Cantonese: Ji Yat
Mandarin: Zi ri
English: Purple Sun

The final entry in director Feng Xiaoning's "War and Peace" trilogy (following A TALE OF THE SECRET MOUNTAIN and LOVER'S GRIEF OVER THE YELLOW RIVER), PURPLE SUNSET unfolds in August 1945, just after the atomic bomb attack on Nagasaki. The USSR declares war on Japan and sends several brigades to engage troops the enemy has stationed in Inner Mongolia. Saved mere seconds from execution by a Russian incursion, Chinese prisoner Yang (Fu Dalong) hooks up with female Russian soldier Najia (Anna Dzenilalova) and her male counterpart, who have been separated from their unit following a skirmish. Shortly thereafter, they capture a young Japanese girl, Akiyok (Chie Mieta), who knowingly leads them into a minefield. The man is killed and Najia wants to eliminate their prisoner but Yang cannot bring himself to do it, despite being tormented by memories of his mistreatment at the hands of the invaders. A crashing Japanese warplane touches off a fast moving blaze and the three are saved only by Akiyok's last minute thinking. In the process, the girl accidentally reveals that she can speak Chinese. A resident of China since the age of four, Akiyok was sent to Japan by her father to escape the fighting. However, when her love was forced into the service, she volunteered and ended up right back where she started. After several days in the unending bush they encounter signs of civilization but find no immediate answers to their principal dilemma.

The story transpires amidst truly gorgeous autumn scenery and the leads are nicely contrasted. Unfortunately, this is a film almost entirely lacking in subtlety. It is all but impossible to make a statement about the horrors of war and not have it resonate but Feng uses symbolism and camera set-ups to hammer home moments that hardly needed such blatant amplification. Also, the decision to open the picture with a sequence featuring Yang as an old man reveals early on that he will survive. The fate of another character is exposed in the narration around the halfway point, further depleting the viewer's emotional involvement. Additionally, the film falters when trying to depict actual warfare: a tank assault is haphazardly staged and a climactic sea battle is presented via some very unconvincing miniatures. Where PURPLE SUNSET does succeed is during its mid-section, with the protagonists wandering through the gorgeous Mongolian wilderness. Cut off from the rest of the world and not entirely trusting one another, they gradually develop a friendship that crosses borders. This section is somewhat overstated as well but feels a bit more satisfying, thanks to sincere performances. Animal lovers are warned that a rabbit is set alight and allowed to burn to death during the fire sequence.

ZOOM
Fu Dalong. Image courtesy Guangzhou Beauty Culture Communications.