With titles such as “Beijing Dream”, “The Rib” and “Empty Nest” under his belt, Zhang Wei is one of the most internationally renowned Chinese independent filmmakers. On the occasion of him being the filmmaker in focus in this year's NYAFF, the festival also presents his latest movie, “Redemption with Life”.
Redemption with Life is screening at New York Asian Film Festival
The movie begins with a motorcycle convoy riding in the Tibetan mountains, before a series of flashbacks brings us further and further back in time, examining the life story of three friends. Jianhua is essentially the protagonist, who used to work with (for, one could say) Li Gang in an investment company that ended up losing the money from all the investors the former managed to convince to give him their money, and sending him to prison for two years. After he is released, Jianhua once more tries to cooperate with Li Gang, this time, though, in order to find enough money to return to the people he “exploited”. His best friend, motorcycle mechanic Hou Peng, urges him to stop dealing with Li Gang and the particular business, something he also did in the past, but to no avail, until he also finds himself in trouble for helping his friend. As Jianhua's effort for redemption hit multiple walls, the role of Li Gang and a number of women is also revealed, as much as the troubled relationship the protagonist had with his wife Zhao Bo.
What emerges quite quickly in the film, as the first flashbacks within flashbacks begin to appear, is that the narrative is rather convoluted, with the same applying to the pacing and the comments presented throughout, which seem to go all over the place, as is the case with the plethora of episodes. As such, the movie ends up being intensely confusing, both regarding the when each event took place and how they are connected with each other, with the change in focus, from Jianhua to Hou Peng after a point, also not helping.
Check also this interview
The main comment about the blights of capitalism and the way scams work within the particular system is probably the only one eloquently presented here, with Zhang showing how it can destroy people's lives, and thus connecting it with themes of guilt, retribution and even revenge. These last aspects also allow him to include a number of violent scenes in the movie, which break the tempo somewhat while offering both drama and entertainment. The theme of friendship and how it can also be destroyed from egoism and, again, the blights of capitalism is another central theme in the narrative, which does, though, go a bit too far in terms of the script. Where the biggest issue in that regard lies, though, is the whole concept of the motorcycle club, the trip to Tibet and the benefits of Buddhism which are completely disconnected from the rest of the story, essentially looking as if someone forcibly included them in order to make a point, but essentially ending up completely sanctimonious.
Granted, the Tibet part allows Zhang Wei and his DP to present a number of images of intense beauty, with the whole visual concept of Harleys in the streets of Tibet looking particularly impressive, in probably the best aspect of the movie. In general, the visual approach of the movie is rather good, with the combination of camera work and coloring working excellently, both in the lighted and the desaturated moments. The same does not apply to the editing, however, which, considering the aforementioned, emerges as one of the biggest issues here.
Kang Lei as Jianhua is convincing on occasion, particularly in his initial enthusiasm and his disappointment and grief later on, Peng Hou makes a very entertaining villain as Li Gang while Zhang You as Hou Peng is convincing as the occasional voice of reason. Their acting, however, is toned down due to the overall faulty characterization and the aforementioned issues with the writing.
“Redemption with Life” has its moments individually, and occasionally it is impressive to look at, but as a whole, it definitely does not make sense.
