‘Girls on Wire’ Review: Two Cousins Reunited on a Chinese Film Set Are Trapped in a Melodrama of Their Own Making

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In one of the world’s most male-dominated film industries, Chinese filmmaker Vivian Qu soars with her latest work, “Girls on Wires,” following her critically acclaimed 2017 drama “Angels Wear White.” This film revolves around the strained relationship between two distant cousins who join forces to break free from a generations-long cycle of drug addiction and debt. As a bold and morally conscious piece, it aims to resonate with mainstream Chinese audiences. Given that such dramatic themes are often found in Western films directed by Clint Eastwood or Tyler Perry, it’s understandable to overlook the occasional overacting and melodramatic elements present in this film.

The movie has an endearing vintage touch, tugging at your heartstrings through nostalgic flashbacks of childhood friends Fang Di and Tian Tian, who grew up like sisters in Chongqing. This emotional journey is contrasted with the modern-day scenes set in Xiangshan Film City, a massive film production site where Fang Di (Wen Qi) works as a stuntwoman. This setting not only immerses viewers into the filmmaking process but also gives the narrative a unique behind-the-scenes flavor, similar to “Day for Night”, as Fang Di’s action-movie training readies her for a real-life action-packed adventure.

The film begins with Tian Tian (Liu Haocun), a character who’s been cruelly imprisoned and subjected to abuse, including drug injections, which is not fully explained until later. In an act of desperate bravery, she manages to break free, even killing her captor during the escape. If her treatment was this harsh for unspecified past actions, we can only imagine the horrors that await her if the gangsters find her again. Despite not having seen her cousin Fang Di in over five years, Tian Tian seeks her help to resolve her issues, unaware that she could be placing Fang Di in significant danger by doing so.

Fang Di has devoted her entire professional life to paying off debts from both her factory-running mom (Peng Jing) and Tian Tian’s drug-addict father (Zhou You), who live in Chongqing, a city known for its knockoff fashion and top-notch hotpot. The audience hopes to see these young women freed from the financial responsibilities of their parents’ past mistakes, but unfortunately, they are stuck with the task of cleaning up after their elders before they can focus on their own lives.

The initial confusion surrounding Tian Tian’s predicament dissipates with the surreal atmosphere of Film City as a wuxia film extra inquires, “Did you apply your own makeup?” With an unexpected turn that even a male screenwriter might not conceive, Tian Tian manages to locate her cousin (arranging for tampons to be delivered on set) and witnesses Fang Di performing a martial arts stunt that the unreliable male double couldn’t handle. Over and over again, she watches as Fang Di is submerged in freezing water and propelled through the air using wires.

In the movie, Fang Di frequently encounters harm at work, yet she conceals her wounds for fear of being fired or labeled as troublesome. This detail underscores the true hazardous nature of her job (but makes Qu’s choice to film the climactic scene on a frigid beach appear somewhat illogical). When Tian Tian approaches, Fang Di appears cautious and withdraws money from an ATM only for it to be snatched by debt collectors. Money is a recurring point of tension in the film – it’s used as a tool to be thrown at greedy individuals like Tian Tian’s father while shouting phrases such as, “Take what you value!

Qu’s script stands out for its powerful narrative, built around captivating characters and vivid settings. However, the majority of the scenes are straightforwardly penned, lacking nuance. The dialogue is often overt, making it surprising that the actors can deliver it without tripping. A line such as “My dad is trash. So am I,” intended to elicit empathy from Tian Tian’s cousin, instead seems more likely to provoke an eyeroll.

In another setting, Tian Tian floats near a movie set as Fang Di delivers an over-the-top audition for a cheesy TV part, shouting out predictable lines about her selfless act of donating bone marrow to rescue her family. When a coworker comments that the portrayal was “nearly too convincing,” they’re highlighting that the scene likely struck a chord from her past experiences. But beware, none of the acting in “Girls on Wire” is excessively good (and in one particularly humorous instance, when three gangsters wandering Film City are recruited as extras, poor acting brings about laughter). However, it serves its purpose, amplifying the emotional intensity of the storyline.

When Qu wants to evoke deep feelings, she often recalls the days when her cousins were young girls. This is because it’s hard to resist the heartache of a child like Tian Tian, who suffered so much at such an early age due to her father’s addiction and deceit. Her life was marred before it even began. The emotional baggage she carries and the progress her cousin makes later in life are symbolically represented as weights holding Qu down and invisible uplifts for her cousin respectively. In Chinese, the movie is titled “Girls Longing to Fly,” suggesting that despite their heavy burdens, Qu might be able to help them find freedom through the power of cinema.

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2025-02-18 04:16