The Island
Director: Huang Bo
Year: 2018
Rating: 7.0
This
ambitious Chinese Mainland film has a lot on its mind. To some degree it plays
out like Lord of the Flies but with adults. And women. It is a strange and
somewhat clumsy mix of fantasy, comedy, drama and human nature. More allegory
than anything that may be targeting political systems or economic systems
or just the weakness and faults of men. Or all of them. Is the island China?
Considering that it was a big hit on the Mainland, I would have to think
that no one was offended by the targets it mocks. Clearly, no one saw this
as a parody of the Communist system or it would never have seen the light
of day but you could interpret it that way. It is directed by Huang Bo in
his debut but he is a well-known actor having been in a number of hit films
- Lost in Thailand, Cow, Journey to the West Conquering the Demons. He is
the star of the film as well but has able assistance from popular actor Wang
Baoqiang (Lost in Thailand, Monk Comes Down the Mountain and the Detective
Chinatown trilogy). And for the romance there is the wondrous Shu Qi.
It runs over two hours and at times feels it - the film shifts mood so often
that it wears you out. I have seen it described as a comedy. Not really. Comic
moments but most of it is taken up by this group of people trying to survive,
finding their status and trying to take advantage of each other. There is
a lot of shouting. A lot. At points you just want to say, can't we all just
get along?
The irony is that this group of employees
are going on an outing to work on team building. They get their opportunity
to do that but fail miserably for much of the film. They are all on a yellow
bus - the boss Zhang (Yu Hewei), the driver Wang (Baoqiang), Ma Jin (Huang
Bo), his friend/brother Xing (Lay Zhang), Shan Shan (Shu Qi) and about 25
others. Ma Jin has been infatuated with Shan Shan for years but never gotten
a look from her. And in truth you can understand that. He is middle-aged with
a slumpy face that you would pass on the street and never notice and is a
little shaggy in appearance. He hopes this trip will allow him to come to
her attention. The bus turns into a boat and they are zipping to their destination
when a tsunami hits because of a meteor. In a surrealistic scene the boat/bus
goes underwater, swims along with a giant whale and avoids a liner that has
fallen on its side. Call this the Magic Bus because they all end up on a
deserted island, alive if not unbowed. When they come across a dead polar
bear, they assume the world has been destroyed and they are the only survivors.
Survival is what matters. And power shifts
among the group depending on who can help the group to live. Wang the bus
driver is the first to take command because he can climb trees the highest
and bring down fruit - but he turns into a ruthless dictator who hands out
punishment to those who don't work hard enough or don't obey him. Then later
Zhang, the President of the company who had lost all his power, finds a large
shipwreck on the shore with no sign of life but plenty of goods. Some of the
group go off with him including Ma Jin and Xing. Later soap entices Shan Shan
to go as well. The President sets down rules as well and has a few henchmen
to help carry them out. When Xing figures out how to generate energy and is
able to charge everyone's phone - no signal but they can look at pictures
of loved ones - he and Ma Jin rule the roost and it is Xing's turn to become
despotic. At one time there is a big dance number, another time a fierce rumble
between the two groups. For much of the film Shu Qi is in the background
with all the others as it quickly becomes a patriarchal society but she slowly
becomes a bigger part of the film but with no power. She is radiant. Watch
all the way through the credits.
