What would have you done if you were Li Cunxin?

Li Cunxin (b. 1961) is, at first sight (first time I heard of him, today), a most surprising case of success and achievement.

It is certainly striking his becoming of a good ballet dancer, from a totally fortuitous contingency (story explored in Bruce Beresford´s movie). It seems that he could have been any kind of professional the Coummunist party or chance would have him wanted to be, from a mathematician to a chess player or a gymnast. Moreover, it is stunning to learn that years later he pushed his way through into finance and accounting and became a stockbroker. And even more shocking is to know that Li is now a Senior Manager of a large stockbroker firm in Australia (didn´t find its name in google), a best-seller author and a prestige, renamed speaker with experience over 200 presentations in "corporate meetings, seminars, events, industry conferences, associations, business leaders retreats, literary festivales, universities and schools". He was even awarded as 2009 Australian Father of the Year! (http://www.licunxin.com/).

The movie has not made a deep impression on me, nor moved sincerely, though. I suppose the dubbed-version has to do with it (when will we stop dubbing movies here?!). It is too much a tear-jerker, or intend to be. Characters are not deep nor developed enough to make the story genuinely emotional and touchy. The story runs too fast and shallow. I got the impression of being a driver precipitating himself to the end of his destinity from Madrid (Central Spain) to Murcia (South Spain), roughly 250 miles, with his head fixed on the highway, no stops, missing a vast variety of landscapes and colors and corners and peculiarities _A familiar impression from my times as a Sales Engineer.

Technically I liked the light and fotographs of the miserable villages, but certain details are poorly treated and some others are clumsily presented (for instance, a just-arrived Li into Houston, looking up to the tops of huge skyscrappers, to avoid the problem of modern cars mismatching the setting of 1981, a stale topic as well). Generally, it lacks development... Perhaps, the book is better... Does anyone have read it?

If I knew how to do a movie, I would have focused on an episode of Li´s incredible adventure. The most fascinating scenes of the story are the ones of the kidnapping in the China Consulate. Li seems to be truly in love with Liz (I would) and decide to stay in the US for her and marry her in secret, acting in collusion with Liz and two other friends who, by the way, seems to selflessly care for him and be attached to individual freedom principles. The very night the Houston upscale society gathers for Li´s farewell, they released the news to Ben Stevenson, Artistic Director of Houston Teatre and Li´s mentor, nicely portraited by Bruce Greenwood (the best in the movie, along with the lawyer).

The following part of the story is amazing: Li and the rest, all confused, worried and much aggravated showed up at the Consulate, where they are deceived and Li is retained by force. The characters refuse to leave the Consulate and the conflict scalates progressively up to Vice-presidency scale. It was something like 21-hour kidnapping.

This is the part I would have choosen for my movie!!

Now:

My First Comment: I walked home from the movie theatre considering that secondary characters in this episode are the real heros. What is indeed the purpose of them by staying in the Consulate, and by defending Li´s interests? For it is clear: Li struggles to satisfy a personal interest. But, again, why did Liz, the lawyer, the two friends and Stevensons behave in an apparently much unselfish way? Only the lady seems to have an expected reaction. Paradoxically, she plays the role of "weak, twisted woman" in the scenes, as the watcher has alreay been placed on Li´s side a long while ago.

Indeed, regardless undeniable Li´s merits, his fate is conditioned to the actions of a reduce group of individuals who seems to act generously. A second example of these people is the anti-revolutionary first professor of Li, whose desire is to see him dance at the end (art interest). Truly touchy, this character!

My Second Comment: This character I just mentioned, along with Stevensons, are indeed vocational characters. Li Cunxin is not (in spite of his official web page saying otherwise). He is determined, fearless and display an extraordinary level of achievement, but he is not vocational.

My Third Comment: In a sense, I do not see Li Cunxin as a recipient of all virtues that pundits wants to see as a whole for motivational speeches (as his official page also points out). He is, of course, a carrier of some of them (again, courage, determination, sacrifice aiming to pursue his personal goals). The problem is that I see, in his particular case, some others (love, gratitude, obedience, faithfulness) in contradiction with the previous ones which, obviously, Li does not fulfill.

Take, for instance, the following statement from the Welcome page of his web: "(...) Li recounts his determination, perseverance, vision, courage and hard work, and in particular, the sacred family values and integrity that he learned in poverty-stricken China, which has driven him to become one of the best dancers in the world". This statement is topic-stinking and absurd according to the movie I watched today. Just remember: the first nights in Peking, Li child moans, and he recovers his smile after another boy farts intently!! If I must be more spiteful... How can family values be sacred for Li if he chooses and prefers his career upon his family and remains with no news from home for years!!

My Fourth Comment: Li´s fate is entirely made out of the actions of individuals. Even the govermental employees who picked Li up did it just because a rural teacher said: "Did you care to consider again that boy over there?".

Any system denying individuals their right to choose their paths is barren. Life and Society are made of individuals.

My Final Comment: I am in love with Liz. She looks so good, so neat, so fresh and innocent, so sweet and tender... You know? If I were Li, my story would have ended that day when, packing our things to go to Florida, Stevensons tries to convice me to stay in Houston by plunging a contract on the table. I´ve have said to him: "I will ponder on it", and as soon as he had stepped in his car, I would have kissed Liz and told her: "Hurry up, dear, please, we are leaving now. I want to love you for the rest of my life. That´s why I came to America. Oh, God, I can be whatever I want in America".

And you? What would have you done if you were Li Cunxin?