A provincial Chinese girl gets a taste of the world in this pacy but emotionally sparse drama. Frustrated by village life, pretty young Mei hits the nearest city, Chongqing, and meets a hit man. Events lead her to London, where she takes a series of menial jobs but once again seeks the protection of men (played by Brit TV actors Geoffrey Hutchings and Chris Ryman).
Lead Lu Huang has plenty of screen presence, and her character’s life path is thought-provoking. But Mei never shares her emotions and dreams with the audience. She comes across as a sullen, self-serving girl whose circumstances could elicit sympathy, but whose actions do not. As a cross-cultural study this has its merits, but it feels dramatically incomplete.