Strange friends = Mo sheng de peng you

On a train from Beijing to Fuzhou, passengers are chatting to kill time on the long journey. Sitting next to Du and Zhang is a quiet lady who looks worried. The two young men try to find a common topic with the lady but their efforts are in vein. At night, Zhang noticed that the lady was smoking with tears in her eyes. Feeling suspected by others, the lady got off in the middle of the journey and was overwhelmed by distressful memories of her past when she was interrogated by the police and threatened by her gangsters. The lady went to the Yangtze river and wanted to commit suicide. However, Zhang has followed her to the river and persuaded her to go with him. On their way to Fuzhou, Zhang learned that the lady became the scapegoat of a crime and felt sympathetic for her. By the time they reach Fuzhou, awaiting them at the train station are two cadres who confirm that the lady is clear and will take her home. Du and Zhang see off the lady on the platform. As the train starts to move, the lady asks for contact details of Zhang. Du hands over a magazine to her, saying it’s all in it. The lady sees Zhang’s photo and next to it is an article entitled “From a criminal to a model worker”.

This was the first PRC (People’s Republic of China) film that won a major international award at the Berlin Film Festival. In 1985, the director of the film, Xu Lei produced a 12-episode TV series which also dealt with the reformation of young criminals. Viewers interested in this film may also like ‘Juvenile Delinquents’. Xu Lei also directed Tears Shed in Taipei (1993). (4 stars - Yuxing Zhou; December 16, 2010)