XIU XIU: THE SENT DOWN GIRL —*** — LuLu, Lopsang, Gao Jie, Li Qianqian, Lu Yue, Qiao Qian; in Mandarin, with English subtitles; rated R (profanity, sex, nudity, violence, hospital gore, vulgarity); exclusively at the Tower Theatre.
A movie like "Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl" may be hard to categorize, even if it's not a hard one to like.
Though the film (and its inspiration, "Tian Yu," the award-winning novella by acclaimed Chinese writer Yan Geling) is based on some real-life events, it can't really be considered either biographical or historical drama. And despite the deep love between the two lead characters, the movie definitely isn't a romantic drama — at least not in the conventional sense.
One thing we can be sure of is that "Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl" may signal a bright new career for actress Joan Chen (best known to U.S. audiences for her work in "The Last Emperor" and TV's "Twin Peaks"), who makes her feature filmmaking debut here.
Though it is a bit more sexually explicit than it needs to be and its pacing takes some time to get used to, this ultimately heartbreaking film is well-constructed, looks beautiful and is well-acted, with a terrific lead performance by talented newcomer LuLu, who is a dead ringer for a very young Chen.
She plays the title character, Wen Xiu, a schoolgirl who joins the Cultural Youth Revolution, a 10-year program in Mao-era China that sent youths to the most remote corners of the country and other Chinese territories — in the hope that they would learn specialized trades from the nomads living there.
Wen is assigned to train for six months under Lao Jin (veteran Tibetan stage actor Lopsang), a gruff horseman and crack rifleman who has little use for his spoiled new apprentice. And it's clear from the start that — despite her aspirations to lead a women's cavalry — Wen would rather be back home than feeding horses and cattle in the remote wilderness.
Eventually, the two do find some common ground — and even begin to care about each other. But as harsh conditions force the two to continually move their camp further from civilization, the girl begins to lose hope of rescue. So, believing it to be her last shot at freedom, Wen begins trading sexual favors with local government officials who claim they can help her get one of the few remaining return passes available to the "sent-down" trainees.
The story behind the making of this movie would probably make for another interesting film — Chen shot it covertly in Tibet and was later sanctioned by the Chinese government for those actions. But she and Yan, who co-scripted this adaptation, have created a fascinating story that works on more than one level.
Although it seems like a straightforward tale, it's really more of a meditation on innocence and sacrifice, which gets more and more emotionally engrossing as it goes along. (Those who get misty-eyed in movies are advised to bring at least a couple of hankies.)
Also, it helps to have such charismatic leads. LuLu is utterly convincing as both the naive youngster and then the more jaded conscript, while Lopsang succeeds at winning over the audience without traditional leading-man looks.
Of course, scenic location photography doesn't hurt, as Chen and cinematographer Lu Yue have done a magnificent job of capturing the Tibetan countryside.
"Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl" is rated R for profanity, a pair of fairly graphic, simulated sex scenes, partial male and female nudity, a violent struggle and some gunplay, hospital gore and use of crude slang terms.