Lifestyle
A Beijing restaurant critic arrives at a crossroads in this absorbing family drama
Strand Releasing
The title of The Shadowless Tower refers to an enormous 13th-century Buddhist temple that looms over the Xicheng district of Beijing. It’s called the White Pagoda, and it was designed in such a way that its shadow can be hard to see.
That makes it a poignant metaphor for the movie’s middle-aged protagonist, Gu, who’s struggling with his own sense of impermanence. As he quietly drifts through a life riven by loss and disappointment, he wonders, as time slips away, if he himself will leave a meaningful impression.
The viewer, however, will not forget him anytime soon. Gu is played by the actor Xin Baiqing, whose movingly understated performance holds you through every step of this leisurely but absorbing drama.
We first meet Gu as he and his family are visiting the grave of his recently deceased mom. It takes a few moments to figure out how everyone’s related. The 6-year-old girl we see is Gu’s daughter, and she’s as happy and upbeat as her name, Smiley, would lead you to believe.
But we soon learn that Smiley lives with Gu’s older sister and brother-in-law, who have effectively adopted her. While Gu is very much a part of their lives, he’s an unreliable father at best, prone to showing up late — and sometimes drunk — for regular visits.
Whatever Gu’s failings as a parent, they seem to faintly echo those of his own father, whom he hasn’t seen since he was a young boy for reasons that are not immediately clear. Now, decades later, his long-absent father has been quietly reaching out to the family, and Gu is considering letting him back in.
You can imagine how this all might play out in a different movie, with stormy flashbacks, anguished recriminations and a tear-jerking happy ending. But the writer-director Zhang Lu is after something subtler and more realistic. He knows how hard it can be, in life, for even two willing parties to connect.
The movie’s other key relationship proves similarly elusive. Gu, who once dreamed of being a poet, now works as a restaurant critic. One of his colleagues is a mischievous young photographer named Ouyang, played by Huang Yao, who takes pictures of the dishes he writes about.
But while the two have a flirtatious chemistry, their romance never really gets off the ground. That may be because of their age difference, which Ouyang pokes fun at by playfully introducing Gu as her father or her boyfriend, depending on the situation. But it may also have something to do with Gu’s passivity. As another character puts it, “Too much politeness builds a wall between people.”
In its own unassuming way, The Shadowless Tower means to knock down some of those walls. Most of us realize, sooner or later, that we’re more like our parents or other family members than we care to admit. But the movie articulates that truth with a gentleness that can take your breath away, like the eerie moment when Gu realizes how much Smiley resembles the grandfather she’s never met.
And if this is a story of intergenerational conflict, we see some of that tension reflected in Beijing itself. The camera follows Gu around the city, where sleek modern surfaces coexist with ancient traditional buildings — like that White Pagoda, often seen in the background.
There’s another inspired touch that resonates powerfully if you know to look for it. Gu’s father is well played by the filmmaker Tian Zhuangzhuang, who, like many Chinese directors of his generation, experienced government censorship and persecution earlier in his career. His 1993 drama, The Blue Kite, set during the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, was banned in mainland China, and Tian himself was restricted from filmmaking for 10 years.
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Tian’s character in The Shadowless Tower is seen flying a kite, or that he’s shown to be emerging from exile. There’s sadness in that parallel, but also a sense of hope — a reminder that while none of us can change the past, the future remains beautifully unwritten.
Lifestyle
What did the internet call 'satanic'? Find out in the news quiz
Jason Hanna/Getty Images; Vicky Barlow/@thehidephotography; Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
Sunday, May 19, marks the one-year anniversary of the NPR news quiz, which opened with Victor Wembanyama and ended with a rainbow slug. Since then, the news has gifted us such fodder as ChatGPT, George Santos, British royals and Barbie. We learned that Jack Smith had a mullet; that one of the Barbies, unlike J. Robert Oppenheimer, has a Nobel Prize in Physics; and that a spotless baby giraffe is kind of creepy.
So, were you paying attention — all year? We hope so.
Lifestyle
J Lo and Ben Affleck Do Sunday Funday Together Despite Living Apart
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck seem to be saying they’re all good, maritally speaking — even though they’re not living under the same roof, they spent much of Sunday together … looking like a happy couple.
The apparently estranged couple met up Sunday in Santa Monica, where they both showed out to support J Lo’s kid, Emme, in a school event. Jen Garner also showed up with Fin, as Ben and Jen’s kid is pretty tight with Emme.
Anyway, things got more interesting when they left Santa Monica — Ben was smiling behind the wheel, and Jennifer was in his passenger seat, as they headed out … apparently to grab dinner together at BOA Steakhouse in WeHo.
Of course, they were photographed as they left dinner, too … which is not shocking. BOA is one of the L.A. restaurants where all celebs know the paps are gonna take their photo.
If Jen and Ben really wanted alone time, they could’ve stayed at BOA in Santa Monica — same menu, but way less attention.
As we’ve reported … Ben has been living in Brentwood in a home he’s renting, while Jennifer continues living in the $60 million Bev Hills mansion they bought together.
We also told you that Ben did not wear his wedding ring during a Friday outing, but he had it back on come Saturday outside his rental home.
Whatever happened before BA moved out, he and J Lo seemed to put it all on the back burner Sunday. Whether that prompts them to move back in together … 🤷🏽♂️
Lifestyle
Sean Combs apologizes for 'my actions in that video' that appeared to show an assault
Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP
Hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs issued an apology on Sunday, two days after the release of a video which appeared to show him beating then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura.
“It’s so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, but sometimes you got to do that,” Combs says in a video posted to Instagram. “I was f—– up — I mean, I hit rock bottom — but I make no excuses.”
The video, which was obtained and published by CNN on Friday, allegedly shows Combs grabbing, throwing, kicking and dragging Ventura in a hotel hallway, and throwing an object at her.
CNN reported that the video was recorded at the now-closed InterContinental Hotel in Century City on March 5, 2016. Elements of it appear to match accusations of physical and sexual assault that Ventura made in a civil lawsuit she filed against Combs last year.
While NPR has not been able to verify the authenticity of the video, in his apology, Combs appeared to do so.
“I take full responsibility for my actions in that video,” Combs said. “I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now. I went and I sought out professional help. I got into going to therapy, going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry. But I’m committed to be a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry.”
Ventura reached a settlement with Combs for an undisclosed figure in November, one day after the lawsuit was filed.
After the settlement, one of Combs’ lawyers, Ben Brafman, issued a statement declaring Combs’ innocence. He told NPR: “Just so we’re clear, a decision to settle a lawsuit, especially in 2023, is in no way an admission of wrongdoing. Mr. Combs’ decision to settle the lawsuit does not in any way undermine his flat-out denial of the claims. He is happy they got to a mutual settlement and wishes Ms. Ventura the best.”
NPR’s request for comment from Combs’ attorney on Sunday was not immediately returned.
In a written statement provided to NPR on Friday afternoon, Ventura’s attorney, Douglas Wigdor, said: “The gut-wrenching video has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behavior of Mr. Combs. Words cannot express the courage and fortitude that Ms. Ventura has shown in coming forward to bring this to light.”
Wigdor did not immediately reply on Sunday to a request for comment on Combs’ Instagram post.
Combs faces several lawsuits from named and unnamed plaintiffs alleging assault, rape and other misconduct. In March, federal agents raided homes associated with Combs in Los Angeles and Miami in what authorities at the time referred to as “an ongoing investigation.”
On Saturday, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said it was aware of the video and while it found the images “extremely disturbing and difficult to watch,” if the incident occurred in 2016, “unfortunately we would be unable to charge as the conduct would have occurred beyond the timeline where a crime of assault can be prosecuted.”
The statement said that law enforcement has not presented a case against Combs for the attack depicted in the video, “but we encourage anyone who has been a victim or witness to a crime to report it to law enforcement or reach out to our office for support from our Bureau of Victims Services.”
NPR’s Anastasia Tsioulcas contributed to this report.
-
News1 week ago
Skeletal remains found almost 40 years ago identified as woman who disappeared in 1968
-
World1 week ago
India Lok Sabha election 2024 Phase 4: Who votes and what’s at stake?
-
Politics1 week ago
Tales from the trail: The blue states Trump eyes to turn red in November
-
World1 week ago
Borrell: Spain, Ireland and others could recognise Palestine on 21 May
-
World1 week ago
Catalans vote in crucial regional election for the separatist movement
-
Politics1 week ago
North Dakota gov, former presidential candidate Doug Burgum front and center at Trump New Jersey rally
-
Movie Reviews1 week ago
“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”: Disney's New Kingdom is Far From Magical (Movie Review)
-
World1 week ago
Ukraine’s military chief admits ‘difficult situation’ in Kharkiv region