13/23

The two lonely souls embark on a new journey together

Chronology

After being released from prison, Lang returns to his hometown in northwest China. He teams up with a black mutt as part of a dog patrol tasked with cleaning up stray dogs ahead of the 2008 Olympics. Eddie Peng [the protagonist] formed such a strong bond with Xin, the dog featured in the film, that he adopted him after filming finished.

"Lang" (Eddie Peng) returned to his hometown after a stint in prison

As the story progresses, we learn a little more about the causes of this and his distant relationship with his father, who looks after the zoo, and discover that he was once one of the town's most famous citizens, and a member of a popular local band. With the Beijing Olympics (2008) approaching, the government is placing a lot of emphasis on beautifying the place - and this signals some pretty significant "improvements" to their home on the edge of the Gobi Desert. Much of it is already slated for demolition, and with most of the heart (and soul) of the place already removed, the authorities turn their attention to the serious problem of hundreds of wild dogs running around, potentially spreading rabies.

A particularly awkward moment finds them both locked in their quarantined home

There's one particularly scrawny black one that's worth 1000 yuan if he can be captured, and that's the biker "Lang's" target. The problem is, this mutt is no idiot, and soon chases (and bites) even more. Then bonds begin to form, and we also realize the level of animosity some feel toward this man.

Was that the reason a city existed in this inhospitable place?

With the bulldozers never far away, his ailing father's zoo can no longer care for its inhabitants, and the vengeful butcher "Hu" (Hu Xiaoguang) and his vengeful henchmen are left to take care of him. It's predictable in stages, but really it's Peng's largely dialogue-free work against a backdrop of relentless winds, dust and trains racing through the increasingly lifeless city that gives the whole thing some momentum. It's not so much that the city is being cleaned up for the Olympics, although director Hu Guan clearly has that in mind.

Be warned, not much happens - but I enjoyed it

It's bleak and desolate, a concrete oasis in the middle of nowhere, and that setting works well as the man himself seems lonely, distant and emotionally and physically rootless. It's a slow film but doesn't drag beyond two hours and does a good job of encapsulating a life of mundanity, lack of opportunity and a desire for a true sense of freedom.