"Beijing Bicycle" the interesting Chinese film directed by Xiaoshuai Wang, has been compared with Vittorio DeSica's masterpiece of the Italian cinema, "Bicycle Thief". In fact, we suspect this director is telling a story that seems to mirror the other film, but it's Chinese to the core.
Young Guo, who has arrived in Beijing from a rural area, is hired as a messenger for an agency that delivers important packages and mail throughout the city. Part of the deal is a shiny new bicycle that will be paid by the new hires after being in the job for a while. The bicycle for Guo means the improvement of his lot in life, as well as freedom to go everywhere and be his own master.
Jian, on the other hand, is a student that is seen hanging out with a rough bunch of school mates. Jian is excelling academically, but in order to fit, he must have a bicycle. The film doesn't make clear if Jian himself steals the bicycle, or as he claims, he bought it at the second hand market, with the money he stole from his father, which seems to be the case. He views the bicycle as a sign of status and of belonging; a means to have been accepted by his peers.
Young Guo shows a stubbornness that seems to be a trait with people from the area where he comes from. Instead of accepting the fact that his bicycle has been stolen, he decides to investigate on his own, something that must be a super human task given the millions of bicycles one sees in that city, and a mode of transport for the masses. One can't follow Guo's logic in not going to the police, or when he realizes who has stolen his bicycle, he never challenges the thief. In fact, Jian and his friends show a cruelty for the newly arrived country bumpkin that is scary. In fact, Jian shows a stubbornness himself that is unusual for a city boy that should have known better and who should have realized the plight of Guo.
"Beijing Bicycle" shows a side of city living in a city that is crowded and can be cruel to anyone trying to make a life in a decent way. We watch at the end a defeated Guo walking with his mangled bicycle on his way back home, perhaps.
The film will not disappoint, in spite of some repetitious sequences thanks to the strength of the two principals and the direction by Xiaoshuai Wang.
Young Guo, who has arrived in Beijing from a rural area, is hired as a messenger for an agency that delivers important packages and mail throughout the city. Part of the deal is a shiny new bicycle that will be paid by the new hires after being in the job for a while. The bicycle for Guo means the improvement of his lot in life, as well as freedom to go everywhere and be his own master.
Jian, on the other hand, is a student that is seen hanging out with a rough bunch of school mates. Jian is excelling academically, but in order to fit, he must have a bicycle. The film doesn't make clear if Jian himself steals the bicycle, or as he claims, he bought it at the second hand market, with the money he stole from his father, which seems to be the case. He views the bicycle as a sign of status and of belonging; a means to have been accepted by his peers.
Young Guo shows a stubbornness that seems to be a trait with people from the area where he comes from. Instead of accepting the fact that his bicycle has been stolen, he decides to investigate on his own, something that must be a super human task given the millions of bicycles one sees in that city, and a mode of transport for the masses. One can't follow Guo's logic in not going to the police, or when he realizes who has stolen his bicycle, he never challenges the thief. In fact, Jian and his friends show a cruelty for the newly arrived country bumpkin that is scary. In fact, Jian shows a stubbornness himself that is unusual for a city boy that should have known better and who should have realized the plight of Guo.
"Beijing Bicycle" shows a side of city living in a city that is crowded and can be cruel to anyone trying to make a life in a decent way. We watch at the end a defeated Guo walking with his mangled bicycle on his way back home, perhaps.
The film will not disappoint, in spite of some repetitious sequences thanks to the strength of the two principals and the direction by Xiaoshuai Wang.