Fleeing By Night (2000)

A multi-faceted classic.

This hit me right in the feels- I know that when I am able to watch something that makes me feel very deeply on normal speed (not 2x like a lot of the banal stuff) I glaze my way through), it is a timeless classic that I will inevitably come back to.

Although these older movies tend to be a bit drawn out, especially when less music is being played in the background, I only really felt this towards the very start of the film, before more of the plot had unfolded. If you do decide to watch it though, I urge you to hold out at the start if you don't think it is your cup of tea, and experience the film in its entirety.

There is something I must hasten to add. Indubitably, this is not, nor ever will be able to be called a BL, and I dearly love the film for that. This is a film about the relationship between three such close friends that remain each other's lifeline, no matter what society does to tear them apart.

As a sidenote, if you are looking for a less realistic film, that does not focus on proven historical periods. such as Republican China, and the criticisms that come with realisations of events, then this is likely not for you - be prepared for the realism to affect you if history and its omnipresence in the perpetual fluctuation of societal structure, propriety and banalisations are something that resonate with you though.

An alternative point of potential consternation, most of the music sung in the film is Chinese opera, a very unique form of music that one will likely either enjoy or dislike; other than that there are still quite a few classical pieces played, whether by Shaodung on his cello (to Ing Er and Lin Chung) or the background pieces that set particular scenes (notably the 'snow scene', and the ending scene)- the composition of these pieces really was masterfully done- they really fit the scenes they supported like a glove.

The one downside in plot that I must confess is the lack of detail regarding the relationship between Huang Zi Lei and Lin Chung- whilst the abstract, clandestine motions and gazes, as a result of such captivating acting, did convey everything that I'm sure the crew meant it to, it was unclear what their relationship was, obsession, fuelled by control and desire, or something more? The fact that Lin Chung cared for ZiLei until the end, despite wanting to be with Shaodung just adds a supplementary layer of fog over the bond between the two.

The dubbing throughout the film largely has the purpose of being an epistolary account between Shaodung and Ing Er throughout the years, and so complements the plot well, however there are a few times where dubbing occurs that was likely added due to the inaudibility of the voices in a particular scene (or lack of mouth movement/ vision of the face of the speaker etc)- it certainly didn't spoil the film for me (just like with the resolution).

All in all though, this definitely deserves the watch. So many different forms of love were displayed here, and I love how it was done (whether it be concerning philia, mania, pragma, or eros, it was well-thought out), combined with criticism of society, whether past or present, grounded in a good few scathing scenes that brought out a good few emotions; one of the times where I willingly sacrifice definition and audio quality for the portrayal of such significant messages.

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