By Jasmin Justo
“Lost and Love” is a compelling heart breaking narrative written and directed by Peng Sanyuan. The new Huayi Brother production, is about a father seeking his lost son for a persistent 14 years. As Lei Zekuan (Andy Lau) travels across China’s major cities and rural towns, he also catches wind of other missing children and creates flags and posters, hoping to gain tips of his own son’s whereabouts along the way. As he meets strangers who help him, he meets a young car mechanic, Ceng Shuai (Boran Jing) who works at a motorcycle shop. As a victim of child trafficking, he wishes to seek his own biological parents and helps with the cause. As they continue searching, the online community also aids in their venture which leads to a dynamic turn of events.
The movie begins with a frantic mother who is seeking her child after losing her near a merry go round. Strangers comfort her and the police quickly search the area. However, the mother undergoes a psychological breakdown as she continuously searches day and night for her child. Meanwhile, the lady who kidnapped the child is desperately seeking quick money by trying to sell the baby girl. Unknown to each other, Zekuan, the father seeking his own son, also aids in the efforts to seek the baby girl and uses his online forum to spread the word.
The film, in context, analyzes the psychological impact of the child trafficking reign on its victims, which has become a widespread phenomena around the world, prevalently in China. Based on true events, the movie analyzes the obstacles facing the main characters in a country of 1.3 billion people. With the film swift transitions showing how the two parallel lives interconnect, it illustrates how different lives can affect one another without realizing it. Also through the father-son relationship that grows between Shuai and Zekuan, the film also analyzes the meaning of family and its impact in creating a self identity.
For those who enjoy alternative narratives on contemporary issues, this film is thought provoking and emotionally charged with excellent cinematography, that intensifies the moment and truly gives a voice to the victims of child trafficking.
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