While most war films begin with the origin of a conflict and build to the climax of a decisive battle, in The Cold Flame, however, director Leon Yang Shupeng has forgone the fireworks to focus on the aftermath. Set in Northern China, near the end of the war of resistance against Japanese aggression, the film examines the lives of soldiers recovering from the horrors of battle, and locals bonding with their saviors.

And bond they do. Indeed, the 37-year-old director seems far more interested in romantic conflicts than in military ones. The film is shot from point of view of a dishonest orphaned teenage girl (Gong Siyu) who falls for an older, badly-injured army officer (Zhang Hanyu). She helps him dress his wounds, all the while spinning a mesh of lies in the hope of winning his love. But the object of her desire, cannot find it in his father figure heart to return her feelings. In reference to the pair’s obvious age gap, and the attraction of a young woman for an older man, Yang says, "When [children] grow up and learn about sex and love, many [of them] become interested in the people around them, especially adults.”

That said, while a decent effort at portraying a difficult subject, the film is not without flaws. Some enigmatic flashbacks, uneven pace and emotional strings pulled a tad too tight, detract from the story, but not enough to cripple the work entirely. Yang deserves credit for bringing a fresh perspective to the genre. The performances he elicits from the 14-year-old girl, and her little brother (both non-professional actors), are both touching and vivid. That said, the most colorful personality of the film is undoubtedly Yang himself.

Though he worked at a variety of jobs – from firefighting to journalism – before entering the filmmaking industry, this self-taught scriptwriter and filmmaker has clearly benefited from his studies at the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute where he majored in painting. The Cold Flame is beautiful to watch, and Yang is acutely attuned to the visual impact of color, structure and light. It’s not surprising to learn that the film was inspired by a 1940s painterly photo of a young girl dressed in ill-fitting army fatigues.

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
August 2007 issue