He
is short, pear-shaped, and scares the willies out of the Chinese film
authorities. Although approved for distribution, the first animated adventures
of this rotund royal protector reportedly irked the powers-that-be when it voluntarily
imposed a PG-13 rating on itself (presumably, they do not say “thanks for the
adversity” in the trailer and one-sheet for nothing). His clashes with a violent
and irrational totalitarian regime probably did not help either. Potentially
both a cult favorite and a cause célèbre, Busifan (a.k.a. Yang Zhigang)’s
thunderbolt-out-of-the-blue debut feature Da
Hu Fa (trailer
here) screens during the 2018 Fantasia International Film Festival.
Da
Hu Fa, the Grand Protector of Yiwei (a.k.a. The Guardian), doesn’t look like
much, but he is surprisingly lethal with his steely cane. Just ask the
wood-cutter ruffians lying dead by the side of the road. He has come to Peanuttown
in search of the prince and heir apparent, whom he has sworn to protect. Alas, the
absconded prince is wildly irresponsible, making life difficult for Da Hu Fa.
Alas,
Peanuttown is no place for the artistically inclined prince. The inhabitants do
indeed look like peanuts, but more fundamentally, all signs of individuality seem
to have been beaten out of them. Wisely, his royal highness has holed up outside
of town, where he has befriended one of the few independent-thinking Peanuts.
Eventually, even the prince will agree it would probably be wise to move along,
but by that time they attract the attention of the Peanuts’ malevolent
oppressors.
It
is hard to say whether DHF is more or
less subversive than it sounds, judging solely by Western standards. People
revolt and rebel all the time in our films, without it meaning very much. China
is different. Frankly, it feels like Busifan expects the absurd and arbitrary
nature of the repressive regime to resonate with Chinese audiences, more so
even than the violence and paranoia.
Regardless
of its allegorical intentions, the world is still wildly disconcerting. In many
ways, it is like the Chinese analog of Western fantasy realms modeled on
Medieval Europe. Peanuttown looks as if it could have come off a centuries old
scroll painting, but firearms (and firing squads) are a daily fact of life there.
In any event, the terraced roofs provide a nifty setting for chase sequences
and fight scenes. Visually, it is often lush and cinematic looking, roly-poly
Da Hu Fa notwithstanding.
In
fact, DHF works smashingly well when
judged merely by the criteria of martial arts movies. Da Hu Fa is the underdog
of underdogs, yet he kicks some serious butt. The film might be a protest
against oppression and injustice, but it zings along at a full gallop. For a
first-time film, it is hugely impressive, because it isn’t merely a pointed cinematic
statement with acidic subtext. It is also jolly good fun. Very highly
recommended for animation fans, Da Hu Fa screens
again tomorrow (7/24), at this year’s Fantasia, in sunny Montreal.
