Set in Fenyang, a small northern county in the 1990s, the movie tells the story of a thief named Xiaowu’s struggles in this era of social change, and shows the state of life of the underclass in a poor, backward, materially deprived, and morally degraded society.
1998 / Hong Kong, China Mainland China / Drama / Jia Zhangke / Wang Hongwei Hao Hongjian
Xiaowu (Wang Hongwei) is a recidivist thief in Fenyang, Shanxi Province, and even though the public security department is cracking down on him, he still tries to find a way to get away with it.
But put aside the so-called “thief” identity, he is a very old and very traditional people, family, friendship in his heart have a heavy weight.
But the former friends and family early he regarded as a plague, fear to avoid.
Invisible, Xiaowu can only go to do marginal people, in return for some satisfaction and comfort.
One day, while singing in an opera house, Xiao Wu meets Hu Meimei (Zuo Baitao), an escort girl, and the two of them establish a certain ambiguous emotion due to their similar state of mind.
However, Hu Mei Mei realizes that Xiao Wu is not the other side of the river for her, and that she needs to find a stronger “arm” to change her fate.
Although Xiao Wu also understands this, he still can’t contain his loss when it happens.
In the face of their own future, the situation is even more awkward and embarrassing Xiao Wu more and more confused and at a loss.
