Cell Phone

With his big budget opus “The Banquet” having emerged as one of the most talked about films of 2006, it’s good to see Mainland Chinese director Feng Xiaogang’s earlier “Cell Phone” finally getting a DVD release with English subtitles. Although perhaps not so well known outside of China, the film was certainly a big hit domestically, triumphing at the box office and winning the Best Motion Picture prize at the prestigious Chinese Hundred Flowers Awards, along with several acting accolades for its cast, which includes the director’s regular collaborator Ge You (also in “The Banquet”). The plot of “Cell Phone” follows Yan Shouyi (Ge You), a popular television chat show host who is carrying on a series of extramarital affairs. Unfortunately for the cad, he accidentally leaves his cell phone at home one day, and when his mistress calls, his wife answers. This sets in motion a series of increasingly tricky situations that threaten his carefully woven web of lies, sending his life spiraling out of control. Although “Cell Phone” is a comedy, it is likely to surprise anyone expecting laughs in the life-affirming style of Feng’s previous hit “A World without Thieves”, being instead a dark, deeply cynical satire packed with bitter humour and biting social criticism. Feng leaves no stone unturned in exploring the ways in which new methods of communication have led to new ways of lying, predominantly with regards to men cheating on their wives and girlfriends, and his accurate observations and great eye for unpleasant details result in a film which is all too believable.