There are as many English titles for this movie (Love for Life, Til Death Do Us Part, Life is a Miracle) as there are cameo appearances by big Chinese directors (Jiang Wen, Feng Xiaogang, Lu Chuan), but all that nomenclature and star power still isn’t going to teach China about AIDS.

Admittedly, raising awareness about the condition here is a huge task, and Gu Changwei’s efforts to take a first stab at it are laudable, if not fully effective. In fact, his production process – which peopled the cast and crew with members of the AIDS community, including the film’s young narrator – might have been more fruitful than the finished product that hit theaters today.

Philadelphia it’s not, but as China’s first major film release to tackle AIDS in a very public way, it’s worth examining.

First off, not that we should demand the film to be a public service announcement, but it might have been a good platform for debunking myths about transmission; educating people about viable risks; providing a better understanding of how the virus (HIV) and the disease (AIDS) play out; and even discussing safe sex practices among the infected.

It does none of those things very well (or at all), and instead almost glamorizes the relationship between Deyi (Aaron Kwok) and Qinqin (Zhang Ziyi). We can’t blame Gu for casting two very beautiful people in these roles, but to show them rolling around in the grass because “Hey, we’re hot and we both have AIDS so we don’t have to worry about it” seems just a little irresponsible.

It gets worse when two young men show up to watch Zhang Ziyi hang laundry in a skimpy cotton nightie and exclaim, “Boy, I wish I had the ‘hot disease’ so I could do her too…” Then it gets worser when Deyi retorts, “Here, I’ll give it to you then,” and starts chasing them. Har har.

Look, I’m all for making the claim that those with HIV can be beautiful and enjoy sex, but is that really the crux of the issue?

“There are websites and organizations to do all that educating stuff. How is it as a film?”

Fair enough.

As a film, it has much of what you’d expect, both good and bad. Chinese films are often depressing enough as it is, so you can imagine the direction a film like this can take. Perhaps what’s refreshing is that Gu manages moments of hope and joy despite the characters’ circumstances.

He also makes really interesting comments about the material lusts of Chinese contemporary society. But in a community where death is on their collective doorstep, most of those lusts are mapped onto the afterlife. Characters gawk at designer coffins, request new dresses and shoes to be buried with, even marry off their dead to clinch a real estate deal. And what will they do with the real estate? Build cemeteries, naturally.

Of course, at the core of the film is the love story between Deyi and Qinqin, and while it’s in many ways a Freudian nightmare (they begin calling one another “Mom” and “Dad”), the two have some very natural on-screen chemistry. Fans of Zhang Ziyi will appreciate the scene in which she uses herself as a human ice pack to treat Deyi’s fevers.

As mentioned previously, the production behind this film was probably more eye-opening, nuanced and profound than the film itself. Luckily, we're afforded an inside look at this process.

Gu worked with independent director Zhao Liang to produce the film Together, a documentary that follows a few of the actors and crew members from Love for Life. In terms of illuminating the issues behind China’s AIDS epidemic, Together manages to do a lot of the legwork that Gu’s film probably couldn’t – it being so public a project and having to respond to market pressures. So for those who really want a better look at AIDS in China, I’d suggest watching that film as well.

Even still, there’s a lot more work to be done before the public begins to understand the lives of HIV/AIDS sufferers in China. Attitudes toward homosexuality, blood transfusions, the blood market, and extreme rural poverty work together to create a unique and complex setup.

We look forward to more attempts to demystify it all.

Gu Changwei's Love for Life (最爱 Zui Ai) is currently showing in theaters all over Beijing.

Those interested in peering even further into China's AIDS issues might also like to check out:

Dream of Ding Village by Yan Lianke
This powerful novel provides a realist look at an AIDS village in Henan province. Yan himself hails from Henan and spent years working with HIV/AIDS victims and organizations from his home province, in an effort to better understand the story behind illicit blood donations and sales.

Available at The Bookworm. 

Meanwhile, we'll keep you posted on any upcoming screenings of Zhao Liang's Together.

Also, for more comprehensive information on the state of HIV/AIDS not just in China, but all over the world check out Avert.org.

Photos from screeningchina.blogspot.com and paper-republic.org