I've always been a fan of Lou Ye's films as in my opinion he is one of the few Chinese film directors who dare to speak truth and present China as it is in his works . This movie is no exception. The movie is set in a Chinese city called Wuhan, a mega city and also my hometown . According to Lou Ye, he has chosen this city because it best represents Chinese social problems like class stratification and polarization of the rich and the poor(okay...). Indeed in the film, we see the nova rich, who drive luxurious cars, live in expansive villas, raise mistresses, etc. On the other hand, there are also the poor( e.g.. the male protagonist's young mistress), the homeless( who is murdered by the protagonist). Throughout the film, the rich can do whatever they want, while the poor is always exploited, made used of, and even murdered. Therefore, the ending is pretty sad and grim. The rich murderers are at large. Those who are murdered(the poor university girl and the homeless old man) are forgotten.

The movie does start off as a bona-fide horror film. If you as me, do not know the specifics/plot of the movie, you might be excused to think this is where this movie is heading. But while the horror stigma does not really fit (a "I know what you did last summer" vibe hanging around it), the movie itself might terrify you. The plot it tells and the way the characters act that is.While the beginning is like a show off, the rest is more subtle than that and wants you to listen and watch. There is a time-line/storyline mix that might confuse some people, but it makes the overall story more intriguing. To some western audience members the relationships and the way people "act" may feel alien, but there is another sense behind it all and a different code to live by here. More a drama, the thrilling elements of the movie (and some incidents) might be too much for some

Chinese screenwriter, producer and director Lou Ye's seventh feature film which he co-produced and co-wrote with Chinese screenwriters Yu Fan and Mei Feng after a story by Li Yongfang, is inspired by an online diary by "Watching The Moon Leave" on Tianya community. It premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the 65th Cannes International Film Festival in 2012, was shot on location in Beijing, China and is a China-France co-production which was produced by producers Chen Xi, Nai An and Kristina Larsen. It tells the story about a woman named Lu Jie who lives in an apartment block in China with her husband named Qiao Yongzhao and their daughter named An'an. One rainy day when Lu is at a playground with An'an she meets a woman named Sang Qi whom is there with her son named Yuhang and who insists that they meet again. Lu and Sang meets again and their children get to play together, and when they meet for the third time at a cafe, Lu learns that Sang thinks her husband is having an affair. Subtly and engagingly directed by Asian filmmaker Lou Ye, this finely paced fictional tale which is narrated from multiple viewpoints though mostly from one of the female main characters' point of view, draws an instantly intriguing and multifaceted portrayal of the excruciating consequences of a successful father's liaisons and the evolving relationship between two mothers. While notable for its distinct and naturalistic milieu depictions, reverent cinematography by film editor and cinematographer Zeng Jian, art direction by art directors Du Luxi and Peng Shaoying and use of sound, colors and light, this character-driven and narrative-driven story about whether or not it is justifiable to exonerate someone whom has committed an unlawful act and then rationalizes that deed as instigated under the influence of love and as beyond moral judgment, the casualties of other people's love and where a wife learns new things about her husband and makes a new acquaintance, a husband is keeping secrets, a police officer whom is in the midst of an investigation is assisted by his friend who hasn't gotten over his ex- girlfriend and two children are becoming friends, depicts three isolating and merging studies of character and contains a great and timely score by composer Peyman Yazdanian.This surprising, quietly conversational, atmospheric and psycho-emotional drama triangle, love-story and moral mystery which is set in the capital city of China in the 21st century and where a Chinese family is receiving strange phone calls at night, the life of a college student named Sun Xiaomin is marred by other people's jealousy and recklessness and a severe crime remains classified as a car accident, is impelled and reinforced by its fragmented narrative structure, substantial character development, rhythmic continuity, distinct music by Icelandic musician Jóhann Jóhannsson, internally conflicted characters, straightforward depiction of its central themes, tragic undertones, scenes of Lu and scenes between Lu and Sang and the prominent and understated acting performances by Chinese actresses Hao Lei and Qi Xi and Chinese actor Qin Hao. A darkly romantic, modestly poetic and cinematographic character piece which gained, among other awards, the award for Best Film at the 7th Asian Film Awards in 2013.

The first few minutes will probably hit the raw nerve of anyone who got enraged by the irresponsible behaviour of fast car drivers here. We see two cars driven by rich kids who think of nothing except flooring the accelerators of their sports cars, even under inclement weather conditions, coupled with fooling around with the opposite sex, before tragedy hits when they get into an accident by hitting a passer-by. And as if not bad enough, one of them proceeds to finish the job. After all, it is said that punishment for a hit-and-run perpetrator is lighter if the victim succumbs to the injuries, rather than to survive the ordeal.Just when you think that Mystery would circle around the story of each of those who were involved, the narrative shifts in broad strokes. Based on story found in internet forums, Lou Ye's film actually deals with hell having known no fury than that of a woman scorned. Or make that women. It aims squarely at issues of extra marital affairs, and the trouble that one's indiscretion would bring about across all families involved in one's uncontained lust. It also skirted around highlights involving the single child policy, and how a male heir played some importance especially to the older generation. Which I thought was rather interesting if you'd put yourself in the shoes of the male protagonist under a society as such, although his wild behavioural swings isn't something that can be condoned.At first glance, it seemed that Qiao Yongzhao (Qin Hao) is leading the successful life, with a good career, nice apartment, wife Lu Jie (Hao Lei) and child. But who would have thought that these were insufficient, and slowly we learn more about what's actually behind his success due to family connections, and his frustrations that manifest through a series of affairs. Lu Jie befriends the mother of her daughter's classmate, and it's not before long that Sang Qi (Qi Xi) confides in her about her husband's affair. Connect the dots, and very soon the film becomes a tale of jealous vengeance, ever ready to see how far it could stretch.But while everything will be settled in a closed loop especially with yet another police investigative subplot thrown in for good measure (I suppose with Chinese films, you cannot have the law ignore crimes that have been committed, and how these investigations must almost always turn out positively to an extent, which makes the narrative fairly predictable), what was interesting was the character of Yongzhao, being very two-faced in the way he conducts himself between the two families, in a way, knowing very well not to bite the hands that feed him. The narrative moves up a notch when there's a direct confrontation, since it becomes a lot more explosive rather than to dwell and contemplate on the next move on the chess board.While the film tries to adopt this very detached, documentary like examination into the lives of the characters, it was especially jarring with the hand-held, shaky camera treatment, and on many occasions I was silently begging the cinematographer to mount the camera on a tripod, or stabilizer. It detracts one from getting into the story, and was mildly irritating each time the camera moved for no apparent reason other than just because it was hand held. If there could be one aspect that would make this film more bearable, it would be this.Otherwise perhaps Lou Ye wanted us to feel the same discomfort as the characters in this bleak and grim story, where everything was in a shade of grey, in the morals of the story as well as the way the film got lit and coloured, with plenty of rain to dampen any chirpy mood. If miserableness was what should be conveyed through the film to an audience, then this would be a great success.