It’s the first week of December 1941. At this point, Shanghai is partially occupied. The Japanese invaded back in 1937. However, because two-thirds of the city belongs to foreign powers, France and Great Britain, and because Japan is not yet at war with those nations, the city is divided, and there is an uneasy truce between both sides. Of course, neither party intends to keep that peace for long. Both are just itching for the chance to gain valuable Intel on the other. That’s where Yu Jin, a famous Chinese actress, enters the picture. Officially, she’s in Shanghai to star in a play directed by her long-time lover. Unofficially, however, she has many other reasons to be there. For one thing, her ex-husband has been taken prisoner. For another, her French foster father works as a spy for Paris, and he wants her to get him Intel from a Japanese general. And as if that weren’t enough, there’s a young woman following her, who may just admire her in more than a platonic manner. Will she be able to get the information she needs, and come out unscathed? Watch the movie and find out.
Saturday Fiction is beautiful to look at, boasts some fine performances, and has an absolutely nail-biting, climactic shootout. If you like spy thrillers, or have been itching for the chance to see Gong Li kick ass in a more action-centric role, there’s definitely something in here for you. And yet, I don’t know if I can recommend this flick to you all. Part of this has to do with the fact that the plot is incredibly convoluted. Virtually every scene introduces some new information or character. As a result, you really have to pay attention to every single bit of dialogue; otherwise you won’t know what’s going on. In that regard, it’s not unlike Zhang Yimou’s Shadow, which I saw earlier this year. It also had impressive visuals, strong performances, and an incredible third-act, but a super convoluted narrative that made the film hard to enjoy. It was even shot in black and white, like this movie is, which actually brings me to my next point. There are some choices that the director, Lou Ye, made, which kind of undermine the picture. The film is almost entirely shot with hand-held cameras, and there’s no score. If any music is heard, it’s because there’s a band or a radio playing in the scene. Now, in the final shoot out, those choices enhance the tension and sense of realism. For the first two-thirds of the film, however, the shaky images and lack of music make the movie feel cheap and stiff. If Lou Ye had held off on those techniques until the end, they would have been more effective. As it is, however, they feel overused, and the movie suffers as a result.
The film also has some questionable sexual politics. If you look at the advertising, or listen to early buzz from festivals, you might get the impression that this is a lesbian spy thriller. I myself was partially drawn to the film for that very reason. A big budget Chinese movie, with a major Chinese star, that has an openly queer lead? That would be a huge step forward for gay rights in China. Unfortunately, that’s not what this movie is. Never once does Gong Li kiss a woman, or do anything openly “gay” in this picture. There’s one scene where she and a fan sleep in the same bed together, but since the flick never explicitly states or shows that this was romantic, and the two never interact beyond that moment, it almost feels like gay-baiting. It’s almost as though Lou Ye realized he could potentially get more viewers to see his movie if he let audiences think it was about Gong Li falling in love with one of her female fans. Granted, it’s possible that the two women’s relationship was originally more explicit, and the Chinese censors cut it, but we won’t know for sure. Either way, the manner in which the film treats Gong Li’s potential love interest is awful. After she possibly potentially maybe sleeps with Gong li, she gets raped and murdered by a sleazy theater producer, who is also the only character in the film who is a member of the Kuomintang, or Nationalist Party. (Because of course a film made by Chinese Communists will demonize their political rivals). Now, as you all know, I hate seeing rape in films, and the assault in this movie is made all the worse by the fact that it goes unpunished. The perpetrator gets stabbed in the dick, but by the time the film ends, he’s very much alive. THAT ISN’T GOOD ENOUGH. Sigh.
In the end, I did enjoy several aspects of this movie, such as the final shootout and the performances. It’s also a lot shorter than Lust, Caution, and considerably less boring. Unfortunately, it’s convoluted plot, strange filmmaking choices, and highly questionable sexual politics keep me from completely loving and recommending it. If any part of what I said sounded appealing to you, maybe give it a watch. If not, don’t go see it. Either choice is fine.
liusviews 