After making her name internationally during the \'90s with her so-called Beijing Trilogy, Ning Ying slipped off the map during the past decade, with only a documentary "Railroad of Hope" and the disappointing female-talk marathon "Perpetual Motion". Though "The Double Life" is billed locally as her first "commercial" film - largely because the project was not initiated by her, but brought to her by writer/producer Chen Jinhai - the movie is hardly that, compared with the current slick standards of China\'s commercial film sector. With a largely low/mid-budget look, and no real star names (apart from actress Zhang Jingchu), the film\'s theme of establishment lunacy, as well as its slightly exaggerated style, recalls the social satires of the \'80s by Huang Jianxin, and even Feng Xiaogang\'s later "Plan A, Plan B".
However, between its more broader comic moments, the film does bring back memories of the low-key social irony that Ning pioneered during the \'90s. Though the script is basically another runaway comedy about the way in which China is going "crazy" at the moment, Ning has not gone for a fast-paced shooting or editing style: some scenes use speeded-up motion, and others offbeat framing angles, but in general she uses long takes in medium shot in which the actors and the dialogue are allowed their space.
The deeper messages of the film - that market-oriented institutions have the potential to abuse their powers, that money does not breed happiness, and that "normal" people can sometimes do crazier things than "crazy" people - is a bit blunted by a tacked-on happy ending set six months later. And the film\'s tonal swings between knockabout comedy and subtler stuff won\'t work so well outside Asia. However, on a performance level the movie is well cast, with lead actor Wang working well with both Yuan and Hong Kong\'s Daniel Chan and Zhang Jingchu fine as the gold-digging model who\'s given up on happiness. Notorious Mainland blog diva Sister Furong mugs entertainingly as Chan\'s dotty shop assistant.
By Derek Elley