to strike it rich. She meets the honest and principled local policeman Fang Zhendong (Liu Ye) one night while entertaining her potential clients at a karaoke bar, and despite his best efforts to shake her off, Zhendong ends up taking the intoxicated Peiru home and putting her in bed.

They meet again through a series of handy coincidences, and the straight-laced cop quickly but surely finds himself falling for Peiru- even though she is in a torturous relationship with a married man. Zhendong is the characteristic lonely soul yearning for companionship, his first responsibility towards his younger autistic brother Zhencong (Tian Liang) leaving him with little time and energy to socialise and meet new friends. Their mutual affections aren't contrived- underneath her veneer of confidence lies an equally lonely heart searching for true love- and Zhendong recognises it even before Peiru does.

For the first hour, Tang Kit Ming's (who also wrote "Look For A Star") screenplay lays bare the depth of Zhendong's love for Peiru- Zhendong cooks for her, cleans up after her drunken stupors, and even agrees to spy on her boyfriend to make sure he isn't cheating on her with another mistress (he is). But the real test of his love for her comes after her fall from grace- she loses her job, has to downgrade from her swanky apartment to a much smaller place, and asks to borrow money to start her own business. Kit Ming's script isn't afraid to let them fall in love in less than typical adorable rom-com fashion, and it is through his characters' day-to-day real-life struggles that we empathise with them even more.

Of course, much of the empathy the film generates is due to the endearing performances by both Liu Ye and Shu Qi. While it is probably no stretch for her playing the teasing flirtatious Peiru at the start of the film, it is her character's subsequent downfall that proves truly interesting to watch. These later scenes bring out an unexpected nuance in Shu Qi's acting, and the most remarkable of these is a single uninterrupted hand-held shot in an alleyway where her character reveals her deeply heartfelt plight- she has to earn money to help support her debt-saddled family back in Hong Kong. Liu Ye's intense down-to-earth performance is an excellent complement against Shu Qi, and the two evince an easygoing chemistry that will win you over effortlessly.

The strength of their combined performances is also a huge reason why the second half of the film anchored by a melodramatic twist turns out affecting and poignant, especially in its portrayal of the reciprocal nature of true love. This latter half also contains perhaps the most touching sequence in the film, one which speaks volumes about Zhendong's love for Peiru and his efforts to love Peiru to the best of his abilities in spite of his frailties. Lau tries to top this with an even more emotionally wraught climax, but can't escape the obvious contrivances of its plotting.

Yet that doesn't distract from an otherwise perfectly crafted film, a tearjerker if you will, that reminds us of the inherent desire within each and every one of us for company and companionship, and the lengths to which true love will give us the strength and willpower to go to. What is a beautiful life? It is a life lived fully in true love, perfectly embodied here in that between Zhendong and Peiru.

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I went into this thinking it was going to be a standard love story / drama. Wow, it blew me away with how different from the standard it was! The story really goes in some unexpected and interesting directions, there are some genuinely heartbreaking and touching scenes, the performances are great, and the plot isn't easy to predict.

I'll leave the details to other reviewers but suffice it to say I'm not someone who normally watches this kind of film, I watched it because I'm learning Mandarin and devour any Chinese films I haven't seen yet. I was very pleasantly surprised at how real the characters felt, and how their development goes throughout the film. The runtime is also good, long enough to make a great story and develop the characters, but not too long, which many movies are now.

Give this movie a watch if you're looking for a good story with characters that feel real, and if you're looking to be moved. It definitely far surpassed my expectations!