The Equation of Love and Death

The Equation of Love and Death
Promotional poster
Directed byCao Baoping
Written byCao Baoping
Produced byWang Zhonglei
Tsui Siu-Ming
Wang Zhongjun
StarringZhou Xun
Deng Chao
Zhang Hanyu
Wang Baoqiang
CinematographyYang Shu
Edited byMou Xiaojie
Music byDou Wei
Distributed byHuayi Brothers
Release date
  • September 18, 2008 (2008-09-18)
Running time
96 minutes
CountryChina
LanguageMandarin
Budget$1,500,000
Box office$1,910,611[1]

The Equation of Love and Death (Chinese: 李米的猜想; pinyin: lǐ mǐ de cāi xiǎng; lit. 'Li Mi's Supposition') is a 2008 Chinese drama film written and directed by Cao Baoping and starring Zhou Xun. It tells the story of Li Mi (played by Zhou Xun), a Kunming cab driver who longs for the day she can be reunited with her missing boyfriend. After a case of mistaken identity, a kidnapping, and a threat of extortion, Li Mi's dream may be on the cusp of becoming a reality.

The Equation of Love and Death is a Chinese (Huayi Brothers) and Hong Kong (Sundream Motion Pictures) co-production.[2] It is Cao's second solo feature after 2006's Trouble Makers. The film premiered in China on September 18, 2008, in Shanghai[3] and had its North American premiere at the 2008 Vancouver International Film Festival where it was part of the Dragons and Tigers side competition.[4]

Plot

Li Mi, a chain smoking taxi driver in the Chinese city of Kunming has been searching fruitlessly for her missing boyfriend for years. One day she picks up two strangers who turn out to be desperate criminals (Wang Baoqiang and Wang Yanhui) engaged in drug smuggling and importation of narcotics ingested in their stomachs. After the man intended to intercept and transport the drugs to the final location mysteriously commits suicide and falls off a bridge, the two men then kidnap Li and force her to drive to the designated location. However, midway on a refuel stop at a petrol station, she signals to the attendant to call for help. After Li escapes, Yanhui dies due to the leakage of the package inside his stomach resulting in organ failure. Then, at the police station, Li sees a man who she is sure to be her missing boyfriend, but who claims to not know her and goes by a different name, along with a new woman, supposedly his new girlfriend. After she wildly chases after him, he finally confesses that he does know her, but doesn't want anything to do with her anymore. Later, we find that he is also caught up in some sort of drug ring, and commits suicide by throwing himself over the bridge as well, symbolically landing on Li's car. The film ends with her finding out the fate of her boyfriend who left her a safe deposit box of money and a letter telling her to start a grocery store.[5]

Cast

  • Zhou Xun as Li Mi, the film's heroine, Li Mi is a chain-smoking cabbie. Her boyfriend disappeared years ago, but she still reads and memorizes the letters that he occasionally sends her.
  • Deng Chao as Fang Wen / Ma Bing, Li Mi's long lost boyfriend and a man who may be Fang Wen in disguise respectively.
  • Zhang Hanyu as Ye Qingcheng, a police detective who becomes involved in Li Mi's story.
  • Wang Baoqiang as Qiu Shuitian, one of Li Mi's passengers, a bumbling drug smuggler.
  • Wang Ning as Feifei, Yanhui's wife.
  • Wang Yanhui as Qiu Huogui, another of Li Mi's passengers, another smuggler.

Reception

Early reviews by western critics suggested that Cao Baoping's sophomore film was a stylish thriller/drama, but that much depended on the power of Zhou Xun's performance as Li Mi. Shelly Kraicer, the Chinese film scholar and curator of the Vancouver International Film Festival's Dragons and Tigers competition noted that while director "Cao Baoping is an expert at orchestrating frenzy," the film ultimately belonged to Zhou Xun.[4] Despite the praise, the film would not go on to win the award (which went to Emily Tang's Perfect Life). Variety critic Derek Elley also wrote in his review that the film was "motored by another saturated [performance] by the throaty-voiced Zhou."[2]

Other critics saw the film as yet another example of China's growing sophistication with "genre films." The China Film Journal in its final verdict argued that while the film was not "life-changing," it was nevertheless a "step in the right direction" and that audiences would not mind "seeing a few more Memento-esque films" coming out of China in the near future.[6]

The film won the Altadis New Directors Award at the 2008 San Sebastian International Film Festival.[7]

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryRecipient(s) and nominee(s)ResultNotes
200856th San Sebastián International Film FestivalAltadis New Directors AwardCao BaopingWon[8][9]
200918th Shanghai Film Critics AwardsBest ActressZhou XunWon[10]
Films of MeritTop Ten FilmsWon
3rd Asian Film AwardsBest ActressZhou XunWon[11]
46th Golden Horse Film AwardsBest Supporting ActorZhang HanyuNominated[12]
Best Original Film ScoreDou WeiNominated
9th Chinese Film Media AwardsBest ActressZhou XunWon[13]
16th Beijing College Student Film FestivalBest ActressZhou XunWon[14]
27th Golden Rooster Awards Best Director Cao Baoping Nominated[15][16]
Best Actress Zhou Xun Won
Best Sound Gu Changning Nominated
Best Score Dou Wei Nominated
12th Golden Phoenix AwardSociety AwardZhou XunWon[17]

References

  1. ↑ "The Equation of Love and Death". Box Office Mojo by IMDbPro.
  2. 1 2 Elley, Derek (2008-10-14). "The Equation of Love and Death Review". Variety. Retrieved 2008-12-17.
  3. ↑ CRIENGLISH.com (2008-09-22). ""The Equation of Love and Death" premieres in Shanghai". China Daily. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
  4. 1 2 Kraicer, Shelly (2008). "The Equation of Love and Death". Vancouver International Film Festival. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
  5. ↑ Selzer, Manfred (2014). "The Equation of Love and Death". Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  6. ↑ Chen Peijin (2008-10-26). "Film Review: The Equation of Love and Death". China Film Journal. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
  7. ↑ Hopewell, John & Holland, Jonathon (2008-09-27). "San Sebastian picks 'Pandora's Box'". Variety. Retrieved 2008-12-17.
  8. ↑ John Hopewell & ,Jonathan Holland (September 27, 2008). "San Sebastian picks 'Pandora's Box'". Variety. Archived from the original on 26 November 2024. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
  9. ↑ "Kutxabank-New Directors Award". San Sebastian International Film Festival. Retrieved 28 June 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  10. ↑ "第19届金鸡百花电影节最佳女主提名：周迅". Sohu (in Chinese). September 14, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  11. ↑ Coonan, Clifford (March 23, 2009). "Japan shines at Asian Film Awards". Variety. Retrieved April 6, 2025.
  12. ↑ "台北金馬影展 Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival - Nominees & Winners (46th - 2009)". Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards. Archived from the original on 11 January 2024. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  13. ↑ "周迅半年三度封后 领奖错失周润发饭局（图）" [Zhou Xun won the award for the third time in half a year and missed Chow Yun-fat's dinner (photo)]. China News (in Chinese). 22 June 2009. Archived from the original on 26 June 2009.
  14. ↑ "第16届大学生电影节落幕 周迅三捧后冠(图)" [The 16th College Student Film Festival came to an end, Zhou Xun won the title for the third time (Photo)]. Sohu (in Chinese). April 27, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  15. ↑ "第27届中国电影金鸡奖 the 27th Golden Rooster Awards 2009". Archived from the original on 2017-05-12. Retrieved 2017-05-16.
  16. ↑ "Zhou Xun Celebrates 35th Birthday and Best Actress Award". China Radio International. October 19, 2007. Archived from the original on October 22, 2009.
  17. ↑ "获18个奖的《李米的猜想》：他们受的苦，都是不公命运铺的路" ["Li Mi's Conjecture", which won 18 awards: Their sufferings were all paved by unfair fate]. Sohu (in Chinese). June 5, 2020. Archived from the original on November 12, 2024.
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