''Caught in the Web'' () is a 2012 Chinese
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...
directed by
Chen Kaige
Chen Kaige (; born 12 August 1952) is a Chinese film director and a leading figure of the fifth generation of Chinese cinema.Berry, Michael (2002). "Chen Kaige: Historical Revolution and Cinematic Rebellion" in Speaking in Images: Interviews wi ...
. In September 2012 it screened as a special presentation at the
2012 Toronto International Film Festival
The 37th annual Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 6 and September 16, 2012. TIFF announced the films that were accepted on August 21, 2012. On its 37th edition the TIFF included a 2 ...
. The film was selected as the Chinese entry for the
Best Foreign Language Oscar at the
85th Academy Awards
The 85th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2012 and took place on February 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p. ...
, but it did not make the final shortlist.
Plot
Set in Hangzhou, in modern-day China, a young woman becomes embroiled in controversy after a cell phone video of her being disrespectful on a public bus to an elderly person goes viral. The aftermath affects her personal and professional life and brings her face to face with the video's poster, an ambitious journalist.
Cast
*
Gao Yuanyuan
Gao Yuanyuan (, born 5 October 1979) is a Chinese actress and model.
She ranked 64th on ''Forbes'' China Celebrity 100 list in 2013, 40th in 2014, 76th in 2015, and 86th in 2017.
Career
Gao Yuanyuan was born in Beijing and graduated from China In ...
as Ye Lanqiu
*
Yao Chen
Yao Chen (, born 5 October 1979) is a Chinese actress and philanthropist. In 2014, ''Time'' named Yao as one of the most influential people on their ''Time 100'' list. As of 2014, she is listed as the 83rd most powerful woman in the world by '' ...
as Chen Ruoxi
*
Mark Chao as Yang Shoucheng
*
Wang Xueqi
Wang Xueqi (; born 19 March 1946) is a Chinese film actor whose career has spanned over 25 years. He was often cast in early Fifth Generation films, such as Chen Kaige's '' Yellow Earth'' (1984) and '' The Big Parade'' (1986), Huang Jianxin's '' ...
as Shen Liushu
*
Chen Hong as Mo Xiaoyu
*
Wang Luodan
Wang Luodan () is a Chinese actress and singer. She rose to fame because with the TV series '' Struggle'' (2007). She became increasingly popular after starring in '' My Youthfulness'' (2009) and ''A Story of Lala's Promotion'' (2010). Wang has a ...
as Yang Jiaqi
* Chen Ran as Tang Xiaohua
*
Zhang Yi as Zhang Mu
*
Tan Songyun
Tan Songyun (born 31 May 1990), also known as Seven, is a Chinese actress. She is best known for her roles in television series ''The Whirlwind Girl'' (2015), ''With You'' (2016), ''The Fox's Summer'' (2017), '' Under The Power'' (2019), '' Go A ...
Reception
Derek Elley of ''
Film Business Asia'' gave the film a score of 9/10, and states "Chen has come late in the game to dealing with the social and ethical contradictions of life in modern-day China, but ''Web'' more than makes up for lost time. Densely plotted across its two hours' running-time, the film starts as a black comedy on the destructive power of modern media (especially China's internet discussion boards) but from its midway point gradually morphs into a complex web of love and ambition, both gained and lost."
Maggie Lee of ''
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), ...
'' describes it as "An engrossing, if lengthy social drama in which a woman's minor public misconduct plunges her into a dragnet of cyber witch-hunting that unseats relationships, careers and a business empire, the punningly titled "Caught in the Web" reps a thought-provoking, character-driven morality tale by Chinese helmer Chen Kaige."
Deborah Young of ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...
'' states "Chen Kaige's fast-paced contemporary dramedy is a masterful take on Internet character assassination."
Dan Fainaru of ''
Screen Daily'' describes the film as "A cinematic tour de force in every respect, Che Kaige’s complex, multi-layered story looks for a while like a satirical take on the misuse of new fancy gadgetry to deprive individuals of their last shred of privacy and ends on an introspective tone, suggesting there is no use blaming the gadgets, but the people behind them."
Fainaru further describes the film as "A surprisingly refreshing departure for one of China's leading Fifth Generation filmmakers, better identified with period pieces."
[
]
See also
* List of submissions to the 85th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
*
* Human flesh search engine
Human flesh search engine () is a Chinese term for the phenomenon of distributed researching using Internet media such as blogs and forums. Internet media, namely dedicated websites and Internet forums, are in fact platforms that enable the broa ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Caught In The Web
2012 films
2012 drama films
Chinese drama films
2010s Mandarin-language films
Films directed by Chen Kaige