Beijing Bicycle

When I was a child, I saw this movie called Beijing Bicycle.  I didn't understand it, but I was able to see the difference between right and wrong.

To sum the movie up, the story depicted two characters that owned the same illegal bicycle.  How did they both own the same bicycle you ask?  The answer is the bicycle was part of a scam where thieves would sell someone the bicycle really cheap, then they thieves would steal the bicycle and sell it to someone else.

Well I admired the story of Beijing Bicycle because both owners needed the bicycle for different reasons.  The first owner day laborer named Guei that needed the bicycle to transport goods as part of his delivery job to support himself economically.  The second owner was a high school kid named Jian that needed the bicycle to fit in with his friends and impress a girl he liked.

Both owners learned hard lessons while owning the bicycle.  The day laborer owner learned that he could never fit into the economic world in which he was a worker for.  He couldn't afford to live above his means.  The high school kid learned that his friends weren't loyal friends and the girl he liked was in love with a gangster that ended up beating him up.

Each thinks that neither character has dreams because of their lackluster goals, but each does.  The reason I loved this movie so much was because of the realism and visible social division of each character. Both characters have a love interest but their love stories end in interesting disappointment. Guei voyeuristically observes a woman who he thinks lives the high society life. There is an awkward scene where the Guei and his crush meet, but it ends with his crush getting arrested for stealing.  Guei finds out that the woman is a poor immigrant and maid who takes her employer's clothes and sells them because she figures her boss has so much and wouldn't miss or notice what was missing.

Jian on the other hand, has a chance at love.  He dates a girl for a while but his childish behavior and constant distraction of materialistic pleasure causes the girl to lose interest in him and fall for an older gangster.  After that, Jian comes to a realization of his immaturity and pity for Guei's economical situation.  Jian agrees to let Guei share the bike, and Jian only uses the bike to impress his love interest.

Well, shit hits the fan at one point.  Jian sees his ex with another guy and tries to get her back.  It's an embarrassing scene where she tells her new boyfriend to get rid of him for her.  There are no words, the gangster gives him a cigarette and a slap on the face symbolizing, "boy you don't know who you're playing with, so let her and the situation go".   A lot of emotion there.  The gangster is respected and obtained his status and success through criminal ways.  Jian retaliates by attacking the gangster violently which leads to Jian being hunted down throughout the city and beaten by the entire gang.  Guei sees Jian's gang chase scene/situation, but he is not able to help Jian at all. Eventually, Jian and Guei share the gang beating.

During the gang beating, Guei protects the bike which causes the gang to break the bicycle since Guei valued it over his life.  The audience knows that the bike is Guei's connection and tool for work. Jian looks at Guei's struggle to survive in the city, and he realizes his selfishness.  Emotionally and physically broken, Jian tells Guei he can have the bicycle because the reason he wanted it is gone to another man.

Real life there.  I saw this movie as a child and I understood nothing.  Seeing it as an adult, I understand everything.  I even gained a more personal insight to who I am what I used to be.  I've changed.  I embarrassed this materialistic, social media popularity culture, and I lost sight of who i was and enjoyed.  There were a lot of messages to be found in this movie. I feel the escapism culture of American society would not appreciate this movie because as Americans we like the feel good moments and don't want to be taught a moral lesson.  It's one of those movies that will make you question what you do in life.

How is this related to video games you ask?  Who played Spec Ops: The Line?  Remember the scene where you dropped bombs on the battlefield to kill the enemy.  Then game developers force you to tour the aftermath of you actions.  It was a way to put the violence back in your face and make you question "Why are you doing this?"  I feel Beijing Bicycle was the father of this realism movement that the western hemisphere embraced in its culture and media like video games.