A Vida é Bela

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!

Wonderful movie, I watched it knowing not what to expect. The first hour has a different tone from the second one, but they both complement each other in a beautiful way. What is really lovely is that one of the characters changes for better, and it is a real, deep change, rarely portraited efficiently on screen. The photography is stunning, the soundtrack is beautiful and the actors did a wonderful job. Netflix is allowing me to discover these wonderful and heartfelt movies.

Nothing much left to write, except that it was a great experience and that I will recommend this movie to everyone! Beautiful!

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 movie is way too long. It needs an editor to cut it down to 90 minutes. The first 90 minutes are great. It tells a complete story. We have a beginning, middle, and ending. But this movie continued on for another 40 minutes and it really starts to drag.

The movie could had ended at a very specific part and it would had been a 9/10, but it went on and on and it slowed down to a halt. The final 40 minutes suddenly covers over a year in these two persons' life.

The acting is really good, but this movie really needed a better editor to trim the fat. 6/10

Alert!

Beautiful girl.

Alone.

DRUNK.

Black slinky dress and 👠 red platform shoes.

/Someone/ should look out for her.

She stumbles onto Fang, but another dude arrives to assist her, so Fang walks away. But Fang made an impression, so while he's walking home, she's ba-aack! And she jumps on /his/ back.

"I'll buy you coffee sometime," was how the night ended. They soon run into eachother a couple more times. Yes, she remembers him; she wasn't /that/ drunk. She gives him her card and makes more promises about future coffee. Next, she sees him in the grocery store and /demands/ his help in making dumplings. He complies. When her sig-other comes home, however, she acts like Fang's the plumber🔩💦

😳uch

She seems to think she's a 🐈 that can sit on anyone's lap and be loved. Look at how cute she is, afterall! Due to the success of the dumplings, she's now in the habit of calling Fang for all kinds of help. We soon learn that her sig-other has a much /more significant/ other of his own. She's going to need lots of help.

ABL is a 2011 124-minute release that is rated 92 on AWiki. It is a beautiful story, and it is completely different from a typical Chinese modern-day feature. That's probably because it's a collaboration with Hong Kong. It feels like we're watching real people from a camera in the corner of the room.

Liu Ye (First Night Nerves) plays ML Fang Zhengdong. He lives with his brother, who has communication struggles and needs looking after. Fang seems to be a natural nurturer. Shu Qi (Good Autumn, Mommy) portrays FL Li Peiru. Everyone in her life is selfish. Once she meets Fang, she just keeps comin back round to him because he is something entirely strange and new. It's mutual. They are obviously drawn to eachother. Over time, a bond forms and continues to get stronger. In the beginning, it's him helping her, but she gets a chance to return the favor.

ABL is just lovely. It is a romance that would please more than romance-junkies. These are two lonely people, and as opposite personalities, they each handle loneliness in their own ways. As a policeman, Fang handles it in an orderly manner by keeping his head down and fulfilling responsibilities. Li acts out in a disorderly fashion. She's often drunk and disorderly. One cop took notice, and 2 lonely lives became one beautiful life together.

〰🖍 IMHO

📣7.6 📝7.4 🎭8 💓7 🦋5.5 🎨6.5 🎵/🔊7.2 🔚8 🤗8 ▪ 🌞6.5 ⚡3.5 😅2 😭4 😱2 😯3 🤢3.5 🤔4.5 💤0

Age 13+ adult situations and mild sexual content

Rated TV-PG-13: Parents Cautioned

Re-📺? Would

In order of ~lite & trite~ to ~heavy & serious~ you may also like:

💓 - C🇨🇳: A Little Thing Called First Love 8.5; Find Yourself 8.9; The Romance of Tiger and Rose 9.8; The Sleepless Princess 9.1; Wait, My Youth-8.4

Romance junkies only: Accidentally in Love-6.5 '18 B-level scripting, acting, and directing, but still fun/strangely relaxing to watch, Well-Intended Love-7.5 Rom-porn - extra points for the dopamine but many object to an outrageous stunt the ML pulls, When I Fly Towards You-7.8, You are my destiny-6.8 cute and sweet and 1/2 padding, Meteor Garden-7.4 - 70% flowing 30% dragging and BOF is better, Hidden Love-7.8

K🇰🇷 : A Witch's Love 7.8; Love To Hate You 8.9; Touch Your Heart 8.2; Crash Landing On You 9.1; Oh My Ghost 10; It's Okay Not to Be Okay 9; Hospital Playlist 9; My Mister 9.5;

🎎 - C🇨🇳: Overlord 8.4, Under the Power 8.6, The Rebel Princess 9.1, The Sword and the Brocade 8.6 (in ancient Chinese opera style), The Rise of Phoenixes 9 K🇰🇷: My Only Love Song 8.7 excellent comedy; Mr. Queen 8.5; My Sassy Girl 8.5; The King's Affection 8.3; Mr. Sunshine 9

🔮🐉- C🇨🇳: Love Between Fairy & Devil 8.9; Douluo Continent 9.4; Handsome Siblings 8.7; Ancient Love Poetry 8.6; Love and Redemption 10

⚡/😱 - C🇨🇳: Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Saber 9-Kung-fu!; K🇰🇷: K2 8; Private Lives 8.1; Sisyphus 8; Tunnel 8.1; Signal 8.6; The Man From Nowhere 8.9 Black 9; Squid Game 8.4; Kingdom 8.3; Sweet Home 8.4

Japanese🇯🇵 lite romcoms: Maid Sama-10, Mischievous Kiss Love in Tokyo-7.8, Love, Chunibyo And Other Delusions-8.4, Toradora-8.5

🇭🇰 Hong Kong - The Defected-8.2, Don't Go Breaking My Heart-7.7

🇹🇼 Taiwan - Age of Rebellion-9.5, The Fierce Wife-8, Two Fathers-7.5, The Fierce Wife-8.