Winter Story (2007)
Directed by Zhu Chuanming
Genres - Drama, Adult |
Sub-Genres - Erotic Drama, Psychological Drama |
Run Time - 102 min. |
Countries - China |
MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Nathan Southern
Though it constitutes a fiction film that involves actors in scripted situations, director Zhu Chianming's Winter Story nevertheless employs a pseudo-documentary aesthetic; it unfolds against atmospheric backdrops of Chinese street scenes and local residents filmed unaware, and utilizes naturalistic performances that take on a candid, spontaneous quality in front of Chianming's cameras. The story concerns a nameless protagonist with an ambiguous personal history and background, who spends his days illegally hawking apparel in an impoverished Beijing suburb. He meets a prostitute, seemingly by chance; sensing chemistry, the two immediately strike up a torrid, animalistic affair without the burden of paid transactions, driven by a physical and emotional need for one another. Over the course of its many vicissitudes, the relationship is guided by dangerous expectations that the partners mutually impose on one another.