Happy Times

Zhang Yimou may be the greatest director to ever come out of China, and he is one of the best directors in the world today. At his best, his films ache with the joys of humanity. This is not one of his best films, but it does have the kind of tender-hearted humanity that just makes you want to cry. An aging bachelor doesn't want to spend his remaining years alone, but he's had a lifetime of trouble finding a wife so now he's interested in fat women because they probably won't be as picky. But when he becomes involved with one, he gets more than he bargained for -- not only is she not what she seems, she has a young, teenage, blind step-daughter that she literally cons him into keeping for awhile. The man is a kind of good-hearted scoundrel himself in that he has everyone convinced that he is the manager of a hotel (he's not, he's poor and retired), and convinces the girl that she has a job giving massages in the hotel (it's a bunch of his friends taking turns). The girl is very grateful to him for the opportunity, but she may know more than she's leading on. It all leads up to a poignant ending (some critics say more poignant than it deserves, but I disagree). The girl reminds me of a young Zhang Ziyi and has the kind of smile that could light up a room. It's filled with the joy of life and I find it difficult to resist that.