How Is Your Fish Today?

Renowned Chinese writer-director Xiaolu Guo and co-director Hui Rao breathe life into an engaging and fascinating story with their 2006 docudrama-style movie, How Is Your Fish Today? Weaving an innovative blend of scriptwriting, travelogue, personal journey, and fictional narration, the film offers a unique blend of stark realism and delicate fantasy that mesmerizes and lulls audiences into the intriguing world of Chinese society amid its massive strides into modernization.

The movie is essentially a quixotic expedition split between two parallel strands that gradually merge together as the narrative unfolds. The film circles around two central characters who are worlds apart and yet find themselves lured towards a shared reality. Mysteriously intriguing and intentionally complex, the film's narrative appeals to viewers who appreciate the facets of life, the depth underlying simple structures, and the beauty in seemingly random encounters.

In the spotlight is the lonely, an unfulfilled Bejing-based scriptwriter, Rao Hui, played by Hui Rao himself. Hui is faced with a potent mix of drama and frustration as his latest work persistently fails to meet the stringent deficiencies of censorship rules, resulting in them being denied approval times and again. His script tells the story of Lin Hao, a man who leaves his dull life behind to embark on an intriguing escape after killing his wife.

Although a work of fiction, Lin's narrative becomes an eerie mirror for Hui, reflecting his monotonous existence and unfulfilled dreams in the monotone city of Beijing. Empathizing with his weary character, Rao Hui finds himself engrossed in Lin's journey north, eventually culminating in the village of Mohe, a place near the Russian border notable for its untouched natural beauty and Fish River.

As Rao Hui infuses life into his fictional creation, Lin Hao (played by Xiaolu Guo) leaps off the written pages and materializes onto the screen. The movie then largely shifts to Lin's perspective, following his flight through real places in China, painting an engaging portrait of a man on the run, carving his unique time capsule.

The movie is a charm when it comes to using its narrative to vaguely depict elements of Chinese society that seem rather unassuming in the grand scale of things but are unique cultural representatives in their minute existence. All along, it uses Hui and Lin's contrasting plights to bring forth insights on the issues of displacement, customs, personal identity crisis, assimilation, and socioeconomic disparities in a rapidly transitioning Chinese society.

Among the film's numerous strengths is the deft handling of its intertwined narrative structure, with both Rao Hui and Lin Hao elements continually infusing dynamism and movement in the plot. The seamless shift in time and space, from Rao's own life to his fictionalized world, creates a rhythm that effectively embodies the flow of life and the tensions underlying fiction and reality.

Not opting for the classic cinematic representation, Guo and Rao present their movie in an experimental ‘hybrid documentary’ style, interspersing letters, diary entries, video footage, and newspaper articles among fiction, thereby creating a multi-layered, multidimensional depiction of contemporary China.

The film’s cross-genre style, switching between documentary footage and fictional sequences, adds to its charm. The gritty streets, cold train stations, cluttered city markets, and sundry roadside encounters painted amidst the live-rush of modern-day China aptly contrast with the mythical remoteness, serenity and enigma of Mohe and its Fish River.

The cinematography is skilfully executed, portraying the dichotomy of urban life and rural landscapes. The narrative gains profundity as it shapes the stories of the two contrasting characters through this enchanting visual language. This pursuit of freedom, aspirations, and identity, coupled with excellent screenplay and editing, makes the film a singularly captivating art piece.

How Is Your Fish Today? serves as a metaphoric journey, reflecting individual quests against the massive, often intimidating backdrop of nationwide transition. Its compelling plot, augmented by its innovative narrative style and poignant imagery, renders it an engaging cinematic experience. An insightful exploration of desire, aspirations, and the human need to escape the mundane, the film effectively resonates with the ever-teetering balance between reality and imagination.