THE BABY (MIFF CHINESE MOVIE REVIEW)
9/10
Juang Meng is a 19 year old girl who still lives with her foster mother. Abandoned at birth because of her heart condition she more than anyone knows the hardships of those unwanted by their parents. While working her dead end job at the hospital she witnesses a father refusing life saving surgery for his baby daughter. From then on Juang will move heaven and earth to give that baby another chance in life, even if it means kidnapping the child.
THE BABY could have been an anti-utopian thriller if it wasn’t based on fact. Instead it can be watched as a documentary - it is matter of factly unflinching, as it depicts the every day life of the less fortunate in Chinese society. The film takes a hard look at Chinese foster care and disability scheme, as the characters are thrown into an impossible situation where no one can win.
The director Jie Liu has created something special here. Famous for his mainstream movie making he now delivers a realistic thriller with the conflict deeply rooted in the social problems of everyday China. Inviting the starlet Yang Mi to play the main character is a controversial choice for she is as far from an everyday Chinese girl as one can possibly be. Yang Mi, who is stunningly beautiful, here is her most unglamorous self. With her old woman walk and weatherbeaten unsmiling face her character is a force of nature, unstoppable but also devastating, which makes her an unlikable protagonist. After many soap operas and one off thrillers she surely shows she can carry the whole film on her shoulders.
Powerful and devastating THE BABY oozes with almost unbearable tension. While there’s no violence or action thrills on display it still makes for an edge of the seat viewing experience that holds you in its grip.
THE BABY could have been an anti-utopian thriller if it wasn’t based on fact. Instead it can be watched as a documentary - it is matter of factly unflinching, as it depicts the every day life of the less fortunate in Chinese society. The film takes a hard look at Chinese foster care and disability scheme, as the characters are thrown into an impossible situation where no one can win.
The director Jie Liu has created something special here. Famous for his mainstream movie making he now delivers a realistic thriller with the conflict deeply rooted in the social problems of everyday China. Inviting the starlet Yang Mi to play the main character is a controversial choice for she is as far from an everyday Chinese girl as one can possibly be. Yang Mi, who is stunningly beautiful, here is her most unglamorous self. With her old woman walk and weatherbeaten unsmiling face her character is a force of nature, unstoppable but also devastating, which makes her an unlikable protagonist. After many soap operas and one off thrillers she surely shows she can carry the whole film on her shoulders.
Powerful and devastating THE BABY oozes with almost unbearable tension. While there’s no violence or action thrills on display it still makes for an edge of the seat viewing experience that holds you in its grip.
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