HAPPY TIMES (2002)

In Zhang Yimou's deceptively amusing parable, an unemployed bachelor (Zhao) woos a gold-digging divorcee by claiming to be a wealthy hotel owner. When she demands he hire her blind stepdaughter (Dong) as a masseuse, he continues the charade, setting the girl up in an abandoned workshop, where his buddies pose as paying customers. At first, the comic complications cleverly mask Zhang's implicit criticism of current Chinese socioeconomic conditions -- but as bachelor and blind girl bond, the film becomes increasingly bittersweet. Still, Dong Jie's radiant smile is only slightly less affecting than her tears.

You Might Also Like

• Movie Review Happy Times (Jul 26, 2002) | Lisa Schwarzbaum
• Movie Commentary Best Director 2005: Oscar's likely contenders
• Features Profile of ''House of Flying Daggers'' director (Dec 03, 2004) | Michelle Kung