"Yi miao zhong" or "One Second" is a co-production between China and Hong Kong and this film is in the Mandarin language, so unless you are from Asia yourself, chances are high that you will need subtitles while watching these under 105 minutes. This film is from 2020 and Yimou Zhang was already almost 70 when he made this and he is over 70 now, so clearly one of the most experienced, most established and also most successful filmmakers from China these days. The fact that he won 2 BAFTAs is pretty self-explanatory, even if these happened in the first half of the 1990s already, so approximately 30 years ago now. He started making films back in the late 1980s and most of the time when he directed, he also wrote the screenplays. This film here is no exception, even if he got help from Jingzhi Zou. This film is based on a novel. Or is it? At least to some extent, but it seems there were some conflicts there that resulted in the original writer getting removed from the credits? In any case, Geling Yan is still listed here on imdb as the one who wrote the novel. Maybe Zhang changed a few story parts, so the film is not too close to the novel anymore. I am not sure. It is not too important anyway unless you have read the novel. Instead, this should be all about watching a quality film and for the most part, this is what you get here.
This also has to do with the acting. I cannot say I am particularly familiar with the cast here, but it is surely my loss. Yi Zhang seems to be one of the most successful Asian actors these days and he gives a pretty good performance. I am not sure if he is related to the filmmaker, but I guess not. Zhang is just really a very common name in China of course. I mean even his character is named like that. Or it was probably intentional because the young female actress at the center of it all is named Haocin Liu and her character is also named Liu. This was her first film back then, but she has acted in other projects since then, so it seems she will keep acting. At least for now. Good news. I think she has talent. The only other actor with a lot of screen time is Wei Fan. His character's name is also Fan, even if Mr. Movie is something you will remember much easier. So there you see already that what we have here is an example of film on film. I watched a pretty good Indian movie not too long ago that is even newer than this one here and that one also dealt with characters and their connection to film. Celluloid was featured here and there and we also see how people keep working with it. Here, the working process was mostly cleaning because it was about a village and the people living there who wanted to see a certain film, but the tape was not in great shape and dirty from the sand, so they had to work a bit first before they could enjoy the movie. The two heroes had other goals though. The guy cared much more about the newsreel than the live action film because his daughter was featured on it and he wanted to see her. The female protagonist wanted to use the celluloid to turn it into a lampshade that could help her mentally ill brother. The idea seemed a bit absurd at first, but then you see a lampshade that belongs to another character and it was quite amazing and now you understood her idea. The two are clashing pretty much from the very start. Even physically in the desert when the guy mistakes the girl for a boy and knocks her out. But he is not gruesome or so. He even says that he would not have hit her or at least not as hard if he had known she was a girl.
Speaking of the desert, a large part of the film takes place in this location. You can really feel the sun burning through the screen. Very nicely done I'd say. It's not just the interactions between the main characters that are interesting, but also how they communicate with others. Just look at the scene early on when they are inside this truck and the tomboy tells her made-up story that the guy is her father and has treated her and her family really poorly. This was a funny moment, but later on we realize this was also a pretty sad moment because the story was true, except of course that the man is not her father. He never would have treated her this badly. The end is fairly sobering. I mean you realize there will be no happy ending when the two are tied up there and the soldiers are watching a movie at the same time. However, with the final jump in time, there is a bit of a happy ending. The guy is out of jail, the girl now looks really tidy with the hair and as if she is doing fine and the two meet again. However, the photo is lost in the desert of course as the girl did not know that this was what the man was after, but oh well. He realizes that the friend he gained is much more precious than this photo. And she realizes she has a grown-up who can take care of her now. She really does trust him. You can see that on a few occasions, but at the latest when she tells him that she is playing tough all the time, also to protect her brother, but she really does miss her father a lot. So they both kinda find what they are/were looking for in somebody else. Oh yeah unrelated, another thing I really liked here was the depiction of food. The noodles looked so incredibly delicious that I totally would have loved a portion for myself too. I will have to find a decent restaurant.
As for Wei Fan's character, I had some issues with him here and there with how he changed. I mean he was really tough and a true boss during the table scene with how he would not let the main character(s) simply go away, but the longer the film went, the softer he became. Of course, a knife on your throat does something with you, but still I struggled a bit to see him as realistic this way. Surely he was also playing a bit as we see through the revelation that he actually informed the forces about the intruder, even if the latter told him he will kill him if he does, and they got there on time to arrest him. Mr. Movie is not a villain though. He even apologized to the main character that he did not know they would beat him. Surely, this could also have to do a bit with him being scared that the man could actually come for him again in the future, but with the token he gives him we know he is not a bad person or anything. That much is safe. He did not have to do it and the two even trust each other somehow because the protagonist also asks for a favor. That I did not really get what the favor was, but it may have had to do with the girl. She even came to help him and gave him the reels before that, so it shows that they understand each other as well. The two main characters I mean. The male protagonist can be pretty crude and is a solid fighter as we see on a few occasions, but he is not evil or anything. We understand he will not kill Mr. Movie in the future, even if he said so. He also tells him on one occasion that he is not there to hurt him. He is just there to see his daughter. As for said daughter, we never really find out what happened to her or I missed it. Only that she was forced to work really hard and we see that when she is filmed. Maybe she died from fatigue, maybe the male protagonist himself has no idea what happened to her and if she is still alive and if he will ever see her again. I mean this was China many decades ago and really almost impossible to find somebody you are no longer in touch with when they could be anywhere in the country. So it is also a political movie as Mao is still omnipresent. Not only in terms of pictures, but also in general. Look at Mr. Movie's words to the forces when they arrive. He sides with the strongest there for sure.
In the face of all this, all the characters try to live lives where they succeed and find happiness, which is really nothing too easy. Many obstacles to overcome. Oh yeah, I was also wondering who the other guy was very early on who is ready to attack the male protagonist together with the female protagonist, but then chooses to run away like a coward eventually. We do not find out. A little later, the action moves to the village and I was fascinated there by what watching the film really meant to them I guess. I mean it seemed like such a vital act that I would think they prepared for Mao visiting or to protect the village from an upcoming natural disaster or so, but in the end it was "only" all about a movie. Relief. It did feel a bit strange. Not gonna lie. Anyway, as for this film, the truly outstanding moments were not frequent enough for an overwhelmingly positive recommendation from me here, but on the positive side it was also never in doubt that I would like the fim enough for a positive recommendation and I surely think it is worth checking out, also because it is much closer to being a great film than it is to being a poor film I'd say. The performances are really worth it and almost all other production values too. You will probably find your own small moments that you will like, but I myself enjoyed for example Yi Zhang's face expression when he was in the passenger's seat or co-driver's seat in the truck there and listening to the girl's (as he thought) fictitious story. She sure convinced the driver. And Zhang turned into a complete fool by leaving the vehicle when he thought a guy with a motorbike could take him the rest of the road. And he lost the reels too, so he really hit rock bottom there, but after a very long walk, he somehow reaches the village and luck is on his side there when he finds the girl so quickly. Probably there weren't many settlements in the area, so it makes sense and he was not totally lucky, but just made the right decision. The two weren't that different anyway as they had the same goals in terms of what they wanted to acquire, even if it was for completely different reasons. Or somewhat different reasons: Both had to do with young family members and taking care of them. Now, that is all then. If you get the chance to watch this one, do it.
This also has to do with the acting. I cannot say I am particularly familiar with the cast here, but it is surely my loss. Yi Zhang seems to be one of the most successful Asian actors these days and he gives a pretty good performance. I am not sure if he is related to the filmmaker, but I guess not. Zhang is just really a very common name in China of course. I mean even his character is named like that. Or it was probably intentional because the young female actress at the center of it all is named Haocin Liu and her character is also named Liu. This was her first film back then, but she has acted in other projects since then, so it seems she will keep acting. At least for now. Good news. I think she has talent. The only other actor with a lot of screen time is Wei Fan. His character's name is also Fan, even if Mr. Movie is something you will remember much easier. So there you see already that what we have here is an example of film on film. I watched a pretty good Indian movie not too long ago that is even newer than this one here and that one also dealt with characters and their connection to film. Celluloid was featured here and there and we also see how people keep working with it. Here, the working process was mostly cleaning because it was about a village and the people living there who wanted to see a certain film, but the tape was not in great shape and dirty from the sand, so they had to work a bit first before they could enjoy the movie. The two heroes had other goals though. The guy cared much more about the newsreel than the live action film because his daughter was featured on it and he wanted to see her. The female protagonist wanted to use the celluloid to turn it into a lampshade that could help her mentally ill brother. The idea seemed a bit absurd at first, but then you see a lampshade that belongs to another character and it was quite amazing and now you understood her idea. The two are clashing pretty much from the very start. Even physically in the desert when the guy mistakes the girl for a boy and knocks her out. But he is not gruesome or so. He even says that he would not have hit her or at least not as hard if he had known she was a girl.
Speaking of the desert, a large part of the film takes place in this location. You can really feel the sun burning through the screen. Very nicely done I'd say. It's not just the interactions between the main characters that are interesting, but also how they communicate with others. Just look at the scene early on when they are inside this truck and the tomboy tells her made-up story that the guy is her father and has treated her and her family really poorly. This was a funny moment, but later on we realize this was also a pretty sad moment because the story was true, except of course that the man is not her father. He never would have treated her this badly. The end is fairly sobering. I mean you realize there will be no happy ending when the two are tied up there and the soldiers are watching a movie at the same time. However, with the final jump in time, there is a bit of a happy ending. The guy is out of jail, the girl now looks really tidy with the hair and as if she is doing fine and the two meet again. However, the photo is lost in the desert of course as the girl did not know that this was what the man was after, but oh well. He realizes that the friend he gained is much more precious than this photo. And she realizes she has a grown-up who can take care of her now. She really does trust him. You can see that on a few occasions, but at the latest when she tells him that she is playing tough all the time, also to protect her brother, but she really does miss her father a lot. So they both kinda find what they are/were looking for in somebody else. Oh yeah unrelated, another thing I really liked here was the depiction of food. The noodles looked so incredibly delicious that I totally would have loved a portion for myself too. I will have to find a decent restaurant.
As for Wei Fan's character, I had some issues with him here and there with how he changed. I mean he was really tough and a true boss during the table scene with how he would not let the main character(s) simply go away, but the longer the film went, the softer he became. Of course, a knife on your throat does something with you, but still I struggled a bit to see him as realistic this way. Surely he was also playing a bit as we see through the revelation that he actually informed the forces about the intruder, even if the latter told him he will kill him if he does, and they got there on time to arrest him. Mr. Movie is not a villain though. He even apologized to the main character that he did not know they would beat him. Surely, this could also have to do a bit with him being scared that the man could actually come for him again in the future, but with the token he gives him we know he is not a bad person or anything. That much is safe. He did not have to do it and the two even trust each other somehow because the protagonist also asks for a favor. That I did not really get what the favor was, but it may have had to do with the girl. She even came to help him and gave him the reels before that, so it shows that they understand each other as well. The two main characters I mean. The male protagonist can be pretty crude and is a solid fighter as we see on a few occasions, but he is not evil or anything. We understand he will not kill Mr. Movie in the future, even if he said so. He also tells him on one occasion that he is not there to hurt him. He is just there to see his daughter. As for said daughter, we never really find out what happened to her or I missed it. Only that she was forced to work really hard and we see that when she is filmed. Maybe she died from fatigue, maybe the male protagonist himself has no idea what happened to her and if she is still alive and if he will ever see her again. I mean this was China many decades ago and really almost impossible to find somebody you are no longer in touch with when they could be anywhere in the country. So it is also a political movie as Mao is still omnipresent. Not only in terms of pictures, but also in general. Look at Mr. Movie's words to the forces when they arrive. He sides with the strongest there for sure.
In the face of all this, all the characters try to live lives where they succeed and find happiness, which is really nothing too easy. Many obstacles to overcome. Oh yeah, I was also wondering who the other guy was very early on who is ready to attack the male protagonist together with the female protagonist, but then chooses to run away like a coward eventually. We do not find out. A little later, the action moves to the village and I was fascinated there by what watching the film really meant to them I guess. I mean it seemed like such a vital act that I would think they prepared for Mao visiting or to protect the village from an upcoming natural disaster or so, but in the end it was "only" all about a movie. Relief. It did feel a bit strange. Not gonna lie. Anyway, as for this film, the truly outstanding moments were not frequent enough for an overwhelmingly positive recommendation from me here, but on the positive side it was also never in doubt that I would like the fim enough for a positive recommendation and I surely think it is worth checking out, also because it is much closer to being a great film than it is to being a poor film I'd say. The performances are really worth it and almost all other production values too. You will probably find your own small moments that you will like, but I myself enjoyed for example Yi Zhang's face expression when he was in the passenger's seat or co-driver's seat in the truck there and listening to the girl's (as he thought) fictitious story. She sure convinced the driver. And Zhang turned into a complete fool by leaving the vehicle when he thought a guy with a motorbike could take him the rest of the road. And he lost the reels too, so he really hit rock bottom there, but after a very long walk, he somehow reaches the village and luck is on his side there when he finds the girl so quickly. Probably there weren't many settlements in the area, so it makes sense and he was not totally lucky, but just made the right decision. The two weren't that different anyway as they had the same goals in terms of what they wanted to acquire, even if it was for completely different reasons. Or somewhat different reasons: Both had to do with young family members and taking care of them. Now, that is all then. If you get the chance to watch this one, do it.