Painted Skin (Hua Pi)

Painted Skin (Hua Pi) 

       
          Painted skin is a Chinese fantasy film that came out in 2008.  The painted skin is adapted from the Strange Tales of Liaozhai by Pu Songling.  

Painted Skin is about a fox-spirit (demon) named Xiaowei (Zhou Xun) you are rescued by Sheng Wang (Chen Kun) from the camp of desert bandits. Immediately, Xiaowei is taken by Sheng Wang's good looks and Martial Arts skills. Sheng Wang and his men bring Xiaowei back to their enclosed city. Sheng Wang and his wife PeiRong (Zhao Wei) take Xiaowei into their household. And from here is where things really start of. 

          The movie begins with Xiaowei in the tent of the bandit chief and he starts to offer here things at which point she rips his heart out.  At the same time Sheng Wang and his men attack the camp.  Xiaowei starts to scream and Sheng Wang believes her to have been in danger and rescues her.  The men are holly and sing as they return to their city with Xiaowei which many are immediately smitten with. Xiaowei is also taken by Sheng Wang, but we find out that Sheng Wang is married to Peirong.  Xiaowei is taken into the household.
But soon people are being killed by an unknown assailant.  Then Pang Yong (Donnie Yen) who used to led the soldiers returns to town. We find out that Pang Yong was in love with Peirong (maybe still is) and had given her two jade pendants. Telling her to give one to the person she loved.  During that movie there is a flash back where we see Pang Yong fighting bandits in the desert alone and when his soldiers arrive he sees that Sheng Wang is wearing one of the jade pendant.  He gives up his leadership, leaving the army and walks off into the desert.   As Pang Yong drinks with a woman named Xia Bing (Betty Sun) who is a Demon Buster.  Peirong comes to see Pang Yong and tells him she suspected that Xiaowei was not human and probably a demon. Peirong lists a number of strange things she had observed for the three months that Xiaowei had been in town besides the killings. She had tried to tell Sheng Wang who did not believe her and she was aware of how most were smitten with Xiaowei and she did not want to start false accusation.  At this time Sheng Wang starts to dream of Xiaowei and when he woke she would be the first person he saw.
Xia Bing brings up the accusation on Xiaowei but when they look for a demon mark on her. None can be found.  Just before this we found out that their was a lizard demon with Xiaowei that killed the people in town offering Xiaowei their hearts. Xiaowei ate human hearts in order to maintain her human beauty and skin.    Xiaoyi (lizard demon) tells Xiaowei not to waste her time with Sheng Wang, but she says she loved Sheng and would become Mrs. Wang.  The only Mrs.Wang, she would never settle to be his concubine, why should she? At this point many started to see Peirong has the jealous wife.    Peirong apologizes to both Sheng Wang and Xiaowei when the test Xia Bing had fails.  A soldier who also suspected Xiaowei is killed and Pang Yong is suspected.  Peirong is unable to get an answer she believes when she asks Sheng Wang if he will love Xiaowei.  That evening Sheng Wang dreams of making love to Xiaowei, when he wakes he sees a shadow.  He goes to investigate and sees Xiaowei crying.  He tries to comfort her and she tells him she loves him and asks to be with him.  He refuses gently, asks to be the concubine. Could he make love to her she says revealing one shoulder but Sheng put her cloth back on just then Xiaoyi attacks but is about to run off when he sees Xiaowei's angry eyes. Xiaoyi tells Xiaowei that he loves her but she rejects him and tells him to leave. Just then Peirong arrives with some guards looking for Sheng, when Xiaoyi attacks her.  Sheng goes to her aid, but Peirong had seen Sheng and Xiaowei in the room.  Peirong decides that she will tell Xiaowei to be Sheng's concubine.  When Peirong enters Xiaowei's room she sees her taking off the human skin she wore and painted it (hint to title).  Then Xiaowei kills a soldier telling Peirong that anyone who knew would be killed.  Peirong runs off but then comes back asking what Xiaowei wanted.  Xiaowei says to be Sheng's wife. But Peirong could not just disappear because Sheng would look for her. Xiaowei gives Peirong a poison. Peirong asks Xiaowei to stop killing and to stay with Sheng growing old with him.  The poison turns Peirong's hair and skin white making her look like the demon.  The people sees her and she tells them that she was responsible for all the deaths. But before she is killed, Pang Yong saves her. Sheng takes soldiers to go find Peirong.  He asks if she is a demon and she accepts all the blame. Peirong helps Sheng to stab her. At this point Pong stabs Xiaowei showing everyone that she was the real demon.  Xiaowei fights killing all the soldiers.  Then Sheng stabs her with his dagger. Xiaowei becomes white and creating and releasing frost from inside her as she screams.  Sheng tells her to bring Peirong back or he will die. He says he loves Peirong. He says I love you to Xiaowei and stabs himself in the heart.  Xiaowei takes out a spirit pearl to save him but Xiaoyi takes it from her. After Xiaoyi is destroy by Xia Bing's blood.  Xia Bing gives the two spirit pearls to Xiaowei who crushes them and their energy bring back everyone who had died there.  Xiaowei disappears as Sheng opens his eyes.  Pong Yang and Xia Bing leave together to continue fighting bad demon. Sheng anf Peirong are together.  The final scene is of a white fox and lizard standing side by side in the desert.

Peirong after poison

Xiaowei's skin

     

Xiaoyi, devoted and in love with Xiaowei

         So with that what did I like? What did I not like? Some thoughts. The acting was okay for most of the cast but both Peirong and Xiaowei I thought were quite good.  Some reviews I read did not like Pong's humor and I think that is because Pong was attempting to be carefree while he really was not and this came across as fake because it was.  I did not really notice the music while I watched it.  But I felt that the pacing was a bit off at times. A lot seemed to happen even thought the movie is only about 90 minutes long.
          Their was really a juxtaposition between the two women.  Xiaowei was adored by almost all.  She was seen has exciting and charming (Sheng says thus). And at times I felt like the movie being more around Xiaowei portrayed that the love she would have with Sheng would be more exciting.  Having read some other reviews I felt that some wanted that romance more. Be also some seemed to not see that Xiaowei was a seductress.  She got more skin baring scenes. And she knew how to manipulate people emotion especially the men.  Xiaowei had created (painted) herself a skin that was perfect and would be even more beautiful than any humans.  Which she used to get the hearts she needed to maintain it.  To me Xiaowei seemed obsessed and infatuated (although these can be seen or interpreted as love. I don't think it completely is)with Sheng among many thing being his beauty, strength, kindness and that he resisted her many times.
         Peirong I felt was played beautifully because there were times I felt she was being made out to be the annoying wife that was in the way and could be annoying. However she was never thus.  Peirong tries to protect Sheng and everyone who knew her longer but fell for Xiaowei's beauty.  Peirong cared and welcomed Xiaowei at the beginning until she knew she was a demon.  Even in the end in a way she still cared for her enough to want her to stop killing and to be with Sheng, whom she knew would take care of Xiaowei.   I felt Peirong went through more range of emotions and experiences then the other characters.
        One thing I noticed was that Xiaowei may not have been truely in love with Sheng. From what I saw I thought she was infatuate and attracted to Sheng for many reason. Sheng was a good looking man, great fighter and soldier, he literally swiped Xiaowei off her feet and he resisted her allure and seduction. Xiaowei seemed to be someone who always got what she wanted but here she did not get what she wanted and nothing she did worked.  Sheng, I think was attracted physically to Xiaowei like many men, but he also cared about her like a sister and felt responsible for her. So, a scene in the end confused me because up to then he said and showed that he loved Peirong and wanted her back, wanted her alive.  But when he was on his knees he says "I love you, but married the wrong person".  In most western countries people say "I love you" a lot to friends, family and lovers, but each them meaning it differently. From what I have observed (knowing very little of Chinese culture and Asia in general) people usually say "I love you" to a lover but express their feeling to friends and family in a different (ex. I care about you etc...). So I did not understand why he said that or why they wrote that unless he wanted to make sure that Xiaowei would bring Peirong back because he said that.  Although, it seems possible to be in love with two people.  It did not seemed to me that Sheng would have abandoned Peirong even if he also loved Xiaowei.



          That being said, Painted Skin was a good fantasy movie.  Not the greatest and more could have improved it but I did not feel has if it wasted potential. Although there more to be had.