I’m a lifelong fan of kung fu cinema, and scratched my head when seeing Forbidden City’s write up in the Fantastic Fest program. An… Italian kung fu film? Writer/Director Gabriele Mainetti has previously made They Call Me Jeeg Robot and Freaks Out. Robot didn’t leave a lasting impression on me, and that’s the only work of his I’d previously seen. Nothing prepared me for the singular cinematic experience he had in store for us with the soaring and incomparable Forbidden City.
You know one thing missing from most any Chinese kung fu film (at least from the mainland)? Any complicated reflections on, or criticisms of, Chinese culture and governmental practices. The censors are dialed up so high and tight that much of Chinese cinematic storytelling is propagandistic, covering nothing even approaching cultural critique. And when Mainetti’s film opened with an immediate exploration of China’s “one child” policy, it hit me that perhaps this was going to have something to say as we meet secret sisters Mei (Yaxi Liu in a commanding, star-making lead performance) and Yun in mid-1990s China, being trained in martial arts, but hiding Mei in a closet anytime authorities were near; her mere existence forbidden. We smash cut to modern day and witness a fairly context free martial arts extravaganza as adult Mei rips through a brothel-like compound in search for Yun. Where is she? What has happened over the last 20 years? Where is Yun? A masterfully executed kung fu set piece sets us up for a spectacular film that hooks our curiosity.
And this is when Forbidden City begins to shine as we realize it will be not merely a Chinese tale, but one set in modern day Rome, exploring a glorious melting pot of authentically blended styles, which will highlight immigrant culture, explore class and community, and meld together tropes of triad gangster kung fu films with operatic Italian gangster pictures to create a stew unlike anything I’ve ever experienced in a movie before. And I loved every last ingredient in this personal and profoundly entertaining work.
Handily my favorite film of Fantastic Fest so far, and unlikely to be topped, I can already tell I’ll be insufferably recommending this film to anyone and everyone who will listen for many years to come. Evoking the somewhat frenetic and genre mashing sensibilities of Everything Everywhere All At Once (though far more grounded in reality), and combining genuine, go for broke, romance with hardcore kung fu in a way I’ve only really seen in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Forbidden City is an achingly romantic film that had me crying tears of joy and sadness throughout as characters become more and more human the more we learn about them. Then revenge and immaculate martial arts choreography will come smashing into play… and the whiplash works to create a glorious feeling of a mashup that shouldn’t work, but absolutely does.
Yaxi Liu is a genuine revelation on which this whole thing hangs, with Enrico Borello’s Marcello also winning us over as the second lead. Mei begins the film as a bullet seeking only to find her sister no matter the cost, displaying bottomless drive and grit, not to mention martial arts mastery. As she makes connections in Rome and seeks to solve the mystery of her sister’s whereabouts, we grow in our understanding of her character, and Mainetti’s heart and intention for this story also begin to unfurl. Mei’s sister seems to have romantically run off with Alfredo (Luca Zingaretti), the owner of a small Italian restaurant. Alfredo’s son Marcello is the cook there, his scorned wife of 35+ years Lorella (Sabrina Ferilli) manages the place, and Marcello’s “uncle” Annibale (Marco Giallini) is a two-bit local hood who frequents the joint, looks after Marcello, and gets him into as much trouble as he gets him out of. I took pains to introduce Marcello’s whole family here, because much of Forbidden City will revolve around the mystery of where Yun and Alfredo are, what made them take off, and how it will all tie together with Mei’s quest.
I won’t spoil much more of the immaculate plotting, as the revelations are a crucial part of the joy of the film. Sometimes the plot unfolds through incredible fight choreography, but other times an almost melodramatic, and very Italian drama plays out, and the essential Italian-ness of this movie shines through. Central to Forbidden City is the reality that human beings make bad, even stupid, decisions sometimes in the name of love. Everyone does it. Not a single major character in the film is a one-note caricature, but rather we get to know everyone well enough to understand their needs and desires, and why they might make foolish decisions to find love and life again.
Rome itself is perhaps the titular city (though primary villain Wang’s brothel/restaurant in Rome is also called Forbidden City), and the film is as much a love letter to the vibrant and varied culture there as it is an exploration of Chinese culture. As Mei and Marcello begin to team up and seek for their missing family members, there’s a language barrier the film takes great pains to include. Most movies take the easy way out here, but Forbidden City clearly has a lot to say about immigration, and the beauty and promise of cities like Rome, where anyone can come to try to build a new life for their families, regardless of class, race, religion, or language. Mainetti takes time to show us what it’s like to be a Chinese immigrant in Rome. But also characters of note come from African and Middle Eastern descent as well. We see the bustling, diverse, complicated, frustrating, and beautiful elements of what it means to try to assimilate and survive. There’s a vibrancy and a throbbing heart beating at the core of this film suggesting a love letter to Rome itself, and this impacted me deeply, bringing forth tears I couldn’t always clearly understand but for the feeling of human connection the film elicited from me.
To bring us to a close, I must admit there’s not a single element I would change in Forbidden City. Mainetti ensures that you fall in love with his characters, root for them, and identify with the longings in their hearts so passionately that you’ll cry and root for them to live happily ever after. Yaxi Liu’s Mei is a phenomenal character who only grows in complexity the more you get to know her, from triumphant kung fu set pieces, to tragedy, to childlike love and daring to hope for a future beyond enslavement. Enrico Borcello’s Marcello is a downtrodden everyman with little prospect of a future until this tornado of a human being enters his life and forever changes him, emboldening him to take some risks and take ownership of his life for a change. If you’re anything like me, you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll cheer, and your heart will swell at the joy and promise of humanity in all its messy complexity. Then you’ll get punched in the face by another glorious kung fu sequence just because Mainetti had the temerity to pull it off.
And I’m Out.
