Film: Chen Kaige’s new movie sparks polarizing debates

Chinese moviegoers rushed from screen to screen on New Year’s Day to catch several domestic releases. Legend of the Demon Cat, directed by Chen Kaige, divided online opinion. The adaptation of Japanese writer Yoneyama Mineo’s novel Samana Kukai was hailed, by some, as possibly one of the best Chinese film of the year, while others were less forthcoming with their praise. Han Han, an influential writer, film critic and director, said it is a “top-level” domestic film. The film was scored 6.9 on Douban, an aggregation platform for movies, music and books. Yu Shi, a blogger from Douban, said “The logic of the film is messed up, and the performances are too shallow despite how much he wanted to express a profound theme.”