Ba wang bie ji / Farewell My Concubine (1993) - Gloomy foreshadowing - 8/10 (20/06/19)

It's quite funny who I discovered Farewell My Concubine. I was looking for some records in a second-hand shop in Montreal when I saw a gorgeous Korean boxed set including a DVD of this film as well as its soundtrack. Since this Korean version of an old Chinese film was quite obscure, the package only cost three dollars. I assumed I couldn't do anything wrong purchasing this film and I was indeed not disappointed at all when I finally watched the award-winning classic. The airy soundtrack is also quite unique.

Farewell My Concubine is based upon a novel of the same name and depicts a surprisingly honest picture of Chinese history throughout the twentieth century. The movie follows a young boy named Douzi whose prostitute mother tries to get rid of him by any means necessary. She cuts his supernumerary finger with a cleaver and then sends her son to a group of young boys who are trained to perform Peking opera. Douzi is bullied by the other kids because of his origins and regularly beaten and intimidated by adults. He is further humiliated by being forced to act female roles but manages to perform brilliantly with his best friend Shitou. He even endures sexual abuse by an eunuch to hold on to his dream to become a star and have a better life. But even when he becomes a renowned star, Douzi's life seems to be cursed. His best friend slowly drifts away from him when he marries a selfish prostitute. His patron tries to seduce and abuse him. Political forces accuse him for having been forced to dance for Japanese generals. Despite all the hardship, Douzi doesn't stop believing in a better future.

Despite a few lengths over a running time of nearly three hours, the movie has numerous strengths. The film is a critical portrait of Chinese history from the mid-twenties to the mid-seventies and shows how societal and political forces of different origins abuse, menace and persecute the protagonist alike. The costumes, settings and soundtrack are detailed, emotive and inspiring. The acting performances are intense and especially lead actor Leslie Cheung fully convinces as homosexual actor, dancer and singer who is never fully accepted by society. The film has a gripping melancholic atmosphere and there only very few inspiring hopeful moments as opposed to numerous grim setbacks. This intellectual movie certainly isn't easy to digest but offers incredibly rewarding food for thought.

One thing that needs to be pointed out is that famous actor Leslie Cheung plays the greatest role of his life in this ambitious epic drama. The parallels between his character Douzi and the actual actor Leslie Cheung are almost creepy regarding his stardom, sexuality and fate. That makes the movie even more thought-provoking in hindsight and shows that the film has aged quite well.

If you like ambitious and epic dramas and are interested in Chinese culture, history and society, you should watch Farewell My Concubine. The movie is emotionally gripping, historically accurate and intellectually challenging. It has aged quite well and shows an extraordinary lead actors who fully identifies with his role.