The 2017 Toronto International Film Festival hosted the North American premiere for “Angels Wear White”, which was written and directed by Vivian Qu. She studied visual arts in New York City before returning home to Beijing, where she pursued a filmmaking career. “Angels Wear White” is Vivian Qu’s second film as the director.
The film centered on the mystery of a night at a motel in a small seaside village and the ramifications that followed it for two characters, Mia and Wen. Mia (Wen Qi) is an undocumented teenager working as a cleaner at a motel. When Lily (Peng Jing) was unable to work, Mia stepped in as receptionist only to become a witness to an investigation when an older man checked in with two school girls while on Mia’s watch. This garnered the repeated question of what happened behind closed doors. Then there is Wen (Zhou Meijun), one of the school girls caught in the motel’s scandal. She’s left with conflicting reactions concerning her mysterious night. The mystery continued as Wen and Mia discover what they should share or what they should keep a secret to save themselves.
Mia is only 15 years old yet she’s struggling to keep her job. Without any papers, Mia needs money more than ever to secure some new documents for her to start over. However, this need has Mia making some questionable decisions. Not only does Mia have key evidence for the scandal’s investigation, she hesitates to reveal it in order to protect herself. However, she does use the evidence to benefit herself, showcasing a survival instinct in her that demonstrates how far she’ll go to get the money she needs for her security. Wen Qi’s portrayal of Mia highlighted the struggles a survivor has to endure on her own. The hesitancy to put herself in more danger than she needed to connects to the inner fear people have in them. Her performance brings an impactful statement to her misfortune character.
For 12 year old Wen, the mystery of that night follows her everywhere. Wanting to get away from an abusive mother (Liu Weiwei), Wen hangs out with her friend which leads to the both of them at the motel. While the preteen doesn’t truly understand what happened at the motel, everyone else in her life is trying to figure out what happened. This leads to heightened emotions from all parties involved which forces Wen to seek refuge with her estranged father (Geng Le). Things get out of hand when outside influences try to hide the true events of that night. Zhou Meijun’s portrayal of Wen was a roller coaster of heightened emotions, which was expected for a preteen like Wen. Not only does Wen experience new emotions that come with being on the verge of becoming a teenager but she must deal with the additional feelings that the scandal has brought upon. Confusion, anxiety, fear and the sense of loss were just a few that Zhou Meijun demonstrated through her character as she continues to deal with the scandal’s case.
While Mia and Wen only encounter each other during that night at the motel, there is another character that connects the two girls. Mrs. Hao (Shi Ke) is Wen’s lawyer for the case and she tries to get Mia to come forward with any information about that night. Not only is Mrs. Hao invested in getting the truth, she makes herself available to both girls. Mrs. Hao comforts Wen when her parents can’t and she provides security for Mia when she’s left all alone to fend for herself. Other characters include Inspector Wang (Li Mengnan) and Jian (Wang Yuexin). Inspector Wang is the lead investigator for the scandal’s case. Jian is Lily’s love interest and Mia’s contact when it comes to getting new documents.
One common occurrence throughout the film is a giant statue of Marilyn Monroe. The first time we see the statue is during Mia’s introduction when she’s taking pictures of the statue. At first, the statue is in pristine condition but over the course of the film, the statue’s appearance becomes degraded before its inevitable removal. The status of the statue parallels the condition both girls experience. Other concepts featured throughout the film are the explorations behind purity and how it’s viewed, as well as the concept of consent and what qualifies as such. Another thing is the universal struggle between money, power and how one could corrupt the other and vice versa. Then there is the issue of abuse, and the different types associated with it; physical, verbal, emotional and sexual abuse. The film highlighted how easily abuse could be brought on by a loved one as opposed to a stranger, which is a scary thought. The film does an exceptional job exploring the ramifications behind such an incident and how it could easily consume those involved.
Original Title: Jia nian hua
Director: Vivian Qu
Writer/Screenplay: Vivian Qu
Country of Origin: China | France
Language: Mandarin
Length: 107 minutes
Original Release: September 7, 2017
Publication Note:
This was published for AsianWave Magazine.
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