1
Great Cast, Underdeveloped Relationships
I watched this for Xin Zhi Lei and Huang Jue, only to learn that Zhao Li Ying is a big deal too.
This is a rather simple story about an older sister that sacrificed her future to secure the future of her younger sister. Younger sister becomes a successful actress and brand ambassador, whereas older sister is stuck in an unpleasant life in Myanmar. Older sister's husband decides to extort money from the saved younger sister, and chaos ensues.
Having slept on this film, I think I see a major story issue problem. The husband was a device to introduce desperation and violence to the story, to keep it from being a thoughtful character piece. And that was a huge mistake here. His character should have been erased entirely.
In screenwriting there's a very important question the writer must answer correctly: who's story is this? I don't believe it was the younger sister's story at all. I believe it was the older sister's story of sacrifice given paid off with filial abandonment.
The evidence here is the final scene where the sisters are hanging out together at a street vendor, kind of like best of friends. Well, if they were capable of being such friends, why weren't they already on this page together? Why did older sister show up so mad? Clearly she was dismissed and forgotten, but as the awkward mid-story flashback revealed -- they left on good terms.
I also believe the casting should have been reversed, where Xin Zhi Lei was the big famous actress and brand ambassador, since... she already is one, lol. I would have made the victimized sister more sympathetic, less attractive.
This is that tragedy when a rough draft isn't refined but made into a film instead. The film is certainly watchable, and the direction and production values are solid -- if not sometimes compelling -- but I have so many other Chinese films I'd recommend to someone before I'd recommend this one I'm sorry to say.
This is a rather simple story about an older sister that sacrificed her future to secure the future of her younger sister. Younger sister becomes a successful actress and brand ambassador, whereas older sister is stuck in an unpleasant life in Myanmar. Older sister's husband decides to extort money from the saved younger sister, and chaos ensues.
Having slept on this film, I think I see a major story issue problem. The husband was a device to introduce desperation and violence to the story, to keep it from being a thoughtful character piece. And that was a huge mistake here. His character should have been erased entirely.
In screenwriting there's a very important question the writer must answer correctly: who's story is this? I don't believe it was the younger sister's story at all. I believe it was the older sister's story of sacrifice given paid off with filial abandonment.
The evidence here is the final scene where the sisters are hanging out together at a street vendor, kind of like best of friends. Well, if they were capable of being such friends, why weren't they already on this page together? Why did older sister show up so mad? Clearly she was dismissed and forgotten, but as the awkward mid-story flashback revealed -- they left on good terms.
I also believe the casting should have been reversed, where Xin Zhi Lei was the big famous actress and brand ambassador, since... she already is one, lol. I would have made the victimized sister more sympathetic, less attractive.
This is that tragedy when a rough draft isn't refined but made into a film instead. The film is certainly watchable, and the direction and production values are solid -- if not sometimes compelling -- but I have so many other Chinese films I'd recommend to someone before I'd recommend this one I'm sorry to say.
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