''A Lingering Face'' () is a
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
Chinese film
The cinema of China is one of three distinct historical threads of Chinese-language cinema together with the cinema of Hong Kong and the cinema of Taiwan.
Cinema was introduced in China in 1896 and the first Chinese film, '' Dingjun Mountain'' ...
directed by
Lu Xuechang. The film is Lu's second after 1997's ''The Making of Steel''. Compared to that earlier film, which was plagued with censorship problems, ''A Lingering Faces production and release was relatively free of problems or obstacles.
Plot
''A Lingering Face'' follows an everyman named Lei Haiyang (
Pan Yueming), who has recently broken up with his girlfriend. Deciding to go to
Beijing
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Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
, he hitches a ride with a driver (Li Min) and a fellow hitchhiker, Yanzi (Ma Xiaoqing). Waking up from a nap, Haiyang finds the truck parked in the woods and the driver raping Yanzi. Hiding in the undergrowth, Yanzi sees Haiyang (the titular "lingering" face), but does not reveal his hiding position. Terrified, Haiyang runs away.
In Beijing, Haiyang sees a news report of a female corpse found in the woods. Later, while walking in the streets, Haiyang chances upon a woman who looks exactly like Yanzi. She denies it, but the two embark on a friendship which blossoms into romance. Soon, Haiyang will discover what happened on that curious summer day.
Reception
In his review of ''A Lingering Face'' for
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
, Derek Elley commented: ... "Set in average, non-touristy Beijing locations, ... the movie has a genuinely offbeat character, without any heavy underlining or condescending to the viewer. Script keeps several well-drawn characters ... on the boil throughout, and the plot continues to spring surprises right to the very end".
[
]
See also
* '' Suzhou River'' and '' Lunar Eclipse'', two contemporary Chinese films that also deal with plots involving the double identities of women.
References
External links
*
*
''A Lingering Face''
at the Chinese Film Database
2000 films
Films set in Beijing
Films directed by Lu Xuechang
Chinese mystery drama films
2000s mystery drama films
2000 drama films
2000s Chinese films
{{China-film-stub