So Close to Paradise
| So Close to Paradise | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Directed by | Wang Xiaoshuai |
| Produced by |
Han Sanping Tian Zhuangzhuang |
| Written by |
Wang Xiaoshuai Pang Ming |
| Starring |
Wang Tong Shi Yu Guo Tao Wu Tao |
| Music by | Liu Lin |
| Cinematography | Yang Tao |
| Edited by |
Liu Fang Yang Hong Yu |
| Distributed by |
United States: Cinema Village Features Hong Kong: Edko Films Worldwide: Fortissimo Films |
|
Release date
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Hong Kong: December 10, 1998 United States: March 9, 2001 |
|
Running time
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93 minutes |
| Country | China |
| Language | Mandarin |
So Close to Paradise (simplified Chinese: 扁担·姑娘; traditional Chinese: 扁擔·姑娘; pinyin: Biǎndān, Gūniáng) is a 1998 Chinese film directed by Wang Xiaoshuai, a member of Chinese cinema's so-called Sixth Generation. It is alternatively known by the English title Ruan's Song or by its original Chinese title, The Girl From Vietnam (Chinese: 越南來的姑娘; pinyin: Yuènán láide gūniáng). The film was a coproduction of the Beijing Film Studio, and Beijing Jin Die Yingshi Yishu, as such, it is Wang's first major film production within the Chinese studio system. The film's literal title, The Pole-Carrier and the Girl, refers to two of the main characters played by Shi Yu and Wang Tong.
The film follows two migrants, Dong Zi and Gao Ping, as they travel through Wuhan's underground and in the process kidnap a nightclub singer.
So Close to Paradise takes place in the 1980s in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. The film follows two young migrant workers. Young innocent Dong Zi (Shi Yu) is a pole carrier or coolie eking out a meager existence carrying heavy loads from place to place. His friend and roommate Gao Ping (Guo Tao) is from the same home village, but unlike Dong Zi, is older, more cynical, and has fallen into a life of petty crime. As the film begins, Gao has been cheated out of a small amount of money from a local gangster Su Wu (Wu Tao). Enraged, Gao drags his friend into Wuhan's underworld. Their first stop is a local bar, the Li Li Club where they go looking for Ruan Hong (Wang Tong), a Vietnamese singer who is said to know Su Wu. After speaking with her, Gao and Dong kidnap the young woman and drag her to their apartment. Gao asks Dong to leave the room after which he proceeds to rape her, while Dong peers through a crack in the door. Soon afterwards, however, Gao and Ruan suddenly become lovers, much to Dong Zi's surprise and consternation.
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