Drama Digest
The story is based in Chengdu city, Sichuan province, southern China, in 2017. Lu Jing (Tong Yixuan), 27, is a successful department head at an interior-design company. She is still traumatized by being sexually abused some 20 years ago by Qin Gang (Zhao Hongji), head of a textile factory where her mother, Li Yunzhi (Zhong Xiaodan), was an accountant. She was cold and always wore black gloves. She’s disliked by her workmates (who think she’s either arrogant or a lesbian). She takes out her anger in furious MMA workouts and is obsessed with tracking down Qin Gang to make him pay. The only person she shows warmth to is her housemate/tenant Song Qingge (Luan Leiying), a painter and fellow abuse victim. She engages in multiple boyfriends to put her past behind her.
The Feel-Good part
It is a half-serious, half-light tone movie. It can be great to watch when you want something sad yet not depressing. The office romance part minimizes the grief caused by the tragic background of the characters.
The Disappointing Part
The major disappointing factor was that the filmmaker tried blending rom-com with a tragic background story. It is an odd combination and was mentioned as a politically objectionable movie by most critics.
In-depth analysis
As the story proceeds, Wang Chao (Shi Yuanting), a playboy interior designer returned from the US. He is made general manager of the design company by his cousin Zhou Rui (Luo Chang), who, owns it. He immediately sets his sights on Lu Jing, but she’s not interested. One night, yet, the two go for a drink, and Lu Jing, intoxicated, spews out her past to him. Song Qingge hears that her stepfather, who abused her as a child, has died, but she refuses to forgive him, despite pleas by her mother. Later, she invites round Wang Likun (Peng Wuhui), a boyfriend she recently ditched, and tries to get him to have sex with her, but he refuses. After sending a farewell text to Lu Jing, Song Qingge drowns herself in the bath. Heartbroken, Lu Jing returns to tracking down Qin Gang, who had been sentenced to prison more than a decade ago for fraud but is now out. Wang Chao, who’s even taken up MMA to get closer to her, now helps. And then Lu Jing gets a tip-off on Qin Gang’s current address.
Star Power
Innocent Prisoners claims to be “China’s first film on the survival of sexually assaulted children into adulthood”. It’s the first theatrically released feature by Anhui-born filmmaker Dai Wei.
Overall Opinion
The film ends with a general message that, though you should never forgive your abuser, you must forgive yourself as you are blameless. Overall it’s a good and educating movie despite having significant disappointments.
