Beijing, New York (2015) Reviews

• So bad it's bad

  jasonlock-116082015-06-30

  I was unlucky enough to see this on a trip. I watched it because Chris Doyle. How do you get one of the world's finest cinematographers to shoot such inept, materialistic drivel??? Charisma-free supposedly-broke Chinese girl in NY pouts a lot and somehow has a pretty nice apartment and manages to look chic-poor at all times. For some reason despite her having no personality at all, a 'downtrodden' trust fund ex-stockbroker (way to get us to like a character!) artist is obsessed with her while moaning because he lives in a giant fancy downtown loft. We're supposed to like them but we don't because the script and acting is awful. Love-triangle-completer new-money Chinese guy is also in love with her because they were childhood friends. The dialogue is 100% superficial exposition where the characters state their feelings in every line or mutter inane hallmark-card quotes about life and love. Seems to be some state-funded propaganda about America now being the underdog on the world stage in there too. It's like the Director saw only the stylistic surface of In the Mood for Love, and tried to rip it off without having any understanding of what made the film actually tick.

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• The story of a woman caught between her roots and the past and her new life.

  vanesamouse2016-11-06

  This movie is exquisite in every way. The acting is superb, the cinematography is stunning and gorgeous and the story is captivating. The voice in this film of a woman caught between two worlds and her heart is relevant, timely and achingly meaningful. I cannot recommend this film more highly. This film creates an intimate world of a woman who is caught in indecision, she is almost a female Hamlet, unable to act because the two men who love her only project themselves on to her. Lost in translation is her version of herself. Rain Li has composed a breathtaking film that speaks to the heart of a woman who has not given herself permission to choose herself.

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• Visual delight

  vladaksenov2016-10-08

  I just saw this at Downtown Los Angeles Film Festival, on the big screen of Regal LA Live theater. It's incredibly well-shot film that connects time, distance and culture. You could describe this movie as an "impressionistic", because the film seems to be focused on "how we feel", but not "what we see". Writer/Director Rain Li comes from a background in cinematography. She collaborated with renowned cinematographer Christopher Doyle on twelve projects. She collaborated with internationally renowned directors, including Jim Jarmusch, Gus Van Sant and Mike Figgis. One of her films, "Paranoid Park," by Gus Van Sant, received the "Special 60th Anniversary Prize of the International Cannes Film Festival" in 2007. "Beijing New York" is her directorial debut that she also made with the collaboration with Christopher Doyle. This story looks like a very personal for the director. It flows like a meditation, full of beautiful and sad memories. As a feature debut, this film full of imperfections peculiar to emerging directors, especially in characters development, however all actors are good fit for the film. The cinematography and the production design nothing less than visual delight and seem as the most powerful part of the film. The soundtrack is very moody and makes you cry sometime. So if you like moody films, if you can handle long takes and slow narrative (so rare nowadays), and if you care about high end cinematography - you will NOT be disappointed.

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