Perpetual Motion (film)
Encyclopedia
Perpetual Motion is an independent Chinese film directed by Ning Ying
. The film follows four wealthy, high-powered women living in Beijing
during the Chinese New Year
. The film had its North American premiere on September 10, 2005 at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival
. Perpetual Motion was co-written by Ning, musician and author Liu Sola
, and publisher Hung Huang
(Hung and Liu also star) and was produced by Beijing Happy Village, Ltd.
The film opened in Chinese cities in late February 2006 to some controversy due to its depiction of assertive, sexually confident women. The version shown was slightly edited compared to the versions shown abroad in Toronto and Venice
, with some of the more explicit discussions on sex as well as a scene involving the four main characters listening to an old revolutionary song in high heels and makeup being edited or cut. Given its content, Perpetual Motion is often referred to as a Chinese version of the American television series Sex and the City
.
home. There the four women share stories of their sexual past over food and mahjong
. Niuniu, however, still has her plan to execute...
, for example, suggested that the film's "script remains unfocused," and that its uneven performances (from non-professionals) consigned the film to the festival circuit. Other reviewers noted that "Some of the talk is intriguing, but only some," while another felt that "with the action confined to one room, the film is too much like a play, and, rather dull in execution, it lacks the atmosphere it needs to capitalise on its premise."
Ning Ying
Ning Ying is a female Chinese film director often considered a member of China's "Sixth Generation" filmmaker coterie, a group that also includes Jia Zhangke, Zhang Yuan and Wang Xiaoshuai. However, this is more a result of a shared subject matter than anything else, as chronologically, Ning is...
. The film follows four wealthy, high-powered women living in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
during the Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year – often called Chinese Lunar New Year although it actually is lunisolar – is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is an all East and South-East-Asia celebration...
. The film had its North American premiere on September 10, 2005 at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival
2005 Toronto International Film Festival
The 2005 Toronto International Film Festival ran from September 8–17 and screened 335 films from 52 countries - 109 of these films were world premieres, and 78 were North American premieres.- Awards:Awards presented during the film festival included:...
. Perpetual Motion was co-written by Ning, musician and author Liu Sola
Liu Sola
Liu Sola is a Chinese composer, author, and vocalist.She has worked with James Blood Ulmer, Jerome Bailey, Wu Man, Henry Threadgill, Umar Bin Hassan, and Bill Laswell....
, and publisher Hung Huang
Hung Huang
Hung Huang is of Chinese descent, and is a television host, author, actress, blogger, media figure, and the publisher of the fashion magazine iLook. A CNN article stated that she had been referred to as "China's answer to Oprah Winfrey and Anna Wintour."...
(Hung and Liu also star) and was produced by Beijing Happy Village, Ltd.
The film opened in Chinese cities in late February 2006 to some controversy due to its depiction of assertive, sexually confident women. The version shown was slightly edited compared to the versions shown abroad in Toronto and Venice
62nd Venice International Film Festival
The 62nd Venice International Film Festival opened on August 31, 2005 with Tsui Hark's Seven Swords and closed on September 10, 2005 with a screening of Peter Ho-sun Chan's musical Perhaps Love. The lineups were announced by the festival director Marco Müller on July 28, 2005 in Rome...
, with some of the more explicit discussions on sex as well as a scene involving the four main characters listening to an old revolutionary song in high heels and makeup being edited or cut. Given its content, Perpetual Motion is often referred to as a Chinese version of the American television series Sex and the City
Sex and the City
Sex and the City is an American television comedy-drama series created by Darren Star and produced by HBO. Broadcast from 1998 until 2004, the original run of the show had a total of ninety-four episodes...
.
Plot
Niuniu, a wealthy middle aged woman living in Beijing, discovers that her husband is having an affair after coming upon a romantic e-mail. She knows only that it is one of her close friends but not which one. Determined to discover the truth, she invites her friends Qinqin, a ditsy actress, Lala, a successful artist, and Madam Ye, a property developer over to her lavish siheyuanSiheyuan
A siheyuan is a historical type of residence that was commonly found throughout China, most famously in Beijing. In English, siheyuan are sometimes referred to as Chinese quadrangles. The name literally means a courtyard surrounded by four buildings...
home. There the four women share stories of their sexual past over food and mahjong
Mahjong
Mahjong, sometimes spelled Mah Jongg, is a game that originated in China, commonly played by four players...
. Niuniu, however, still has her plan to execute...
Cast
- Hung HuangHung HuangHung Huang is of Chinese descent, and is a television host, author, actress, blogger, media figure, and the publisher of the fashion magazine iLook. A CNN article stated that she had been referred to as "China's answer to Oprah Winfrey and Anna Wintour."...
as Niuniu; Hung Huang, a publisher in reality, plays the main character, a high powered woman in Beijing who invites her three friends to dinner on Lunar New Year's Eve for the purpose of discovering which of her friends is having an affair with her husband. - Li Qinqin as Qinqin, an actress; Li Qinqin unlike the other three "actresses" is a professional performer.
- Liu SolaLiu SolaLiu Sola is a Chinese composer, author, and vocalist.She has worked with James Blood Ulmer, Jerome Bailey, Wu Man, Henry Threadgill, Umar Bin Hassan, and Bill Laswell....
as Lala, a successful artist; author and musician Liu Sola also served as the film's music composer and shared co-screenwriter's credit. - Ping Yanni as Madam Ye, a property developer; Ping Yanni is an actual businesswoman working in Beijing.
- Zhang Hanzi as Niuniu's maid and cook; Zhang Hanzi, actually Hung Huang's mother, served as one of the English translators for Mao ZedongMao ZedongMao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
in her younger days.
Reception
Though the film's concept of four middle-aged wealthy Chinese women engaging in frank discussions of sex raised eyebrows, the execution of that concept was ultimately found lacking by many western critics. Derek Elley of VarietyVariety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
, for example, suggested that the film's "script remains unfocused," and that its uneven performances (from non-professionals) consigned the film to the festival circuit. Other reviewers noted that "Some of the talk is intriguing, but only some," while another felt that "with the action confined to one room, the film is too much like a play, and, rather dull in execution, it lacks the atmosphere it needs to capitalise on its premise."
External links
- Perpetual Motion at the Chinese Movie Database