Berlin Bears

Some declared Chinese films the big winners of this year’s Berlin International Film Festival， while others attributed Chinese cinema’s success to the festival’s jury rather than Chinese filmmakers.

On the day of the awards ceremony， a Berlin official revealed to a friend of mine that Chinese crews were required to attend the ceremony because it would be a “big day” for Chinese films. My friend relayed the news to the Chinese delegation to the film festival. Many crew members of the Chinese films in the competition， including Black Coal， Thin Ice， Blind Massage， and No Man’s Land， walked the red carpet with anticipation mixed with suspicion. In fact， before hearing the news， Chinese participants including Kwai Lun-mei， who played the female lead role in Black Coal， Thin Ice， had decided not to appear at the awards ceremony， but ultimately changed their minds.

The surprises came one after the other at the ceremony. If Chinese director Lou Ye’s Blind Massage’s Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Achievement wasn’t enough for a “big day” for China， Liao Fan’s unexpected Silver Bear for Best Actor would have clinched it. After long playing supporting roles in such Chinese blockbusters as Assembly and Let The Bullets Fly， Liao eventually scored a Best（lead） Actor award. He once declared that if an actor said he didn’t aspire for a Best Actor award， he was lying.

Chinese attendees’ delight peaked when Black Coal， Thin Ice was announced as the winner of the Golden Bear for Best Film. Writer/director Diao Yinan was so excited to have won that he could hardly pronounce the words of his acceptance speech. Not expecting to win， perhaps he had no idea who to thank.

Few expected Chinese films to win so many important awards at the Berlin International Film Festival because none of them were previously considered the strongest nominees. For instance， Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel was a hotter ticket than Black Coal， Thin Ice at the festival. It still managed to take home the Silver Bear for Jury Grand Prix.

The makers of Boyhood had reason for the most disappointment. The American film was considered the top contender for the Golden Bear by both critics and audiences， but it didn’t win the favor of the jury. Shot over a span of 12 years， the epic film chronicles the changes in a boy’s life from age 6 to 18， impressing the audience with exquisite and heartwarming depiction of the realities of growing up. Many critics expressed sorrow that it didn’t win the Best Film award， but its director， Richard Linklater， declared that filmmaking is not a competition.

I watched Black Coal， Thin Ice at a Berlin theater before the awards ceremony， and Blind Massage the day after. I remember that a nightclub named Bai Ri Yan Huo （same as the Chinese name of the film which literally translates as “Daylight Fireworks”） appears at the end of Black Coal. I wondered why the writer chose the name of a nondescript nightclub for the film. Director Diao Yinan explained that the film focuses on portraying the dark side of human nature because the bright side is as transient as fireworks in daylight， according to a friend who knows the director.

While Black Coal， Thin Ice focuses on portraying the dark side of human nature in realms of love and crime， Blind Massage illuminates the lives of the blind， a vulnerable group that is often neglected by mainstream society. The film was initially expected to awaken mainstream society’s compassion and concern for the disabled. However， viewers were most impressed by the realistic violence and sex scenes in the film. For instance， young Mr. Ma， the lead character， commits suicide by cutting his own throat soon after the film begins. The scene is so bloody that a female colleague who sat next to me， as well as two German girls sitting behind us， closed their eyes tightly， and screams were heard throughout the theater. When a scene of the lead stabbing his chest and abdomen with a knife when facing a creditor arrived， the theater fell into chaos， and a viewer in the front even shouted，“Doctor！ Please call a doctor！” The screening was actually suspended because an old man passed out after watching the bloody scene. Eventually， he regained consciousness and left the theater， along with the two German girls behind us and other spectators who looked too pale to continue.

Sometimes Chinese films are confus- ing. I can’t deny the profound spirituality and impressive artistic expression of Black Coal and Blind Massage， but such realistic blood and sex perhaps aren’t crucial to a good movie. Internationally， especially in Western countries， films with discomforting scenes are prefaced with warnings or ratings， but no one can be sure what to expect at film festivals. Ratings due to content haven’t even arrived in China.

Frankly， Black Coal， Thin Ice and Blind Massage are far superior to previous Chinese standouts such as Curse of the Golden Flower and The Promise. They communicate with foreign spectators in international mainstream artistic language， which makes them understood and accepted by a wider range of viewers. Chinese films can win more international recognition only when the country’s filmmakers learn and grasp the real essence of the medium of film.