A country bumpkin shows Shanghai slickers a few tricks of his own in "A Beautiful New World," a beautifully played, accessible pic that rewrites the rule book on mainland Chinese cinema. Neither rural exotica nor self-consciously arty anomie, this second movie from Beijing-based indie Imar Film follows through on the ethos of its debut production, "Spicy Love Soup," with real characters set in a recognizable China and packaged in a style that's geared to audiences first and fest programmers/crix second.

A country bumpkin shows Shanghai slickers a few tricks of his own in “A Beautiful New World,” a beautifully played, accessible pic that rewrites the rule book on mainland Chinese cinema. Neither rural exotica nor self-consciously arty anomie, this second movie from Beijing-based indie Imar Film follows through on the ethos of its debut production, “Spicy Love Soup,” with real characters set in a recognizable China and packaged in a style that’s geared to audiences first and fest programmers/crix second. Pic has modest theatrical chances in the hands of the right Western distribs if auds’ preconceptions can be overcome.

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Jiang Wu (younger brother of mainland star Jiang Wen) is just right as Baogen, a tubby, slow-thinking out-of-towner who arrives in Shanghai to claim his lottery prize of a new apartment. But after being “rich and famous” one minute, he’s back to being poor and unknown the next: The $100,000 apartment won’t be ready for another 18 months, and the real estate agent tries to rip him off by offering $13,000 cash on the table.

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Urged by his rural relatives to stay on, Baogen ends up bunking in the apartment of a distant relative, the sharp-tongued, streetwise but perpetually indebted Jinfang (Tao Hong). Thereon, pic develops into a slow-burning mismatched romance: Though the end is never in doubt, the trail is strewn with plenty of potholes, with Baogen finding temporary employment as a niterie security guard, and then losing a bundle on one of Jinfang’s stock-market tips. Finally, he stumbles across an idea that could prove his salvation.

Framed as a genial satire on the rush to mammon in contempo Shanghai — with a traditional Suzhou-style musical group narrating Baogen’s adventures in the Big City — the movie features archetypes that are easily identifiable by Western auds but fully grounded in modern mainland life, with no hint of condescension.

In his first feature after work in musicvideos and docus, 29-year-old director and co-scripter Shi Runjiu brings an assured look to the movie, which is brightly shot without being MTV-slick and always focused on the performers. His and Zhang Yimou’s lenser Lu Yue’s work inside the cramped apartment is particularly striking, and the many exteriors on the streets of Shanghai evoke the flavor of the city without becoming touristy.

Though she sometimes overdoes the primping and tongue-lashing, the leggy Tao is a memorable screen presence as survivalist Jinfang, and in the character’s quieter moments manages to convey the loneliness behind her brassy exterior. Jiang, as the quieter, more grounded straight-man, is terrific, swallowing his pride in huge gulps but occasionally giving vent to his frustrations. As Jinfang’s best friend, Chen Ning etches a softer but entirely believable soulmate, and Taiwan rock star Wu Pai pops up memorably throughout the pic as a taciturn street musician with whom Baogen forms a quirky friendship.

Technically, the $300,000 movie is a treat, with catchy musical interludes pushing the narrative forward. Only real pacing flaw is in the final reel, where a flagged wedding banquet scene is notably missing. Still, if modern, accessible mainland filmmaking has a face and a future, “A Beautiful New World” is it.

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A Beautiful New World

Chinese

  • Production: An Imar Film production, in association with Xi'an Film Studio. (International sales: Fortissimo, Amsterdam.) Produced by Peter Loehr. Directed by Shi Runjiu. Screenplay, Liu Fendou, Wang Yao, Shi.
  • Crew: Camera (color), Lu Yue; editor, Yang Hongyu; musical selection, Peter Loehr, Shi; art director, An Bin; sound (Dolby), Wang Xueyi; associate producer, Zhang Peimin. Reviewed at Berlin Film Festival (Forum), Feb. 19, 1999. Running time: 97 MIN.
  • With: Zhang Baogen - Jiang Wu Huang Jinfang - Tao Hong Chen Minhui - Chen Ning Xiao Bai - Ren Xianqi Liang - Wu Pai Granny Cai - Tong Zhengwei

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