The exams for art schools are quite difficult on an international level, with many aspiring artists finding themselves unable to pass, even after repeated tries. Larry Wu, who was himself forced to retake the particular exam, focuses on the concept, along with an additional one, regarding mentors.
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The movie begins with a black screen and a rather appealing female voice guiding in a way that reminds of hypnotism, while her words are mirrored in the background sound. It turns out that she is actually a tutor of actors, while soon the protagonist is yelling under her instructions, concluding the lesson. The movie then moves six months forward, after the acting exams, where we find Liu Zihang lying on his bed in his house, with his mother trying to make him move out of what seems to be some sort of depression. He soon starts to utter lines from a play. The whole scene is purposefully blurry, while a knock at the door breaks both the blurriness and the ‘performance’
The movie then movies into a club of sorts, where Liu is meeting with some friends, with the discussion changing from college to car driving, and his boasting that he has car keys in his hands. All the while, he is drinking constantly, while a challenge to act some lines soon turns into a fight. In the aftermath, a drunk Liu decides to find the acting tutor he admires, Miss Lin.
Larry Wu directs a film that deal with a number of concepts. The first and most central one is handling failure, particularly in regards to entrance exams, with the protagonist’s irresponsible behavior having its roots there, and perhaps in his adolescence. The concept of the mentor is also touched upon, with Liu searching for his during the time he feels the lowest. Considering, however, that in his case, she is a woman, the point also goes towards other paths.
Crime and punishment (and drinking under the influence of alcohol) are commented upon too, although in this case, the concept is again combined with the immaturity of adulthood, in a way though, that also highlights the need people in the place of the protagonist feel to escape. The ending scene cements this last aspect in the most eloquent fashion.
One could say that Wu needed some more time, perhaps of feature length, in order to present his comments more adequately, since all the ‘arcs’ are suffocating in the 20 minutes the short lasts. At the same time, this approach allows the viewer to think of themselves on all the questions he poses, in an approach that works well here.
In terms of production values, the quality of the short is definitely high. DP Li Jiayu uses a number of different approaches (blurry scenes, close ups, long shots) in order to add visual flair to the movie, with the movie looking particularly impressive visually.
Mo Lisi as Liu Zihang highlights his inner turmoil and his immaturity quite well, with the scenes he is interacting with the various characters in the movie all being well portrayed. Lin Shihan as Miss Lin plays the role of the mentor that perhaps can be something more (it is open if a friend or a romantic interest) convincingly. Wang Weichun’s editing results in a relatively fast pace that suits the mentality of the protagonist to perfection.
“Rhino” definitely needed some more duration in order for the director to present his comments in better fashion. However, the quality of the shooting, the ideas he presents and the acting of the protagonist make the short a more than worthy watch.
