‘Bound In Heaven’: San Sebastian Review

Dir/scr: Huo Xin. China. 2024. 109 mins

Domestic violence, terminal illness and the pursuit of freedom are topics explored in Bound In Heaven, which finds veteran screenwriter Huo Xin making her directorial debut. Hou’s credits include such socially revealing Sixth Generation works as Zhang Yang’s addiction drama Quitting (2001) and Zhang Yibai’s class-conscious noir Curiosity Killed The Cat (2006). Now, her adaptation of a novel by Li Xiuwen echoes that auteur-driven era of Chinese cinema in that it grapples with difficult issues by filtering individual experiences through genre elements. Yet this heated romance between two people from opposite ends of the economic spectrum is more akin to recent indies like Wang Jing’s journalism drama The Best Is Yet To Come (2020) and Wei Shujun’s police procedural Only The River Flows (2023) in straddling the shifting line between art-house authenticity and commercial viability. 

Grapples with difficult issues by filtering individual experiences through genre elements

Bound in Heaven received its world premiere at TIFF and will make its European bow at San Sebastian. Audiences are likely to be startled by the unflinching manner in which the film depicts the dynamics of an abusive relationship, but may ultimately feel underwhelmed by the tear-jerking trajectory taken in its sentimental second half. Nonetheless, committed performances and technical polish should ensure streaming play at least in overseas markets. There is box office potential at home considering the local audience’s proven appetite for socially relevant upscale fare that can fuel online discussion.

Events start in Shanghai circa 2010, with investment professional Xiao Yo (Ni Ni) engaged to the wealthy Song (Liao Fan) who torments her physically and psychologically. Eager to attend a sold-out concert by beloved pop diva Faye Wong, Xiao’s quest for a ticket leads her to sympathetic scalper Xu Zitai (Zhou You) with their instant connection resulting in an impulsive one-night stand. Eight months later, Xiao unexpectedly runs into Xu during a business trip to Wuhan where he now runs a small noodle shop. Drawn to him, she resolves to leave her old life behind.

But starting over is not that simple. Xu is suffering from a rare cancer which had already spread through his body by the time it was diagnosed. Unwilling to undergo extensive medical treatment, he wants to live the rest of his life on his own terms. Xiao reluctantly accepts his choice, but further complications ensue when Song tracks her down and sets about intimidating Xu. In the aftermath of a messy confrontation, the lovers find themselves on the run.

The problem of domestic violence against women is often trivialised by Chinese society despite increased legal deterrents. As a rare film to address the issue, Bound In Heaven follows Qin Haiyan’s drama The Woman In The Storm (2023), which also marked the directorial debut of a female screenwriter. Both are set before China’s Anti-Domestic Violence Law took effect in March 2016 but whereas Qin focused on a real-life case and the inadequate legal measures of the early 2010s, Huo places an emphasis on overcoming psychological trauma after escape. Yet Huo’s brief depiction of abuse is shocking in the way that the victim has come to accommodate her partner’s aggressive urges: when Song prepares to privately assault Xiao during a dinner party, she calmly warns him, “Don’t smear my makeup, our guests are still here.”

Liao’s performance as the controlling fiancée is billed as a ‘special appearance’ due to limited screen time, but encapsulates the entitlement of serial abusers through a subtly domineering verbal manner and body language. It also informs how Xiao becomes compulsively besotted with Xu despite their surface differences. Their bond is at first based on the prospect of physical intimacy without fear, but soon grows into something deeper as his rapidly worsening condition sees her assume the roles of protector and caregiver. Zhang Yimou discovery Ni was tipped for stardom when cast in the director’s disappointing wartime drama The Flowers Of War (2011), but recently came into her own with the hit thriller Lost In The Stars (2023). Her performance here seamlessly shows how Xiao gains confidence by embracing downward mobility while living off the grid and transitioning from swish finance professional to anonymous delivery driver.

Bound In Heaven consistently holds attention yet sacrifices its power when conforming to type. A visit to Xu’s estranged parents (Xiao Lixin and Zhai Tao) touches on how rural poverty impacts the family unit, but cinematographer Piao Songri celebrates the natural surroundings as part of Xiao’s revitalisation. This liberating sense of isolation is emphasised by a sensuous electronic score from ZHI16 and radiax. Bookending this inevitably fleeting romance with the Shanghai and Chongqing dates of Faye Wang’s Comeback Tour (2010-12) enables Hou to make poignant use of the star’s songs ‘Pledge’ and ’Sky’, but evoking pop nostalgia somewhat undermines the film’s pertinent concerns.