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Electric Shadows

Poster for the movie "Electric Shadows"

Electric Shadows (2004)

93 min - Drama, Foreign - 11 September 2004
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For no apparent reason, a mute young woman assaults a youth who delivers water on his bicycle, injuring him and ruining his bike. Surprisingly, she asks him to feed her fish while she is in custody. Her tiny apartment, he discovers, is a shrine to his favorite escape, the movies.

Director:  Jiang Xiao

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Storyline

For no apparent reason, a mute young woman assaults a youth who delivers water on his bicycle, injuring him and ruining his bike. Surprisingly, she asks him to feed her fish while she is in custody. Her tiny apartment, he discovers, is a shrine to his favorite escape, the movies.


Collections: Jiang Xiao

Genres: Drama, Foreign

Details

Official Website: 
Country:   China
Language:  普通话
Release Date:  11 September 2004

Box Office

Company Credits

Production Companies: 

Technical Specs

Runtime:  1 h 33 min

Electric Shadows is a 2004 Chinese film directed by Xiao Jiang.

Electric Shadows is the debut film of director Xiao Jiang, one of the few active female directors in China.

The film begins when a young woman mysteriously attacks a stranger and then asks him to care for her fish while she is being arrested.

When he enters her apartment he discovers an apparent shrine to the 1930s actress Zhou Xuan and that they share a love of the cinema and more.

The film’s reverent attitude towards the power of film and particularly classic film has brought it comparison to, or at least reference to Italy’s Cinema Paradiso.

Plot

One day while riding his bike, he is attacked by Ling-Ling, a disturbed young woman, that lands him in the hospital.

Ling-Ling is promptly arrested, but refuses to say why she attacked Mao Xiaobing, asking him only to feed her fish.

Upon entering her apartment Mao Xiaobing finds that Ling-Ling has created a veritable shrine to the 1930s film star, Zhou Xuan.

Mao Xiaobing had been hit by his father, and so Ling-Ling’s mother took care of him for some days.

Mao Xiaobing later realizes that she has been watching over her parents, and after tracking down the old couple, he asks why Ling-Ling is now deaf.

Recalling the events, Pan explains that Bing-Bing had lied to their mother to get Ling-Ling out of the house.

Pan then hits Ling-Ling for her brother’s death, leaving her deaf in both ears.

The event severely traumatizes Ling-Ling, and she runs away not too long after.

When Mao Xiaobing had accidentally knocked over a pile of bricks, consequently killing the puppy, it triggered Ling-Ling’s memories of losing her brother; hence she attacked Mao Xiaobing.

Finding out where the mental institution is, Mao Xiaobing pays Ling-Ling a visit.

Source: Wikipedia