Synopsis
Jia Hongsheng was a rising actor in the Chinese film scene, until drugs derailed his life. Thefilm chronicles his struggle to break his addiction to heroin, and the role his family plays in thisstruggle. What makes this film unique is that not only is the story factual, but all of the charactersare played by the actual people in question: that’s the real Jia Hongshen, those are his realparents, those are his real friends. Fascinating.
Audio
Very nic… audio. The film is gritty, and the environmental effect of the 5.1 mix is a goodmatch. A case in point is nicely captured background noise of urban life. The dialogue is clearand without distortion.
Video
Gritty film, gritty look. Don’t go looking for Moulin Rouge lushness here: the colours areappropriately muted. The flesh tones are good. There is some grain, though this is frequentlydeliberate (such as when we’re seeing clips from films Jia Hongsheng starred in). The formatis 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen.
Special Features
Very little at all: trailers for Quitting, Shower and Beijing Bicycle. The menu is basic.
Closing Thoughts
A unique film, but also one that is part of a current trend in Chinese cinema. ColumbiaTriStar should be commended for making this release available to a wider audience.
Special Features List
- Theatrical Trailers
