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Alan Zhang's film delves into the journey of Beibei, a young woman grappling with societal expectations amidst the COVID-19 epidemic. As Beibei navigates the complexities of life, marriage, and her roles as a wife, mother, and daughter, the film provocatively questions the constraints of conventional gender roles. The film immerses us in the life of Beibei, who refuses to let her identity be defined by others, who demands the right to find out for herself who she is and what she wants. Moving from city to city and from lover to lover, she defies society’s expectations of what a woman should do and be. Blurring the lines between reality and fiction, the film boldly challenges traditional gender expectations, showcasing the struggles and triumphs of emancipated women like Beibei.
"The Chinese independent filmmaker Alan Zhang’s first feature, “This Woman,” is a startlingly intimate and alluringly intricate tangle of fiction and faux documentary. It stars Hihi Lee (who also co-wrote the script) as Beibei, a young striver of the Beijing bourgeoisie, a married mother of a toddler who is emotionally involved with a colleague from her job in a real-estate office, leading to threats from the colleague’s wife. But as Beibei’s romantic commitments and professional activities move from city to city, her very identity—amid tension with her husband and her widowed mother—seems to shift. Focussing on high-stakes conflicts of love and money, noting the constraints of tradition and bureaucracy, Zhang views her protagonist (who is interviewed on-camera) as a free-range prisoner in every scenario." -Richard Brody (The New Yorker)
April 26, 2023
"The Chinese independent filmmaker Alan Zhang’s first feature, “This Woman,” is a startlingly intimate and alluringly intricate tangle of fiction and faux documentary. It stars Hihi Lee (who also co-wrote the script) as Beibei, a young striver of the Beijing bourgeoisie, a married mother of a toddler who is emotionally involved with a colleague from her job in a real-estate office, leading to threats from the colleague’s wife. But as Beibei’s romantic commitments and professional activities move from city to city, her very identity—amid tension with her husband and her widowed mother—seems to shift. Focussing on high-stakes conflicts of love and money, noting the constraints of tradition and bureaucracy, Zhang views her protagonist (who is interviewed on-camera) as a free-range prisoner in every scenario." -Richard Brody (The New Yorker)
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