Red Amnesia
Description
Recently widowed Mrs. Deng (Lü Zhong) stubbornly insists on making daily rounds to care for her family, but familial bliss seems out of reach. Her senile elderly mother is oblivious to her daughter’s presence at the nursing home; her two sons would much prefer she cut down on her unannounced (and often unwelcome) visits. Then she starts to receive silent, anonymous calls at her home. Although her children try to mitigate her concerns, Deng becomes increasingly perturbed as the calls continue and seem to be linked to a series of strange events—including the mysterious appearance of a young man (Shi Liu). Is all of this a prank, or a sign of her fraying mind? Deng begins to suspect that something altogether more disturbing is behind it, rooted in her (and China’s) long ago past. Renowned director Wang Xiaoshuai deftly constructs a surprising thriller about people who have been deeply affected by both the Cultural Revolution and the country’s subsequent development. Blurring the lines between memory, truth and everyday life, Red Amnesia is a sharply observed interrogation of personal guilt and national history, and the resulting shadows that loom over the present. Veteran stage actress Lü Zhong gives an extraordinarily subtle yet physical performance as a woman wrestling with her place in the world, one fractured between those who can’t let go of the past, and those who choose to forget. —Chanel Kong
Wang Xiaoshuai (b. 1966) studied at the Beijing Film Academy and is a contemporary of Zhang Yuan, Lou Ye and others commonly known as the Sixth Generation directors. His directorial debut The Days (SFIFF 1994) became the first of his works to be regularly shown in international film festivals. Wang is best known for Beijing Bicycle (2000), winner of the Berlin Film Festival’s Silver Bear Jury Grand Prix; Shanghai Dreams (2005), winner of the Cannes Film Festival’s Prix du Jury; and In Love We Trust (2008), winner of the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay. Red Amnesia joins Shanghai Dreams (2005) and 11 Flowers (2011) to complete Wang’s Cultural Revolution trilogy.
Trailer
//player.vimeo.com/video/122138092?autoplay=1Film Details
Language Mandarin
Original Language Title Chuangru zhe
Year 2014
Runtime 110
Country China
Director Wang Xiaoshuai
Producer Liu Xuan, Wang Xiaoshuai, Chen Xiangrong
Writer Wang Xiaoshuai, Fang Lei, Li Fei
Editor Yang Hongyu
Cinematographer Wu Di
Music Umeit
Cast Lü Zhong, Shi Liu, Feng Yuanzheng