And the Spring Comes (Li Chun)

Directed by Gu Changwei

This film about misfits in a small town cuts to the bone.

Set in Baotou, Inner Mongolia, in the 1990s, a plain-Jane teacher, played with heavy makeup by Jiang Wenli, the director's wife, sets her eyes on a career as an opera singer. Italian opera, that is. Drifting across her world are two equally fish-out-of-water types: a young man who wants to learn Western-style painting and a middle-aged gay man who dreams of being a ballet dancer.

Society frowns upon them, and they isolate themselves further by keeping a distance from the few who befriend them. Their attempts to move to cultural hubs such as Beijing or Shenzhen are constantly thwarted. Their dreams turn into delusions.

Never has the conflict between ideals and reality been portrayed on the Chinese screen with such acuteness. In a time when children are pushed to excel in academic or artistic pursuits ranging from math contests and piano playing, this movie is a cruel reminder that success comes with a heavy price. But mostly, it is about conformity, which drives people to judge those with personalities and aspirations different from theirs.