A Beautiful Life

Andrew Lau's 2011 film follows the relationship between a patrol officer in Beijing and an estate agent who has come from Hong Kong. Fang Zhen Dong is steady and calm; Li Pei Ru is trying to get rich fast in the city and is continually disappointed. Generically the film is melodrama and does not hide it. Its central idea is a meeting between two Chinas: the settled life of Beijing and the market appetite arriving from Hong Kong. The city itself is inside the narrative, with housing prices, the pressure to own a home and migration forming the background. Andrew Lau is better known for crime films and works in a completely different register here. Shu Qi's performance carries the emotional weight. The final section is built around illness and proceeds predictably. Who it's for: those who like Chinese melodrama and romantic drama built on city life. Who it's not for: viewers who dislike emotional manipulation; the film does it openly in its last section.