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Primarily known as a pioneer of gay activism in China, Cui Zi'en is a sensitive and prolific artist—a writer, screenwriter, director, and producer. He has become a pivotal figure in Chinese independent cinema.
Born in 1958 in Heilongjiang Province, Cui Zi'en (崔子恩) initially studied literature at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and began writing. His first short stories date back to the late 1980s, but it was the novel "Peach Lips" (《桃色嘴唇》), published in Hong Kong in 1997, that brought him initial recognition. Translated into French by Sylvie Gentil and published by Gallimard/Bleu de Chine in 2010, its central character is an old man imprisoned for castrating his homosexual violinist son; on his deathbed, he recounts his life to his doctor in a long, tormented monologue evoking his own homosexuality.
His later narratives continue to explore similar themes but with a lighter tone. Many of his works have been adapted into films. The first of Cui Zi'en's stories to be adapted for cinema, in 1999, was "Men and Women" (《男男女女》), a film directed by Liu Bingjian (刘冰鉴) and released in France under the title Le protégé de madame Qing (Madame Qing's Protege). The story, typical of Cui Zi'en's style, follows a shy young countryman hired in Beijing by a shopkeeper, the "Madame Qing" of the title. When he shows no interest in the young A Meng whom she introduces to him, she begins to have doubts. But she herself ends up breaking up with her husband to live with A Meng.
After this film, Cui Zi'en himself stepped behind the camera, perhaps finding Liu Bingjian's direction too diluted.
His first film as a director made a huge impact: it was a true manifesto for sexual freedom and against all discrimination based on gender differences, which the film depicts as essentially fluid.
This debut film, released in 2002, was "Enter the Clowns" (《丑角登场》), adapted from an eponymous short story published in 1998. The main character is a young boy named Xiao Bo who lives in a world where the lines between genders are blurred and shifting, to the point of becoming almost surreal: sex changes are commonplace but remain confusing. However, the excesses of the narrative ultimately affect the viewer's perception, and by the end of the film, Cui Zi'en successfully casts doubt on the very definition of sexual identity. Nothing seems certain anymore. The result is liberating.
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ENTER THE CLOWNS
2002 / color / sound / single screen / 79' 00 / 210 € distribution: Digital file on USB stick |