Life on the Edge

Life on the Edge is a quiet and sensitive Chinese drama, set at the beginning of the twentieth century. To try to place this film in a genre is almost impossible. The story has lots of everything: excitement and drama, romance and sex, happiness and sorrow, revenge, blood and violence ... The ex-robber Yiang is tired of his life and wants to return to his home village, together with his son. H is return - and plans to open a coffin shop - is less welcomed by the local people. The opposition is a result of an incident which happened ten years earlier and Wllich forced Yiang to leave. At the centre of events is also Master Wu, his wife Tuquor, and Yiang's ex-master, Li - whom he once served - and who is really guilty of the incident that Yiang is accused of. One of the many themes which is dealt with is the importance of having a son. Someone to shoulder responsibility for the family, and ensure that the family name lives on. Both Lang and Li have a son, whilst Wu only has a daughter, and does [everything] - assisted by one bizarre method after the other - to make Tuquor provide him with an heir, before it is too late. Neighbourly relations are not improved when Tuquor injures Li's son on the dearest and most sensitive part of his body. It results in a feud which has, to say the least, a fateful conclusion. This Hong Kong production, full of traditions, manners and customs from Chinese culture, offers an insight into Chinese life of seventy years ago. Strange, fascinating and very exciting. The beautiful images have a conscious stylistic thought behind their composition and visual narration. The overall impression reminds one of other skilled masters of the visual like Sam Peckinpah, Sergio Leone and maybe even Zhang Yimou. But it is more a question of influence than imitation, as Suen Cheng has developed his own admirable style. Life on the Edge is yet another good example of Hong Kong-films being more than just shoot outs between well-dressed gangsters. M FGT

Premiärstatus
Världspremiär: Orig. titel
Hao gin yi sheng: Medverkande
Li Xue-Jian, Xu Fan, Lei Ge Sheng: Producent
Wu Yong Qin: Manus
Yang Zheng-Guang: Foto
Quan Tao: Musik
Zhang Qian-Yi: Talat språk
Mandarin