Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl (1998)

In short, a great and interesting movie. At the same time very, very sad. The story of the tragic fate of a girl called Xiu Xiu. Sent to the wildness away from her home, a young and naive, she soon realizes that her only true friend is Lao Jin. Rigid communist regime that destroyed every human spirit, thus her promising life. On the other hand, this movie contains beautiful images of nature, water, sky, horses, flowers and beautiful emotional music. What characterizes this movie is definitely a unique blend of music, images and emotional state in which the characters are. If you want to see a serious story, then the Tian Yu movie is just for you.

It is,in a certain way, almost strange to write something about this movie, now, so long after I have really admired it, so long after I have so intensely cherished it.XIU—XIU might be described as a small—scale romantic—naturalistic synthesis. It has gusto, flair and pace. It has suavity, and visions of hell. It is very coherent, limpid and well—constructed. The directorial approach is sober and incisive.It is deliberately heartbreaking and shocking and sensationally lyrical, of extreme emotional density ,a remarkable experience of art, of rich emotions; and, although not decadent in itself, it strongly appeals to decadent sensibilities and receptivity. (I thought it was good in a Rozanov/Bloy/ Nietzsche way, as I was able then to define the sphere of perception.) It treated highly, in a dignified perspective ,of humble things, elemental feelings and atrocious events. It played like the sum-ma of a certain art.Mainly on its base, I have formulated, or rather improvised, a quite decadent theory, the idea of the cruel, savage movie. By this, I meant a kind of lyrical and inspired naturalism, shocking and thrilling, the kind that might be seen in XIU—XIU, in the R. Harris masterpiece This Sporting Life (1963) and in some scenes of A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) .The film has strength and several merits. It is of an explicit beauty. It is a synthesis—a vision of art, a synthetic take. It has a vision of the human life, society, violence, evil, pain. It has a contemplative, quite and slow side. It is beautifully conceived and acted. Its sadness is visceral and piercing. For a time, I thought it better than anything else. During my XIU—XIU era, when I resolutely campaigned for it among my pals, I also liked ED WOOD.On the viewer's part, XIU—XIU might define an inclination towards finding beauty in its most compact and intense expressions. An aptitude for finding it. XIU—XIU is also an admirably crafted drama, that adds competence to the inspiration' s high aim.

Xiu Xiu is one of many young people transplanted from their homes in the city to the countryside in an ill-fated attempt by the government to enforce an exchange-type program. The aims might have originally been noble, but this story is about one fictitious girl who suffers greatly because she is dumped "in the middle of nowhere" and is forgotten. Life as a nomadic horse herder doesn't suit this city girl well and her promised return home never materializes--making her desperate to do anything to get back.This is an interesting film because it is critical of the Chinese Communist regime of the 1960s--only something you might have seen in a film made in China in very recent years. It also talks about sexual abuse and exploitation. However, despite these being interesting topics, the overall product left me curiously flat and unimpressed--mostly because the characters were difficult to relate to, were amoral and were amazingly one-dimensional. This SHOULD have left me a lot more satisfied, as films with similar themes (such as "Lan feng zheng", otherwise known as THE BLUE KITE) but instead I just felt detached and wanted the film to end and end soon. I wanted to like this film a lot more than I actually did.FYI--Parents, this film is not appropriate for younger viewers both because of sexual content and because the birth scene is pretty gross. Think twice before letting your kids see this one.

The biggest contribution of this movie is it uncovered a stupid aspect under the enthusiasm of the Cultural Revolution. While her parents feel torn inside, the girl, Xiu Xiu, says, "Everyone goes, and I go". Were those "elite students" reported in the world news such childish girls in 14 or 15?How miserable the latter half of the movie is! Lao Jin, Xiu Xiu's neutered mentor, loves her but she can not understand it. Only if Joan Chen meant to show the true love a middle-aged neutered man has for immature woman, she was successful. But I wonder if a tenured man, who lost male hormone, can be that manly and tough.