Zhao Liying is waveing with his strong leading role in the new film “We girls”, But not without arousing controversy. While many have his representation of Gao Yuexiang as the most powerful performance of his career, others are discouraged by the frequent vulgarity of the character and morally gray decisions.
Directed by the famous director Feng Xiaogang, “We girls” He has already collected 70 million yuan (about 9.7 million USD) in just three days, ranking second among the releases of the holidays of the Qingming Festival. The film has been praised as Feng’s best work in recent years and a role that defines his career for Zhao.
Zhao plays Gao Yuexiang, a poor woman burdened by a disabled and violent husband and a deaf daughter who needs an expensive cochlear system. To survive, he hires countless jobs and eventually turns into online sex chats, for which he is imprisoned. Inside the prison, he faces bullying but fights. After the release, he hurries to earn enough money to bring his daughter home from a welfare center and supports other women previously imprisoned along the way.
Gao Yuexiang is a woman of contradictions, not educated and willing to lie, fight and even break the law for her son, but also deeply human, loving and empathic. The character is compared to a sunflower that grows from weeds, constantly looking for light in a dark world. The film gives a powerful message on the resilience and fighting of women for redemption in a hard society.
Zhao’s performance has been widely praised for its emotional depth and transformation. Many Weibo users have declared its best role. However, not all feedback are positive. Some spectators criticize the vulgar language of the role and the approximate behavior, saying that it borders excessively. Critics also note a trend in Zhao’s filmography in playing suffering women, citing his roles passed in “Article 20” AND “Tiger Wolf Rabbit”, And they argue that his choices of characters are becoming unidimensional, always made to arouse tears.
Furthermore, We girls‘Heavy themes, gritty realism and lack of moral boundaries can alienate the audience who prefers carefree entertainment. Despite critical success, this could represent a challenge for the overall box office of the film.
According to Sina, the film was produced with a modest budget of 15 million yuan and has already started making a profit. According to reports, Zhao Liying refused the tax of an actor and instead hit his earnings in the production, also acting as a producer, reporting how much confidence he included in the project.
If praised for its artistic audacity or criticized for its harsh tone, “We girls” He confirms Zhao Liying’s will to take risks and shows that he is not afraid to get his hands dirty for a role that matters.
