Painted Skin (2020)

A striking retell

Excerpt:

“He lived a thousand years and he’s beginning to learn to love. But he is yet to understand that love doesn’t come from just one person”

“I have nothing but time” he said....

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This short film is an adaptation, a compilation, or whatever you call it of the 2008 film of the same name - Painted Skin. The original movie which runs close to 2 hours, tells the story of Xiao Wei (Zhou Xun), a fox spirit who feasts on human hearts in order to maintain her beautiful and youthful appearance. General Wang Sheng (Chen Kun) rescues her from a band of Xiongnus and brings her home. Peace didn’t last long in that house as the demon falls in love with the general who happens to already be married to Pei Rong (Vicki Zhao). Thus, this heartbreaking plot proceeds to show the length the demon will go with her tricks and schemes to get the man she loves and the length Pei Rong will go to protect the man she loves.

In this short film which is about 30 minutes long, we have a condensed version of the plot but with a twist. This short movie swaps the sex and roles of the characters. Xiao Wei (played by Ding Cheng Xin) is now a man. While Wang Sheng (He Cheng Xi) and Pei Rong (Wang Chu Ran) are still a married couple, they have now switched roles. Pei Rong is the general protecting the town, while Wang Sheng stayed home recuperating from an injured leg. So in this film version, it's Pei Rong that rescues and brings Xiao Wei home to her husband. And the rivalry is between Wang Sheng and Xiao Wei.

The visual was aesthetically pleasing. The majority of the movie was shot in the general’s courtyard but the cinematography was beautifully executed it accomplished creating the tragic, poignant ambiance it intended to. The initial meeting, the unspoken suspicion, the subtle and not so subtle rivalry, all took place in this courtyard. The little sword fighting scene it had was very well done.

The acting was surprisingly very good. I was especially moved by He Cheng Xi’s Wang Sheng. He managed to emulate the despair, the fear, and raw emotions his character was feeling. This is not to say that his counter-part Ding Cheng Xin’s Xiao Wei was any less captivating. He succeeded in conveying his character’s seemingly sweet and fragile as well as cunning side beautifully.

This retelling removed the fillers and supporting characters and all the extra fanfare that went into making the 2 hours original movie and just focused on moving the plot around the three characters. Because it did just that, the emotional impact was even more powerful than what I felt with the original. I remember when watching the original, I only watched it for Chen Kun (a girl’s gotta do what a girl's gotta do). I enjoyed the film but I don’t recall it invoking the kind of emotion this mini-film did. Maybe it’s because it’s been a while and I forgot.... but I think I’ll remember this one.

Another thing this movie did differently is it put the focus on Xiao Wei and Wang Sheng. How they interacted, how they competed, how they observed each other. In the end, it may seem you are left to wonder - Who did they love exactly?

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Work of Art

This is for Wuxia lovers and is honestly just a beautiful piece of cinematography.

The story is a simple one, but is executed quite well for a short story. I can't get too much into the storyline because it would give the whole story away, but they did a phenomenal job of creating a perfect atmosphere right off the bat. I did feel a little lost at first but everything draws together by the end. My only qualm would of course be the length (this is is only thirty minutes long) just because there is so much that could have been fleshed out. The characters were complex and the way they influenced each other made me want to explore them more in depth. However, this wasn't too glaring of an issue because what they did portray held so much weight to it.

Painted Skin succeeds in creating an air of mystery but also delivers an almost intimate experience. Every interaction and scene carries itself flawlessly and was meaningful which I loved. This made me feel more than some full length dramas and it did it well. The acting is on point and despite the short length, this had me completely immersed in the characters quickly and thoroughly. They did a great job of building the relationships in Painted Skin up on a strong foundation and then moving them forward towards the endgame. The music in this is so beautiful and really contributed to the emotional scenes within. The cinematography was absolutely gorgeous and each take was beautiful and/or heart wrenching.

All in all, a really good mini-film that carried its weight in watching gold. I would recommend if you're looking for something meaty (pun intended hehehe. You'll understand if you watch) but short. This was a really good filler drama for in between drama indecision and I thoroughly enjoyed the watch.

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A hidden gem

I came across this short film after watching Wuliang. I never thought a short film would have much impact and my expectations were low but like Wuliang, I was surprised that a short film like this would be on same level as any good full length film.
The story will have you stay and watch with anticipation. Focusing well is needed to have a better grasp of what it is all about. The acting is excellent, the screenplay was great, and the narration, although theres quite a bit compared to any full length film, is good and necessary. I believe due to the shortness of the film, the narration was necessary. I hope the director of Wuliang and this film continue directing this kind of film. I am out of words for how good this and Wuliang film are. The lack of adequate promotion for these two films caused a lot of people to miss this great hidden gem.

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A Beautiful & Tragic Gem

as someone who watched wuliang first, this made my heart ache. this short film revolving around Xiao Wei, Pei Rong and Wang Sheng makes you question, 'where does love come from?' 'how does love come to be?' or 'who loves who?'

with a stunning production and amazing cast, this short film definitely HITS you in the right spots. you will feel the pain the characters felt, the love they felt and the confusion xiao wei felt. i haven't watched the original but this remake really nailed it. there was something absolutely ethereal and haunting about the story.

xiao wei was a very interesting character because he is morally grey. he couldn't understand what he was truly feeling so for him to have 'emotional' connection to the husband and wife took a wild turn for all the characters.

overall, this was yet another amazing short film. i can find myself watching this again because there was so much that happened in just 31 minutes that i need time to process. my one advice would be to watch this before you watch wuliang to avoid feeling an empty void in your heart.

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Beautifully Done

I haven't watched the original 2008 yet, but I do intend to. This is short and done with great heart, and is absolutely chilling. Cinematography is beautiful. My only complaint is it's not BL, and it so easily could have been. Acting is excellent from a young cast. Music was okay, or maybe I was paying more attention to the visuals. I will be watching this again, so I will pay more attention to the music, and I may amend my review at that time. We shall see.

This is really all I have to say, but I'm still short on characters to get it accepted. So I suppose I'll blather on a bit. And this put over the top.

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A bit confusing characterization.

omeone who has not seen the original movie, nor was aware of the full story presented there, while the plot of this short gender swap version was easy to follow, the motivations of the characters were either confusing or shallow in presentation.

Instant love that seemed fabricated from the start, lady general who does not connect the facts and male lead who for some strange reasons trusts a demon? My brain hurts.

That said, for a movie that is basically shot in one location, it was visually quite well made. They truly used the limited space they had, so the plot never felt small nor insignificant.

The performance was good. He Chang Xi delivered the best in terms of conveying emotions, especially in the second half, while Ding Cheng Xin was able to combine the delicacy and destruction in his presentation of Xiao Wei.

If you want to watch it based on your good opinion about Wuliang and the Censored Romance tag, you might want to reconsider your motivation. Production and directing wise it’s not as strong as Wuliang (though still quite a good short movie), and the tag is at best baiting. It serves a vague ending that brings more questions than answers, and for me, who likes to overanalyze scenes and lines, even more confusion.

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short and sweet (actually, it's bitter)

Disclaimer: I did not watch the original movie with chen kun and all that jazz, so this story is all new to me :D

The biggest advantage of this short film is that it's, well, short. I definitely don't think the actors could've carried the story in a full length movie or 30-40 ep drama. This isn't to say they aren't talented, the emotional scenes (*cough* the end *cough*) were extremely well executed and portrayed flawlessly by the actors! But the day to day scenes were a bit lacking and the chemistry just wasn't there. If I watched them for two hours, I feel like I would get bored.

But I didn't watch them for two hours, I watched them for thirty minutes. The best part about the film is that there aren't any excess fluff or unnecessary scenes. It gets straight to the point and only leaves the interesting stuff in, and since I had never heard of this story before, it was really, really interesting. Most of this rating probably comes from the end; it was striking and resonating and I definitely cried.

Ding chengxin as xiao wei really, really gave me the creeps-- which I guess meant he was doing it right. The atmosphere really helped; everything just felt creepy and demonic. I went from "sir you're really freaking me out" to "wow your life kind of sucks i'm sorry" in 31 minutes, which was a pretty big change. I think Ding Chengxin really portrayed Xiao Wei's change to being more human well. (I'm still not clear on who he's supposed to be in love with though lol)

Since the film is super short, I recommend giving it try. It's not much commitment and while it probably won't be the most amazing or your favorite thing ever, it's certainly captivating and will leave a lasting impression!

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Short fantasy movie super impactful, left me with a deep lasting impression

This movie is apparently a shorter new take (with a gender swap) of the original movie which I have not seen. I'm truly impressed at how in only 31 minutes this movie managed to convey a super compelling story. I loved the fantasy aspect of it, it is very well exploited with a strong narrative. I found the overall scenario properly gut-wrenching with an interesting and rather grey morale.

There are only 4 actors in this movie and their performances are pretty good: especially for Ding Cheng Xin, who has maybe the most room for range for acting and is very convincing in his role.

I enjoyed the music as well as the production value. It does not feel cheap. The special effect and make-up are far from perfect and could have been scarier but overall I found it adequate.

I would recommend this to people looking for a short wuxia / fantasy movie. Given the way it manages to convey so much in so little time, it is totally worth taking the time giving a shot to this gut-wrenching tale. The story is so interesting and has so much potential that I cannot help feeling greedy and to wish that it would have been a full length duration movie.

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Moral of the Story: Love is a 2 Way Street & A Man Must Have Balls

Saw this after Wuliang and I liked that one way better. Though here everything was also very layered and complex, the ML was made quite dumb. He was suspicious of the kid they took in from nearly the get go but just forked over his heart like it was a casual thing in a deal with the devil. This ended up being a Romeo and Juliet deal with a demon for a 3rd wheel. A demon that learned how to love after a thousand years but never realized that something like that must be reciprocated or it was an unrequited love and unrealistic. So instead of gaining love, he lost everything and everyone due to his own selfish desires. ML should have told his wife right away, "Honey, that demon you are looking for is who you brought home!" She took him out and no sacrifice of any more innocence. But for a 30 minute film, it was very rich and beautiful.

Would I recommend it? If you like complex tragedies that make you think, go for it.

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When everything has returned to dust, who was the one you gave your heart

The classical story of painted skin by Pu Songlin tells story of a fox spirit who falls in love with a already married general. In this rendition Xiao Wei (Ding Chengxin) the fox spirit is a boy. Pei Rong and general Wan Sheng are married but Pei Rong, the lady is the general here.

Amongst a beautiful setting, and exquisite cinematography is a story that is sure to tug at heartstrings. The melancholic theme of this short film manages to get you attach to the characters in just thirty minutes, something regular length dramas often struggle to achieve.

General Pei Rong (Wang Churan) finds a abandoned boy and brings him home where she lives with her wounded husband Wang Sheng (He Changxi). Unbeknownst to them, this boy is actually the heart-eating fox demon Xiao Wei. He wants to replace his own heart with Wang Sheng's, let him take the blame so he can live with Pei Rong.

“It took Xiao Wei thousand years to learn how to fall in love, but he did not know it takes two people to be in love”

There is grey area in this film. All the stolen glances and longing gazes makes you wonder who is actually love with whom. At the end Xiao Wei gives Wang Sheng a lock of hair supposedly Pei Rong's so they can be together in the next life. But this lock actually belongs to himself. So who is it that Xiao Wei loves? And why would Wang Sheng let him have his own heart? The film does not explicitly tell you that. But that is the beauty of subtlety, you have to watch to find out by yourself!

Ding Chengxin is truly the most beautiful person I have ever seen in my life (and I do not say this lightly). He has a pair of eyes that seem to hold oceans in them. Like upturned peach blossoms falling in the air and eyebrows like swords. Really beautiful as if an ancient painting. I'm waiting to see more of his dramas, especially xianxia/Wuxia

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Emotionally Compelling

I haven't watched the original stories of this, nor was I aware of them, but I still liked this film.

For a short film, the story was really well done. The subtleties, the way the plot moved, everything was very well thought out. They managed to hook someone like me, who is not aware of its pre-existing world and its characters, into it.

The way it was filmed made it feel like they slowed the clips in the editing process. I'm not saying it was bad, but that's just the way I saw it. It helps you feel the scenes, and feel the emotions that are being portrayed on the screen. They don't hand you out what's supposed to be said or what you have to know sometimes, so the cinematography is there to help you understand the story and the characters. I have one minor critique, though, and also minor spoilers. There's that one scene where ML and FL are facing each other while chatting very early in the film, and while FL is talking, the camera just pans away from her face like???

The acting... in the beginning, I wasn't really paying attention to the other three because they opened up the film with Wang Churan, so already, she has my attention, and I noticed something different about her acting right away. For someone who doesn't really move her facial expressions that much, I must say it was still good, she conveys depth without relying heavily on exaggerated facial expressions. But then this sad scene appeared, and there came the acting that I was looking for from this woman, ughh!! I really felt that deep in my heart. Of course, I can't forget the other two; they did really great, especially when it was focused on them. I loved the subtleties in their acting; you can tell what the characters are feeling or even what they're thinking. Like I said, the cinematography helped, and the way they highlighted each of the characters. The way the actors say their lines, there's just something about it that's very alluring.

The music was banging; it was on point.

Final verdict: Highly recommend you watch this short film, doesn't matter if you haven't watched any of its other connections. It's really good, really emotional, really well done.

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