''Luxury Car'' () is a 2006 film directed by Wang Chao. The film was produced by China's Bai Bu Ting Media and France's Rosem Films, and in association with

Arte France Cinéma Arte (, , ; ' ('), sometimes stylised in lowercase or uppercase in its logo) is a European public service channel dedicated to culture. It is made up of three separate companies: the Strasbourg-based European Economic Interest Grouping ( EEI ...

. ''Luxury Car'' premiered on May 22, 2006, at the

2006 Cannes Film Festival The 59th Cannes Film Festival was held from 17 to 28 May 2006. Chinese filmmaker Wong Kar-wai served as jury president for the main competition, the first Chinese to preside over the jury. English filmmaker Ken Loach won the Palme d'Or for th ...

, where it won the competition for the

Prix un certain regard (; 'A Certain Glance') is a section of the Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews ...

Plot

The film follows an old man from the countryside who goes to

Wuhan Wuhan; is the capital of Hubei, China. With a population of over eleven million, it is the most populous city in Hubei and the List of cities in China by population, eighth-most-populous city in China. It is also one of the nine National cent ...

to search for his missing son, who his dying wife has requested to see one last time. In Wuhan, he meets his daughter, a karaoke bar escort who introduces him to an old police officer who offers to help. It soon becomes apparent to both the father and the policeman that the mobsters running the daughter's karaoke bar and the son's disappearance are linked.

Cast

* Tian Yuan, as Li Yanhong, a young woman from the countryside who has moved to the city in search of a better life. She finds herself, however, working as a prostitute in a karaoke bar instead. * Wu Youcai, as Li Qiming, Li Yanhong's father, an elderly schoolteacher who has come to Wuhan in search of his son. * Li Yiqing, as a policeman, an aging detective who has agreed to help Li Yanhong in his search *

Huang He The Yellow River, also known as Huanghe, is the second-longest river in China and the sixth-longest river system on Earth, with an estimated length of and a watershed of . Beginning in the Bayan Har Mountains, the river flows generally ...

, as He Ge the owner of the Karaoke bar and Li Yanhong's "boyfriend" * Li Li, as A Li, another prostitute and Li Yanhong's roommate.

Production history

Story

''Luxury Car'' is the third film in Wang's informal trilogy on life in modern China following ''

The Orphan of Anyang ''The Orphan of Anyang'' is a 2001 Chinese film from Sixth Generation writer-director Wang Chao. It is Wang's first feature film as director (he had previously served as an assistant director to Chen Kaige), and is based on a novel written by the ...

'' (2001) and '' Day and Night'' (2004). The concept for the film and its focus on parents who have become disconnected from their children, came about, according to Wang, after he discovered that his mother had contracted cancer. Wang has also stated what his socially conscious intentions were behind the film:

Location

The film was shot and takes place almost entirely within the city of

in central China's

Hubei Hubei is a province of China, province in Central China. It has the List of Chinese provincial-level divisions by GDP, seventh-largest economy among Chinese provinces, the second-largest within Central China, and the third-largest among inland ...

province. Director Wang Chau noted that Wuhan represents to him, a "very typical Chinese city," in particular its mix of urban and rural, modern and traditional. The main cast in addition, were all locals from the city, including the actors playing the father, the police officer and the daughter.

Reception

Outside of the film festival circuit, ''Luxury Car'' remains little seen. For those audiences that have seen the film, the reaction has been muted praise. ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

s Dwayne Byrge, for example, after seeing the film at Cannes praised ''Luxury Car's'' cast, in particular Wu Youcai as the father and Chinese pop star Tian Yuan in the role of the daughter, but overall found the film "predictable and narratively uninspired." On the other hand, '' Variety's'' Derek Elley showered only praise on the film, emphasizing the performances of Tian and Wu, and noting that the film is "tightly written and beautifully played."

References

External links

* *
''Luxury Car''
at the Chinese Movie Database {{DEFAULTSORT:Luxury Car (Film) 2006 films 2006 drama films 2000s Mandarin-language films Films set in Wuhan Films directed by Wang Chao Chinese drama films 2000s Chinese films French drama films 2000s French films