AllMovie

Transmigration is the third film in Huang's trilogy of modern Chinese life. Here Huang shifts his attention away from the intellectuals and bureaucrats of his first two films to the urban young. In particular, Huang seems concerned with the disenfranchisement of these urbanites -- too young to remember the Cultural Revolution and in love with capitalism -- they have little stake in modern China or its history. The film's anti-hero, a captivating hustler, leads a comfortable life as the son of a government official. Beautifully filmed against the backdrop of Beijing, the film charts his eventual disillusionment with Socialism, the Communist party, and every available system of values.