B FOR BUSY, DIR.Shao Yihui(2021)
Xuhui, Shanghai
B for Busy, also called Myth of Love is a romantic comedy-drama film, written and directed by Shao Yihui1. Set in the downtown of Shanghai, Lao Bai, a divorced art teacher met Miss Li, who was also divorced and had a child. He fell in love with Miss Li at first sight, but she seemed worried about this relationship and kept her distance. Gloria, one of Lao Bai’s students seems to have feelings for him beyond teachers and students though married. Beibei is Lao Bai’s ex-wife. Although they have been divorced for many years since Beibei betrayed Lao Bai, his mother still hopes that they can remarry one day. The daily story between these middle-aged men and women slowly unfolds in the small alley of central Shanghai.
Figure 1 Wuyuan Road street scene in film and reality
Although a key subject of this Woody Allen-style easy sketch is to discuss the controversial theme of gender relations in a relaxed and humorous tone, its accurate representation of the city of Shanghai is also a hot topic that people are interested in talking about. “Accurate” here does not mean the film stayed faithful to every detail in reflecting the same city space, but by painting the house light green and clarifying the set, the film successfully provided a comfortable and relaxed dwelling environment, thus vividly picturing the shrewdness, sophistication, gentleness, and sourness of Shanghai citizen. When we virtually explore Wuyuan Road, the main shooting set of the film, we will be surprised at its ordinary folk atmosphere, which is far from the spotless elegance shown in the film. In reality, even as a high-end residential area built in 1938, it has no observable difference from the Shanghai we are acquainted with–another busy community in the old urban area. In the film, on the other hand, what it shows is not the labeled wealthy and internationalized picture that often appear in the image of Shanghai, but focuses the shot on the exquisite, artistic and multicultural tolerance of the city’s middle class using a “hermit in the city” kind of wisdom.
Figure 2 Lao Bai’s house in reality
B for Busy is a light-hearted film with the mild ambition of capturing the subtle relationships that belong to the modern middle class. As “myth” in the title implied, it deliberately created a vain yet exquisite urban space, where people would fully believe such a smart love affair could happen. This progress can also be viewed as an infiltration of the idea of the petty bourgeoisie into the spiritual life of modern residents, yet as the Art Deco house has been reconstructed as the vital part of the local community, the long-faded imprint of colonial culture finds a context similar to Abbas’s disappearance of Hong Kong2. As one of the few urban films in China, the characters, stories, and emotions in B for Busy are tightly integrated with the city, meaning it does not require a truthful reflection upon rough livelihood, yet contains tremendous energy of life.
Dai Jiarui 3035845241
Notes:
1 Myth of Love is a 2021 Chinese romantic comedy-drama film, written and directed by Shao Yihui, produced by Xu Zheng, and starring Xu, Ma Yili, Wu Yue, Ni Hongjie, and Zhou Yemang.
2 Ackbar Abbas, Hong Kong: Culture and the politics of disappearance (Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 1997), 63-90.
You have demonstrated a good level of fieldwork, especially when you put the images of the Wuyuan Road in film and reality. Was the historical house really painted in green, or is the change in color due to film coloring? You may need to further elaborate on this for clarification. Also, it would be nice if you could discuss further Abbas’ point on disappearance instead of just mentioning the concept.