Peacock (2005 film)

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Peacock
Hanyu Pinyin
kǒngquè
Directed byGu Changwei
Written byLi Qiang
Produced byDong Ping
Er Yong
Gu Changwei
StarringZhang Jingchu
Feng Li
Lu Yulai
CinematographyYang Shu
Edited bySha Liu
Tao Yan
Music byDou Peng
Distributed byAsian Union Film
Release date
  • February 18, 2005 (2005-02-18)
Running time
144 minutes
CountryChina
LanguageMandarin

Peacock (

Jury Grand Prix Silver Bear.[1]

Its original runtime was over four hours[citation needed], but was reduced to 144 minutes for its theatrical release.

Plot

The story is set in the late 1970s and early 1980s, in a small town in Mainland China. A middle-aged couple has three children. The eldest son is obese and mentally challenged, a social outcast, and is constantly teased by others. The second child, the daughter, is energetic and independent and isn't afraid of doing anything to pursue her dreams or to survive. The youngest child is an introverted, quiet boy who is ashamed of his older brother and tries to break away from his family's misery.

The story is broken into three sections, with each focusing on one of the siblings. The story begins with the daughter, Weihong. The mother arranges for her to start work at a nursery but a few days later she drops a child and loses her job. After watching

pharmaceutical bottles and sees Guozi with her parachute attached to his bike. They arrange for a meeting in the woods and Guozi suggestively asks for something in return for the parachute but backs out before anything happens. Weihong continues to wonder around searching for purpose and meets an old man playing the accordion
, whom she develops a father-daughter relationship with. However, the old man's children suspect her of taking advantage of him and physically assault her while she is at the factory. Through her parents' connections, she is introduced to a district leader's driver and they marry, on the condition that she is given a new job. Before she leaves with her husband, she gives her older brother a watch and bids farewell to her family.

The story then shifts back to the family eating at a table and this time follows the events of the older brother, Weiguo. He is often bullied because of his disability and has to change jobs. However, his parents dote on him, to the chagrin of the younger brother who has to look after him. At a bathhouse, someone sets off a firecracker in Weiguo's cigarette and he has a seizure. Weihong asks for Guozi to get revenge by beating up the bully. One day, when Weiguo shows up at school to bring Weiqiang an umbrella, he is accused of being a

food stall
, which becomes successful.

Finally, the story returns to the family eating at the table and Weiqiang becomes the focus. He is infatuated with the girl who helped him earlier on. After his father discovers his drawings of naked women in his textbook, he is almost kicked out. Weiqiang leaves on his own accord and goes missing for days. Guozi spots Weiqiang one day and, together with Weihong, they follow him to an elderly care home and find him working there. Weiqiang then gets on a train the next day and leaves the town. When Weihong is asked where his brother has gone, she imagines he has accomplished her dream of becoming an army officer.

A few years later, the parents are shown eating at the table. Weihong moves back in after she has separated from her husband. Weiguo and his wife are still continuing their business, which has attracted many customers. Weiqiang also returns one day with a wife and son. He has lost a finger but he does not explain this to his family. He does not work and instead relies on his wife as a stage singer to support him. Weihong spots the army officer she used to idolise in the streets but finds that he has become a regular person wearing simple clothing. In the ending scene, Weihong is shown to have remarried and all three siblings visit a

peacock
enclosure with their families, making remarks about why the peacock won't open its feathers. Only when they have left does the peacock opens its feathers.

Cast

References

  1. ^ Meza, Ed (21 February 2005). "'Carmen' cops gold". Variety. Retrieved 31 May 2008.

External links