DVD: She, A Chinese

(Reviewed by Eden Carter Wood)

***

Mei has never been more than 5 miles from home. Bored, harassed by her mother, she’s a rural flower waiting for someone to pick her. Will it be the super cool guy on the scooter who smokes Red Plum cigarettes and takes her to karaoke? Will it be the nerdy government employee her mum wants her to meet, or will it be someone else entirely?

She, A Chinese doesn’t have a lesbian angle like most of the films that pass over our desks here at DIVA, but I thoroughly enjoyed it in spite of that. The cinematography is great; naturalistic with a handheld feel to it, and the locations are beautiful, if often gritty. When Mei relocates to the nearest big city, Chongqing, and then again to London, the story really takes off. It’s an interesting, well-made film about looking for your place in the world. And if you don’t want to take my word for it, consider this: She, A Chinese was the winner of the Golden Leopard at the Locarno International Film Festival 2009.

Check it out.

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