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Amos Lassen wrote on 12/28/2008:

“East Palace, West Palace”

A Surprising Look at China

Amos Lassen

“East Palace, West Palace” (Strand Releasing) is the first film dealing with homosexuality to be made in China and for that alone it is important. It is important to note that while homosexuality is not illegal in China yet gay men are persecuted routinely and charged with “hooliganism”. This is the basis of the film.
A-Lan, a young gay writer, who because of his attraction for a young policeman sets himself up to be arrested and questioned all night by the object of his desire. He relates his life story during the interrogation and it is, by and large, the story of the repression of Chinese society. As he weaves his story, Xiao Shi, the policeman changes his attitude toward his arrestee from one of revulsion to fascination and ultimately attraction.
This plot is interesting in purpose but is hard to sustain for a long period of time. It causes the movie to move slowly and if the viewer buys into the psychological premise, only then does it become interesting.
Actually the focus on gay issues is only one layer of the film and a flimsy one at that. What the film actually looks at is a society in transition as it explores the constructs of power, the machinery of the state and dehumanization by outmoded institutions. There is visual beauty here that at times is pure escapism and the film is full of surprises but only if you know to look at it on that level. The gay theme is no more than a metaphor for the larger society and must be regarded as such. As the film comes together there are looks at the politics of desire and then at the politics of politics themselves. What are debated in the interrogation are the right to freedom on a large scale and not just the right to sexual freedom. Included in the rights to freedom are the rights to self expression, the right to identity; to being oneself. In the dialog between A-Lan and the policeman we see no clear lines that are drawn between the oppressor and the oppressed or between the loving and the loved. Because the movie is so abstract, it also very personal.
“East Palace, West Palace” is powerful in its subtlety and the way it brings attention to the relation of power and subordination in what is supposed to be a modern country. The film is not sympathetic to the plight of the Chinese homosexual even with its references to it. The message of the film rests in a philosophy that a repressed society is in many ways responsible for its own domination. The film only uses homosexuality as a way to portray weakness and subordination. While Xiao Shi finds A-Lan’s homosexuality reprehensive, he eventually falls in love with him. A-Lan’s arrest also seems to me to be a metaphor for China living in an age of non-enlightenment. Yet as the new day breaks and the understanding between the two men become clearer, we see China also moving into a new direction. The use of gay stereotypes in subtle but subversive ways as a social commentary succeeds wonderfully and makes this a film that engenders great thought. Using a simple means to tell a powerful story was a stroke of genius by director Zhang Yuan.
Even with its strong message the film does not preach but it does move the viewer. It draws the viewer into the interrogation room as he looks closely at what transpires there as sexual tensions and politics merge and freedom in the face of tyranny is examined. We come away with a feeling of frustration as we should. We find we have more questions than we have answers and this is representative of cinema that makes the viewer reflect on what he has seen.
“East Palace, West Palace” was banned in China because; it is said, to deal with homosexuality. Nothing could be more untrue—it was banned because of the way it depicts Chinese society.

David (davidals@msn.com) wrote on 01/27/2006:

Critical opinion seems all over the map on this film, but for me it was quite remarkable and complex - a real winner. As much of the film takes place in just a handful of settings, it has a slightly stagey feel, but the sets and cinematography are often excellent, with an uncluttered look that favorably recalls masters like Yasujiro Ozu and Mikio Naruse. Storywise, 'East Palace...' works as a great gay drama, about the interrogation of a young gay man busted for cruising in a public park. The depicition of power relations between the gay man and the interrogating officer is handled quite interestingly - at one level the story does touch upon the dynamics of some gay relationships, the potential thrills to be found in outlaw aspects of sexuality, and a certain amount of role-playing. At another level the films works as a potent, and ferocious political allegory that reaches far beyond sexuality: the crumbling resolve of the policeman (which is obliterated by the confidence of the gay man he's arrested) could be seen as a symbolic reading of the 'old guard' hanging onto the reins of political power in China, with the self-awareness of the gay man (and his subtle grasp of how to control the situation) symbolising the rise of a younger, more world-wise China. Ambitious and often extraordinary, the film links the necessity (or inevitability) of gay consciousness with other new-millennial shifts in thought and economics. Very, very good.