Tattoo

Tattoo is like a film noir situated on a different planet. The story is about a group of petty criminals, basically kids hanging around on street-corners, in a sleepy Chinese coastal town. Leizi is a member of the local militia, but bored stiff. With tough friends like Hei-di, his girlfriend Ah-hua who prostitutes herself, and Qingmao who has just returned from prison, Leizi spends his time drinking and keeping the neighbourhood awake. They extort money from Ah-hua's clients and sell things for the local gangster, Mr. Lian. When Leizi meets the righteous daughter of the Christian foreman, he starts having his doubts about his lifestyle. But the chain of violence, starting with extortion and kidnapping and ending in murder, has already started and no one can escape it.
The story is based on the life of a school friend of the maker who has now been executed, and is set in the harsh and often cruel reality of today's China where petty drug dealers can expect the death penalty. Just as in his first feature film Weed (2007), Wang Liren reveals his special eye for expressionist, poetic compositions. Both in the way in which he presents actors and in his use of often oppressive and authentic sets, he reveals himself to be an outsider in the present generation of film makers. Wang still films using his intuition, and that remains fascinating. (GT)