Love in the 1980s (2015)

director: Huo Jianqi

The movie I chose to analyze is a romantic drama that depicts the relationship between
two profoundly connected individuals and the painful outcome caused by certain events in the
past. The whole plot is influenced by each protagonist’s own experience in relation to the
political and social effects that hit China in that period of the century. The film itself aims to
portray the struggles of the main characters, mainly from the perspective of Yubo who desires
the love of his high school classmate, Liwen.

The pace of the movie is rather slow, revealing the aspects of each character in a
different manner. We get to know the thoughts and attitudes of Yubo directly in his
monologues – if we couldn’t guess his intentions just from seeing how he acts around Liwen.
On the other hand, Liwen can only be observed from the outside so that the reasons of her
behaviour can be understood only piece by piece. The visual presentation also aims to show
more about Yubo’s side of the story, while many important scenes are left out (mainly for
boosting the dramatic aspects of the film) that is in connection with Liwen.

The central themes revolve around love, the suppression of emotions and desires,
societal expectations and self sacrifice. It’s essential to note that the historic context is greatly
influental in the way the story unfolds. Because of this, there is a central conflict presented
throughout the film: the collision of social/cultural norms and personal desires/motivations.
Early in the film we learn the backstory of Liwen who has witnessed the tragic downfall of
her family. Her parents (and even Liwen in high school) had to face many severe problems
after they married each other that stemmed in politics, which costed their emotional and
existential well-being and the life of her mother. Because of these painful memories, Liwen
keeps on ignoring Yubo’s romantic approach and eventually rejects him multiple times
despite her strong feelings for him. She does this so that she might not have to repeat the past
and prevent Yubo from having a bright future. These two types of motivation is what brings
tension in the movie.

There’s a noticeable shift in the way the protagonists behave around each other as the
movie progresses. At one point in the film there’s a symbolic song about the relationship of
the two main characters. In the lyrics it is stated that there is no way of connecting to the
other, never ever, since their roads are separate. The two riverbanks are Yubo and Liwen,
while the river between them is the obstacle that keeps them from uniting. This obstacle could
be the current era’s influence and Liwen’s past experiences that makes her to keep distance
from her beloved Yubo. Later at one point, they spend time together in the river just when
they seem to get closer to each other. This also holds a symbolic meaning: the feelings start to
show and the viewer might think there isn’t much left till they finally let their emotions come
to the surface. As the movie goes on more and more layers are added to the connection
between the protagonists. Later we learn more about how Liwen and Yubo were doing in high
school. They recall memories of Yubo saving Liwen from harrasments by other children. But
eventually it is not mentioned how they felt towards each other. The movie typically uses
scenes that are really close quarters several times, but nothing ever happens between the two
of them. Even though they clearly feel love for the other, Liwen holds her emotions back to
such an extent that she even denies receiving a love letter from Yubo in high school or feeling
anything special towards him. Then the pressure arises as Yubo is forced to leave the small
village where Liwen is living but even in their last interaction there is no intimate approach
from neither sides. This leaves Yubo deeply in sadness and has to deal with living without his
love in the city. The movie reaches its peak when they meet each other at a high school
reunion and they spend the night together.

After all the happenings – that are mostly deep inside the main characters’ psyche –
we get to know the true weight of Yubo’s feelings. In the very last scenes it becomes clear
that the pursued values of individualism and materialism never really bothered Yubo. Even at
the start of the movie, he accepts a job in rural China, indicating he isn’t interested in
choosing a path of careerism despite his precious qualification as a university graduate. As
China’s society is originally collectivist, one’s socioeconomical status has a huge impact on
interpersonal connections. This kind of barrier established a gap between Yubo and Liwen
and led to holding back all the initial feelings towards each other.

The narrative style is chronological with flashbacks filling the storyline. It aims to
present the actions raw, while also letting the audience follow the inner thoughts of Yubo. On
the other hand, the person watching can only guess what is exactly on Liwen’s mind. The film
itself doesn’t leave out the historical and cultural aspects of the era’s atmosphere despite
focusing on the inner world. The way they captured the scenes contribute to go with the flow
of the film, often using artistic elements, like playing with colors or brightness and darkness.
The arrangement of the scenes enables the viewer to observe the situations in whole, unlike in
other Western movies, where the dialogues are focused on one person at a time. It is also
worth noting, that many times the film builds tension with elongated pauses in midst of the
conversations. Another important aspect is the lack of soundtracks and the long, soundless
scenes. The songs heard in the film play an essential role in making the viewer more involved
emotionally.

All in all, the movie has excellent qualities in the portrayal of deeply suppressed but
vivid emotions. The atmosphere and the interactions are involving, the audience is able to feel
the pain and joy of the characters thanks to the beautiful cinematography. The dialogues are
somewhat poor at certain points and the plot itself isn’t too complex. I would not recommend
it for the average movie consumer, but certainly it is a great choice for people who are open to
sensitive topics, such as romance, sacrifice, issues of society, inner suffering and dedication.