Sheng
Nan does not have an easy road to travel. She is a free-thinking, muckraking
journalist and one of the so-called “leftover women,” unmarried women over the
age of twenty-six. Both together account for about two thousand strikes against
her in Mainland China. Sheng Nan is not inclined to change, despite the social
pressures exerted on her. However, her independence comes at a high price when
she is diagnosed with Ovarian cancer in Teng Congcong’s Send Me to the
Clouds, which opens today in Los Angeles and next Friday in New York.
Sheng
Nan was only diagnosed because a crazy arsonist attacked her while she was
investigating a suspicious factory fire along the banks of the Yangtze. Naturally,
her insurance will not cover the entire operation necessary to prolong her life,
so she is forced to accept a rather problematic assignment ghost-writing the
autobiography of father of the nouveau riche oligarch she just exposed in her
photo-essay. Yet, even if the operation is successful, there is a high likelihood
the procedure will permanently impair her capacity for sexual relations. Regardless,
she sets off for Jiangxi to fulfill the unpleasant gig and hopefully to enjoy a
last hurrah on the side.
The
good news is old Mr. Li is much wiser and more compassionate than his sleazebag
son. The bad news is Sheng Nan’s self-absorbed mother Meizhi invites herself along
on the trip. At least she meets a man during their journey, who appears to be quite
cerebral and generous, but Liu Gangming might not be as “sponge-worthy” as she
assumes.
During
the One Child era, “Sheng Nan” became a popular name for girls that means “Surpass
Men.” It is also close in pronunciation to “Sheng Nv,” the insensitive term meaning “leftover
women” the government coined for supposed old maids over twenty-six years of
age. It is indeed a moniker rich in significance.
Viewers
should keep that all in mind as they watch Clouds, but even if they
forget it, they will perfectly understand Sheng Nan’s predicament thanks to Yao
Chen’s acutely powerful performance. It is a little off-putting at first to
hear everyone describe her as a Plain Jane (in real life, Yao has been dubbed
the “Chinese Angelina Jolie”), but she plays it like it is a totally real fact
of life that she has long resigned herself to.
Similarly,
Yang Xingming is quietly but forcefully engaging as the humanistic Li. He also
forges some resonantly human chemistry with both Yao and Wu Yufang, portraying
her mother. There is a lot of emotional messiness in Clouds, but it
looks quite elegant and feels rather reserved.
Jong
Lin’s cinematography is visually striking, but some of Teng’s symbolism is a
tad bit heavy-handed. Yet, even though it probably sounds ridiculously over the
top on paper, the scenes of an errant coffin lost in transit slowly drifting
down the river are surprisingly effective. Occasionally the drama veers into over-the-top
melodrama, but it is mostly quite poignant and grounded in the all-too-real
realities of contemporary China. Recommended for fans of Yao and anyone
fascinated by the contradictions and hypocrisies of modern Mainland society and
culture, Send Me to the Clouds opens today (9/20) in LA, at the Downtown
Independent and next Friday (9/27) here in New York, at the AMC Empire.
