This film can\u2019t be trusted: clocks stop suddenly and reflections of light are up to mischief. While Yezi spends a summer in a flat with her grandmother, we delve into her family history. In doing so we are freed from any chronology, and invited into a different perception of time. Light sources in all imaginable forms alternately cast shadows of forgetfulness and bright memories. \u00bbIt feels like I\u2019m dreaming,\u00ab says the grandmother, perfectly describing how you feel watching this film with its intoxicating aesthetic creativity. Dazzling costumes lend a magic aura to the dream worlds at Yuhna Lake, drawings give a glimpse into past emotions, and we hear spellbinding imaginative stories about the boy with the sewn-on bear skin.<\/p>\n
Behind the light-hearted songs, however, there are melancholy sounds telling of a young woman growing up. A woman who wants to know where she comes from and which story can help her understand herself. \u00bbDad only loves me as his daughter, but not as myself,\u00ab remarks one character, reminding us that we often can\u2019t be who we\u2019d like to be for others and that parents are unable to see their children detached from the period of childhood. Niu Xiaoyu\u2019s feeling for interpersonal subtleties comes through in the film, making Virgin Blue a mature and, in terms of form, an exceptional debut.<\/p>\n