LOST IN BEIJING (2007)

Ping Guo (2007)

The movie good?:

Good movie but mind you the film itself was banned in China maybe because of the strong sexual scene and the bleak portrait of the modern China particularly in Beijing.

Tell me, it is worth watching?:

The first hour was very uncomfortable with the strong sex scenes and prostitution but seem appropriate to the plot of the movie. This is the basis to introduce to us the characters and the tragedy that soon emerged. All the actors was brilliant and I can say all of them was the gem of the film. The characters involved are from families or peoples whose struggling to find lives in the big city of Beijing. The rich childless couple and a poor migrant couple from rural China and their prostitute friend was just a metaphor of our struggling daily lives, loneliness, ambition and dreams. One day, an incident happened and from then on, the lives of them intertwined and choices have to be made involving sex, money, pride, your own life or your own family.

IMDb rating?:

6.7/10

Rottentomatoes??:

52% of Tomatometer and an average 5.5/10 of rating!

LOST IN BEIJING (2007) plot:

Set against the frenzied backdrop of Beijing, where a fast growing economy has created a new class of urban socialites and nouveau riche, Lost in Beijing features four of Asian cinema’s biggest stars – Tony Leung Ka-Fai, Elaine Jin, Fan Bingbing and Tong Da Wei – who together fumble their waway through a tragicomic ménage-a-quatre that left the Chinese censors blazing. An-kun and his wife Ping-guo have built a modest living for themselves following their move to the capital from China’s poorer northeast. An-kun works washing the windows of Beijing’s skyscrapers while Ping-guo earns a decent wage as a masseuse at the Gold Basin Foot Massage Palace, a popular parlor owned by Dong, a rich middle-aged businessman who epitomizes China’s new money-obsessed society. When Ping-guo returns to the massage parlor following a liquid lunch break with one of her coworkers, Dong finds her sprawled across a couch in his office. Exploiting her drunken state, he awkwardly forces himself on her, not realizing that An-kun, atop his perch outside the office window, is a witness to what is happening. Seeing this as a moneymaking opportunity, An-kun decides to blackmail Dong – either he pays or he gets brought up on charges for rape. But when Ping-guo learns that she’s pregnant, the stakes get even higher. In a brokered deal that includes An-kun, Ping-guo, Dong and Dong’s wife Wang-mei, the fate of the child will join the two couples in an emotional game of tug of war, where the sides will split over money and revenge, but where love and redemption may rise above them all. (New Yorker Films)

LOST IN BEIJING (2007) Info:

LOST IN BEIJING (2007) is banned in China, despite the heavily censored effort from the filmmaker. The producers have been banned from making movies in China for the next 2 years.

Director: Yu Li
Writers: Li Fang, Yu Li
Stars: Tony Leung Ka Fai, Fan Bingbing, Tong Dawei, Elaine Jin, Zeng Meihuzi
Country: China
Language: Mandarin
Genre: Drama

Honors included:
Nominated for Golden Berlin Bear for Best Film (Berlin International Film Festival 2007)
Nominated for the Golden Kinnaree Awards for Best Film (Bangkok International Film Festival 2007)
Winner of Best Screenplay – Special Jury Mention (Tribeca Film Festival 2007)

…DALAM BOTOL (2011) : MOVIE REVIEW

The movie good?:

Thanks to Raja Azmi, by letting Khir Rahman to direct the film in the first place.
Khir had done a tremendous job I might say, that the film turn out to be one of the best film produced this year.
…Dalam Botol explores human emotions, love, sad, pain, regret, and shame so effectively that it absorbed into me and I really feel sorry for the whole characters.
At the end of the day, the emotions stick with me that I wondered who the real man this Ruby was as this films was said to be based on real life story of one of Raja Azmi’s close friend. How the man get through his whole life to endure such great emotional pain and regret.
The film was so good and came as surprise to me because:
1. There’s is no Raja Azmi’s films yet to impress us so far. (Remember Cinta 100 Ela, anyone?). Not to mention a series of controversy surrounded the film.
2. Khir Rahman despite being active in directing theatre, he has’n been tested yet in the silver screen. …Dalam Botol was his debut as film director.
3. The film poster was so ugly, that it almost kill the urge, the appetite to see the film.

Tell me, is it worth watching?:

Kekuatan filem in terletak pada dua aspek yang boleh saya lihat iaitu:
1. Kebolehan Khir Rahman dalam mencetuskan rasa debar, gelisah dan mainan emosi di dalam babak-babak dalam filem ini. Ia sesuatu yang amat penting kerana penonton seharusnya dibawa untuk menyelami perasaan setiap watak didalam filem ini, bukan sahaja kepada watak utama tetapi juga kepada watak ibu (Normah Damahuri) dan ayah (Jalil Hamid) dan Dina (Diana Danielle) yang mengalami isu tersendiri. Khir Rahman sangat berjaya didalam aspek ini. Beberapa momen-momen penting digarap dengan baik sekali oleh Khir menunjukkan kekuatannya sebagai pengarah teater sebelum ini. Babak ketika ayah (Jalil Hamid) memarahi Ruby sememangnya meninggalkan kesan mendalam kepada penonton. Kesemua ini terletak pada kekuatan pengarahan dan kesungguhan para pelakon yang memegang tanggungjawab masing-masing.
2. Sesungguhnya tema homoseksual dan transseksual merupakan sesuatu yang taboo dalam masyarakat, namun filem ini menolak klise dan tanggapan tipikal masyarakat tentang golongan homoseksual ini yang selalu dianggap pesalah, pendosa dan bahan jenaka. Khir Rahman mengadun filem ini untuk berkongsi rasa tentang emosi dan secara jujur meletakan golongan homoseksual tiada bezanya dengan manusia normal didalam menanggung penderitaan zahir dan batin. Watak Dina dan ibunya yang ditinggalkan suami adalah simbolik bahawa kecelaruan emosi tidak berlaku dalam golongan homoseks semata-mata. Kecelaruan emosi, harapan dan rasa penderitaan tidak mengenal jantina.
3. Skor muzik yang indah dan membantu dalam menerbitkan mood-mood yang penuh beremosi.

…Dalam Botol’s strength lies in three aspects that I can see which is:
1. Khir Rahman abilities in creating a sense of beat, anxiety and raw emotions in the scenes in this movie. It is a very important point because the audience should be taken to explore the feelings of every character in this film, not just the main characters but also the mother (Normah Damahuri), father (Jalil Hamid) and Dina (Diana Danielle) who have their own issues. Khir Rahman is very successful in this aspect. Some key moments was brilliant and it only showed Khir’s strength as a theater director. The scene where the father (Jalil Hamid) and Ruby (Arja Lee) indeed left a deep impression on me. All of this lies in the strength and direction of the actors and the director who hold the seriousness of their responsibilities throughout the entire film.
2. Homosexual and transsexual theme indeed is something that is taboo in society, but the film clearly rejected and refuse the cliches and the stereotype perception about the gay community whose always considered as the offender, sinner and a joke. Khir Rahman carefully blend the film to share a sense of emotion and honestly put homosexuals as no difference to normal people in enduring emotional agony. Dina’s and her mother’s characters is a symbolic that emotional turmoil, hope and a sense of suffering knows no gender.
3.The music score was beautiful it really swing the mood.

What is it about actually?, ‘cos I don’t want ended up sleeping!!:

Ruby’s real name was Rubidin. Ruby and Ghaus was a homosexual couple who is in love. Because of a simple wish made by Ghaus, Rubidin was willing to sacrifice everything to change his identity to Ruby. He undergone a sex change operation. However, Ruby misinterpreted Ghaus intention. Ghaus couldn’t accept Ruby’s current physical conditions as a women, as such, Ghaus decided to end their relationship. Unexpectedly, the male hormone in the body of Ruby was back to excel and he returned to Rubidin. Rubidin even fell in love with a nice beautiful girl in his kampung. They planned to get married.

Ruby atau nama sebenarnya Rubidin dan Ghaus merupakan pasangan bercinta sejenis. Kerana terlalu mencintai Ghaus, Rubidin sanggup berkorban mengubah identitinya kepada Ruby.Bukan calang-calang pengorbanan yang dilakukan Ruby, identiti dirinya diubah menerusi satu pembedahan jantina. Namun, perhitungan Ruby itu telah salah kerana Ghaus tidak dapat menerimanya dalam keadaan fizikal seperti seorang wanita sekali gus menyingkir kan Ruby dari hidupnya.Keadaan bertambah sulit apabila hormon lelaki dalam tubuh Ruby kembali menyerlah dan dia ingin kembali menjadi seorang lelaki. Malah Ruby mula jatuh cinta dengan seorang gadis yang baik budi.Namun Ruby sedar jasadnya bukan lagi seperti seorang lelaki tulen kerana dia telah membuang alat sulitnya dan hidup bertuhankan nafsu.

IMDb Rating:

None yet.

…DALAM BOTOL (…IN A BOTTLE) (2011) INFO

Genre: Drama
Release Date: 24 Mar 2011
Running Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
Distributor: MIG Productions
Production Company : Pengedaran JAS Sdn Bhd
Producer : Raja Azmi
Director: Khir Rahman
Cast: Fauziah Ahmad Daud, Normah Damanhuri, Diana Danielle, Jalil Hamid, Pekin Ibrahim, Arja Lee, Rosnan Rahman, Wan Raja
Official Website: …Dalam Botol Movie
Official Facebook Page: …Dalam Botol Movie

…DALAM BOTOL (…IN A BOTTLE) (2011) TRAILER [HD]