A Beautiful Life
Boy meets girl and a bunch of sweet stuff follows. It's as simple and recognizable a narrative hook as any and it's the basis for Andrew Lau's Chinese melodrama A Beautiful Life, which represents an intriguing departure for the filmmaker. Lau is best known for directing the crime thriller trilogy Infernal Affairs, which inspired the condensed American remake The Departed. Having switched gears quite considerably, Lau is now in the midst of significantly sentimental territory in his tender ode to the boy meets girl storyline. And even though he sometimes lays the treacle on a little too thick, A Beautiful Life emerges a very touching little tale of love and family and the power of those two combined.
The story begins with a chance encounter that fulfills the opening promise of a boy meets girl premise. He is Fang Zhendong (Liu Ye), a good-natured Beijing cop who moonlights as a lovesick bachelor. She is Li Peiru (Shu Qi), a classy real estate agent who moonlights as an alcoholic. The pair come from different worlds (in addition to their opposing social standing, she actually originates from Hong Kong and the movie paints an intriguing portrait of the tensions and divisions between Beijing citizens and their Hong Kong neighbours), but a series of repeat encounters causes a friendship to form.
From there, A Beautiful Life becomes a tale of budding love and Lau takes his time letting the screen chemistry develop convincingly. It's a good decision on his part, because Liu Ye and Shu Qi are the movie's strongest assets. They each bring great depth to their characters and they ensure that their romance is believable enough that it feels like a natural progression of the story and not just a rigid following of genre rules. Even when their love story travels a little too far into sentimentality, they manage to keep the integrity and honesty of the narrative intact.
These dual performances really power the movie and I was especially impressed by how Shu Qi took a challenging character who initially manages to demand sympathy without being sympathetic and actually made her someone worth caring about. Her character grows considerably on screen, but she begins as a fragile woman unable to face her problems and mistakes. It's obvious that she will change and mature throughout the narrative, but Shu Qi makes the transformation feel entirely organic and she solidifies her character arc as the movie's most dynamic feature.
As the story unfolds, the two main characters experience a seemingly endless series of ups and downs. Lau cannot resist pouring syrup over certain scenes and he's a little too eager to employ the melancholic piano-driven score that is used to signal the onset of a sad moment. But the actors keep things on track and Lau respects the limits of melodrama enough that he keeps the story's emotions located in a place that is reachable and relatable. He may try a little too hard to tug at the heartstrings from time to time, but he never goes so far as to cripple the movie's dramatic energy.
By relying heavily on his actors, Lau protects his movie against his own sentimental sensibilities. Even when a slow-motion shot is a tad overwrought or the score appears just in time to predictably confirm that we're about to approach the apex of an emotional moment, there are Liu Ye and Shu Qi to pull us back into the movie's reality, where the emotions are tangible and tender. It's an interesting collaboration between filmmaker and performers, because they complement each other so well and keep each other in check. Lau is a talented storyteller, but his cast saves him on occasion here. Of course, he also deserves great credit for keeping the actors on task and giving them the room to explore the inner workings of the onscreen relationship.
As if his plate wasn't already full enough, Lau also serves as the movie's cinematographer, in addition to his dual duties as writer and director. His decision to take on even more responsibility pays off exquisitely, with A Beautiful Life featuring completely gorgeous imagery that justifies the title on a visual level. Lau's composition is careful and thoughtful, while the colour palette is at times a rainbow of expression. Lau also paints a very attractive picture of Beijing without resorting to highlighting the many landmarks (old and new) that are generally synonymous with the city. It's a nice decision and it allows the movie's world to feel lived in and fully separated from a touristy travelogue experience.
The tale of a boy meeting a girl is certainly simple and nothing new. This also seems to be exactly how Andrew Lau wants it, since he makes no effort to upset the conventions of the romantic genre. But the characters bring this one to life and add a dimension that feels authentic and therefore quite touching. As their story unfolds, the two lovers become entwined due to what appears to be a case of personal necessity and not merely a requirement of formula. The cast sells the drama and Lau surrounds his actors with a cinematic experience that is made all the more meaningful by their performances. A Beautiful Life drags on at the end, but it remains a moving ode to the joys of romance and family. There's something so sweetly lovable about this movie, which makes it ultimately embraceable. The good and the bits of bad meld together in one cuddly, cohesive package that looks like a kiss and feels like a hug.
