Whenever I saw her...
I knew...
I was dreaming again.
And once you know you're dreaming...
it's an out-of-body experience.
Sometimes you float upwards.
In my dreams,
I would always wonder...
if my body were made of hydrogen.
If so...
then my memories...
must be made of stone.
Do you know you've been talking in your sleep?
Did I wake you up?
What did you dream about?
Someone who disappeared.
Whenever I'm about to forget her...
I dream of her again.
Your lover?
I guess.
But I never knew her real name or age...
or anything about her past.
That sounds like a story from that book with the green cover.
I told you not to go through my stuff.
I wanted to know more about you.
Luo Hongwu!
I might never have gone back to Kaili if my father hadn't died.
It seems now that everything began with the death of a friend.
His nickname was Wildcat, and he was always dodging gambling debts.
The last time I saw him,
I helped him pull a cart of apples he was going to sell that night
to a man named Zuo Hongyuan.
But I'd just gotten divorced at the time.
I was a little forgetful.
When I remembered those apples, they were already rotten.
Later, my ex-wife's friend, an auxiliary police officer,
told me Wildcat's body was found in a mine shaft.
While I was cleaning up the rotten apples,
I found a gun there.
After that...
I always found myself attracted to danger.
Before your father died,
he always drank alone in front of that broken clock.
I couldn't get him to stop.
In his will,
he left you the van and left me the restaurant.
That's okay with you, right?
He once told me that you were away working all this time.
Is that right?
I was managing a casino.
I'm going to remodel the restaurant.
Do you have anywhere else to stay?
Best not change the sign. That's my mother's name.
FENG RESTAURANT
Over the next week, Kaili will see persistent periods of rain,
with heavy downpours,
turning into thunderstorms in some areas.
The risk of landslides and mudslides in these areas is high.
Please exercise caution on the road.
TAI ZHAOMEI 0851-82709507
After Wildcat died,
I saw his ghost on the train.
Perhaps we'd gone through a very long tunnel
and I was hallucinating.
It was the summer solstice.
That day, the noonday sun was at its zenith.
Zuo Hongyuan had vanished from Kaili...
but I had tracked down his lover.
Assuming it wasn't a hallucination...
I also remember that a mudslide...
had stopped the train.
Got a light?
I don't know where he is.
The police are looking for him, too.
You thought I was afraid of you?
The number you have dialed does not exist.
Please check the number and try again.
- Give me a phone card. - For 50 yuan or 100?
Whatever.
I don't know how a detective investigates a strange woman.
So I took her back to the Feng restaurant.
My mom once told me that when people are eating,
they're too distracted to lie.
Wildcat was a liar from an early age.
He took advantage of my trust in him to involve me in dangerous deals...
and he tried to extort money using the secret behind the gun.
I didn't keep questioning her.
I thought that was the end of the story...
but it was only the beginning.
That night at dinner...
her makeup reminded me of a photo of my mother.
I remember it said on the calendar,
"Today, the noonday sun is at its zenith."
After that,
the days grow shorter and the nights longer.
You said I could leave after we ate.
Why are you still following me?
I think...
you look a lot like someone I know.
I'm not falling for that old trick.
What is it you want?
I mean it.
She disappeared when I was only a few years old.
I remember that day.
There was a fire nearby.
Look.
For some reason...
I remember, in the photo, her makeup was smeared, too.
The train was rocking.
It made a mess of my face.
You're not from Kaili, are you?
How do you know?
Your accent.
I've got a Kaili accent.
Your name, say it in the Kaili dialect.
Wan Qiwen.
Sounds like a movie star's name.
How much longer will you follow me?
Did I frighten you today?
How can I make it up to you?
I want to eat a pomelo fruit.
Where can I get a pomelo in summer?
Let's make a deal.
If I can find a wild pomelo...
help me make a wish come true.
Hello?
Luo Hongwu.
That nonworking number once belonged to a women's prison in Guiyang.
Has something happened?
Nothing. Just off to see a friend.
Hey, Pager.
Could your husband get me a permit to get inside the prison?
Sure.
Good.
Tai ZHAOMEI?
Are you Tai ZHAOMEI?
I am.
Do you know Wan Qiwen?
No.
Did you once mail a photo to the Feng restaurant?
I don't recall.
This photo.
So she left you her green book.
We were only 15 or 16 at the time.
We'd never stolen anything before.
We had watched this house for a long time.
Then finally, one day...
we saw that the couple had gone out.
So that night, we broke their door down and ran in.
She was holding the flashlight...
and shone it all around.
She told us she'd discovered that the house could spin.
So we all sat down and kept perfectly still,
like a bunch of idiots.
We wasted a lot of time waiting.
Then we started going through their stuff.
We found some rings, necklaces, gold, and money.
But just then, the couple came back.
We all panicked.
We didn't know what to do.
In that instant...
we decided we'd each grab the most valuable thing we could and run.
When we got out into the woods to divide it all up,
we saw that she had come out with only a book.
We stayed in the woods and read it.
It was a love story.
We only heard half the story...
but we all liked it a lot.
And she told us that she'd save the book for the person she liked most.
And this photo?
How did you get it?
She gave it to me.
There's a funny story behind it.
Mr. Ace tricked us into going to Kaili.
He sold her to a man with bald spots...
who liked her singing voice.
When she left with him, I asked her if she was upset.
She replied, "Why should I be upset?
I can go to the movies with him."
She only regretted it a little that she hadn't taken a photo of herself first.
She didn't know what kind of person she would become.
Twelve years ago--
I think it was her birthday-- she came to visit me.
As she was leaving, she asked me if the photo looked like her.
I said no.
Then she left it with me.
Later, all of us were arrested.
Around the time of the Spring Festival, I met a prisoner from Kaili.
She looked at that photograph
and told me the address of the place where the photo was taken.
So I mailed it there.
Maybe she had already left.
What did they lock you up for?
Plenty.
Theft, fraud...
making fake ID's.
I don't know where she is either.
You knew her better than I did.
I want to give you this book.
Do you believe the love story in the book?
And that if you say the spell on the first page,
the lovers' house will begin to spin?
Hold it!
I told you to stop!
What is it?
It's from Tai ZHAOMEI.
Thanks.
She was always disappearing and reappearing...
as mysterious as that abandoned house.
Besides our trysts, we always went to see movies.
The difference between a movie and memory is that movies are always false.
In a movie, one scene follows after another.
But memories mix truth and lies.
They appear and vanish before our eyes.
CHEN HUIXIAN, PANGHAI COUNTY, GUIZHOU
Isn't that the name of a Cantopop singer?
Plenty of people have the same name.
There are two people named Chen HUIXIAN in PANGHAI.
One's a lot older.
Her registration records end in 1999.
The other Chen...
she's 36, married.
That's all I know.
And her husband?
His name is Wang Zhicheng.
He runs a hotel next to a gas station in PANGHAI.
They've already left.
There's something I'm not sure I should tell you.
Everything about you is a mystery.
I'm pregnant.
I have a feeling it's a boy.
A boy who would grow up to be an athlete.
I'll teach him to play Ping-Pong.
Don't worry.
While I was gone last time...
I had an abortion.
Why?
Zuo is coming back to Kaili.
Why don't we leave Kaili...
go someplace far away?
You think I don't want to?
Everything you're thinking, I've already thought about.
There was one time...
when Zuo was singing a karaoke song,
he turned to me with the microphone and said...
"No matter where you run...
I will always find you."
Every time I remember that,
I know...
no matter what, I'll never escape in this lifetime.
You have to believe in me...
like you believe in that spell.
Luo Hongwu.
We cannot survive...
unless we hide away together among the stars.
Some people said the world would end in 1999.
Now it's the year 2000.
And we're all still fucking alive.
I have a friend who runs a casino in Burma.
Go back and wait for me.
Pack your things overnight. Then we'll go.
KAILI - PANGHAI
What's that sound?
No idea. I'll check later.
Show me your license.
Falling in love with you
I erase everything
I hold my breath Silently, secretly, gently
Is it really so?
I know you are leaving me
But I cannot stop
The tears falling down
Falling in love with you
I erase everything
I hold my breath Silently, secretly, gently
Is it really so?
I know you are leaving me
But I cannot stop
The tears falling down
Boss.
You scared me to death.
It's fake. Why so jumpy?
All you do all day is sleep.
The TV's broken, but you won't get it fixed.
No one watches TV these days.
Bag anything today?
The dog has no stamina, and it gets overheated.
Always sniffing the ground, and the ground is hot.
Even running makes it dizzy.
Boss, someone's waiting for you.
What do you want?
I'm looking for someone.
What are you to her?
A friend from Kaili.
Kaili!
Dad, Kaili ran off with my egg!
Are you Luo Hongwu?
Since the day we were found out...
I worried about the people flying away to the stars.
They must be so exhausted...
with nothing to lean on, nowhere to rest.
Have you made up your mind?
The water's freezing.
I'm afraid I'll fail.
It's so dark in the movie theater.
If you fire at the same time as the killer on the screen...
everyone will think it was a sound effect.
We'll leave Kaili and use his money to open a hotel.
We'll find those lights that look like the sun
and put them up outside the hotel.
And the guests will sleep free from nightmares.
Ever since she moved in,
she stayed locked inside and never went out.
Spit it out!
When she ran out of money to pay...
she'd tell me a story every day in place of the rent.
She told me stories...
until we got married.
Will she be back tonight?
We just finalized the divorce.
One day, she told me she was going for a walk.
And she never came back.
Do you ever hear from her?
She sings in a karaoke parlor in Dangmai.
After she left, I'd occasionally go to hear her sing.
And it was always that same song.
Later, I went less and less often.
Is that child yours?
She was a master storyteller.
I didn't know what was real and what was false.
Anyway, she told me that she had been born infertile.
HAIRDRESSING - PERMS
Need a haircut?
Our water's off.
You haven't been here since Wildcat died.
And now you show up like some detective.
Why are you asking about that killer's girlfriend?
She took something valuable from me.
You'd better stay away from her.
Back then, Zuo borrowed a gun from Wildcat's father to kill a man for her.
Then she became his lover.
But later, I heard that she had affairs with several men.
That's all I know about her.
When I was a kid...
there was a beekeeper who lived next door for a while.
My mom would sneak over there and bring me back lots of honey.
Your mother wasn't stung?
Beekeepers wear special protective clothing.
My mom said all you had to do was light a smoky torch
and the bees would disperse.
Sometimes when she didn't get any,
she'd be upset and eat an apple.
I remember she told me that when people were very sad,
they would eat an apple-- the whole thing, core and all.
The Kaili weather channel issued a red-alert storm warning
at 6:14 p.m. today.
Kaili will see more than 50 millimeters of precipitation
over the next three days,
bringing severe danger of mudslides.
Mudslides are a disastrous geological phenomenon
often associated with flooding in mountainous regions
and tend to strike suddenly, carrying with them massive boulders.
If the storm does hit soon...
what will you do?
Weather forecasts are often wrong.
Do you remember how to dye hair?
I taught you, but you must have forgotten.
When you were here in the shop, you never worked very hard.
Always hanging out with Wildcat.
Actually, when we snuck out together, I went with him to visit his father.
When we were kids, he lied and told me
his dad had an awesome nickname-- the Eagle.
Later, I found out that his father was in prison.
Guess what color I'm gonna dye my hair.
Maybe a color that only shows up in the sunshine?
What color would your mother choose?
I don't know.
Maybe red.
Red?
Nonsense. Who wants red hair?
I still think it's too dangerous.
When I was on the train, a mudslide forced us to turn back to Kaili.
It's living in the past that's scary, not mudslides.
I no longer remember what that movie was called.
And I don't remember if she gave me that green book
or simply forgot it on top of the wall.
I only remember that when I returned to that leaky house...
she was already gone.
And that night...
I memorized the spell...
that would make the house spin.
But...
even if it really did spin,
so what?
Hey there. Want to play?
Is the karaoke parlor open at night?
We open at 9:00.
We can make you happy.
Will the singers on the poster be there?
It's their last night. The place is being torn down at dawn.
One song, you get a fruit plate. Three, you get a girl.
Is there a singer here called Wan Qiwen?
Wan Qiwen, Meng Tingwei, Momoe Yamaguchi-- they're all here.
Does Wan Qiwen sing Japanese songs?
They sing whatever you want.
How old is the singer?
At night, who can tell?
What's painted on the parlor wall?
We'll be open in three hours. Go see a movie, relax a bit.
See for yourself when you come back.
WINTER SOLSTICE
Who are you?
I was going to ask you the same thing.
I'm lost.
What's with the lamp?
Lost, huh? You look pretty shifty to me.
Where'd you come from?
I fell asleep in a movie theater.
When I woke up, everyone had left the theater.
It was pitch dark in there, like a maze.
I followed a narrow passageway
and found myself in this cave.
Only porn theaters are built like that.
- You know it all, don't you? - Of course.
- You know the way out of this maze? - No idea.
Why are you burning that photo?
Looks like I'm stuck here for the night.
But tonight's my last chance to see her.
Moping won't do you any good. I was just fooling.
Beat me at Ping-Pong and I'll take you out of here.
Ping-Pong?
Scared?
That door with the map on it, bring it over. Just lift it up a bit.
You're not fooling?
I drew that map. What do you think?
Hurry up!
- What are the rules? - Rules? Look at us!
Change sides.
You talk too much.
We play the proper way.
I'll serve first.
Think I'm scared of you?
Come on!
You can't even serve right.
Come on.
Rubbish!
- I'm playing for real now. - Come on, serve.
What kind of serve was that?
Spin serve.
Spin serve. Again!
All right then.
Give up?
I lose.
Spin serve. Goddamn.
You beat me fair and square.
I'll take you out of here.
Catch.
It'll keep you warm on the scooter.
Aren't you going to lock up?
You're not worried about thieves?
Who'd come and steal anything besides you?
Get on.
Hurry it up.
- Are you on? - I'm fine.
How'd you end up living in a mine?
Because I'm a ghost.
There are many kinds of ghosts. Which kind are you?
The most naive kind.
- How old are you? - Twelve.
You lie a lot for such a young kid.
- Did nobody teach you right from wrong? - How about you?
- Can I ask you a question? - What about?
Have you ever kissed a woman?
Of course I have.
What did it feel like?
Like being in a dream.
She must have been pretty.
Very pretty.
What did she look like?
I've forgotten.
Why is it so cold today?
What are you talking about? It's winter.
Where'd you learn to lie so much?
You're the liar.
How could you forget how she looked?
It was a long time ago. I've forgotten.
The road ahead is blocked.
I'll push the scooter around it. Get off.
- Whose coat is this? - My dad's.
Where's your dad?
Why do you ask so many questions?
How come you've got a gun?
Because I'm a killer.
There are many kinds of killers. Which kind are you?
The most naive kind.
Go down that way and follow the high wall.
Go through the prison ruins and you'll find the way back out.
Down that way?
I got here from there.
Find the way out yourself if you don't believe me.
This way takes you straight in.
This paddle is for you.
Hoping for a rematch someday?
If you spin the paddle, you can fly down there.
Give it a try.
You know, when a kid lies, the moon will cut his ear off.
Have a nice trip.
It's so dark. Is it safe?
A man should have some courage.
Okay.
What's your name?
Why don't you give me one?
No, I can't.
I can't name you. Only a father can do that.
But how about a nickname?
Like what-- Ping-Pong Superboy?
That's cheesy.
If I see you again, I'll call you Wildcat.
And you'll teach me that spin serve?
Sure.
I'll light your way with the scooter.
Hey, we're paying up!
Thanks very much to our contestants!
Weren't those songs enchanting?
And thanks to all of you
for attending tonight's Wild Pomelo Karaoke competition.
Let me remind you that we'll be selecting a singer from among the contestants.
Even you could become a superstar overnight.
Hurry up and register around the back.
I'm closing up. Come back tomorrow.
Are you deaf?
You look a lot like a friend of mine.
I'm in a bad mood tonight. Don't bother me.
I mean it. You remind me of her.
What's her name?
Wan Qiwen.
Yeah, right. That's a movie star's name. You think I don't know?
Hey, what the hell?
No scar, no mole, no tattoo.
I'm not the woman you're looking for.
Sorry. My mistake.
I'm used to guys like you.
Kaizhen! Cigarettes.
When the game's over, I'm closing up.
What's the rush?
What a wonderful night!
You want to go down and give me a tune?
You don't own the karaoke below.
Let go of me! It hurts!
I'll give you a chance.
Sink this shot and you can piss off.
When Jian's back, I'll tell him you've got a new man!
What are you doing back here again?
Some kid tricked me.
He said if I followed the prison wall, I'd find the way out.
Wait for me by the door.
I'll take you down.
Where's the key?
On the wall there.
It's not here.
Locked in again.
You don't have the key?
Those two punks tossed it over there.
Now what do we do?
What do we do? We wait.
We wait for someone to come up here to play.
Okay.
But there's a show now.
Who knows how long we'll have to wait?
Then we'll wait until morning.
I'm not standing up here all night with you.
By the time this song's over, we can pry the door open.
You're not a local, are you?
None of your business.
"Kaizhen."
What does your name mean?
It means "Pearl of Kaili."
Kind of old-fashioned, huh?
Not at all. I'm from Kaili.
How about a game of pool?
I'm no good at it.
You run a pool hall and you can't play?
This is my boyfriend's place.
What the hell? Let's play.
It's weird just standing here.
Your boyfriend's name is Jian?
Yeah.
If those two start spreading rumors, won't people get the wrong idea about you?
Wrong ideas are the stuff of life.
Will your boyfriend be back tonight?
None of your business whether he will or not.
He's in Kaili.
He's with his boss, collecting debts.
He said once he's earned enough money, he'll come for me and take me to Kaili.
We'll take a plane ride.
Kaili doesn't have an airport.
I know he's lying.
The fireworks seller down there told me he'd seen Jian with another woman.
Someone prettier than me, someone who speaks the Kaili dialect.
Why are you still waiting for him?
Do you know how to play that fruit machine?
Wild pomelo is the hardest fruit to win.
I made up my mind,
that if I won a pomelo...
I'd leave this place.
Just now, after you left, I got one.
Where do you want to go?
If I could, I'd be a singer.
I'd perform all over Guizhou...
earn a lot of money
and treat myself to an airplane trip.
How does it feel to fly in a plane?
- I get airsick. - Airsick?
Okay, the music has stopped.
Can you get something to pry open the lock?
A paddle?
That's how you'll get the door open?
If we spin this, we can fly.
Give me your hand.
What for?
Think I'm going to fall for that?
That's not how you get to hold my hand.
Hey!
Let go of me! Where are you taking me?
So that paddle's supposed to let us fly?
You think that's going to work?
And with this much wind!
So if it stops spinning, will we fall?
Let's give it a try.
Has the moon gotten bigger?
No.
We're actually flying.
The feeling of flying,
it's like the feeling of staying in that house.
Which house?
It belonged to a pair of lovers.
They turned it into the sweetest house in the world.
I was so envious.
Let's fly closer to the house, shall we?
I've got to find that woman tomorrow.
I wish she were you.
- Let me down. - Why?
I'm getting airsick.
There's the prison gate. You can go now.
But it's not dawn yet.
I'll stay long enough for a song.
Go onstage and sing. Then I'll leave.
No. And stop following me.
Why?
Go find that woman.
Did your new lover dump you?
None of your business.
Two yuan.
Got a light? A thief stole my lighter.
Why would a thief steal your lighter?
Look. That crazy woman is here again.
How long will this sparkler burn?
About a minute.
Come out!
How long will you keep acting crazy?
How long will you keep avoiding me?
My truck broke down on the road. But I'm here, aren't I?
I'll ask you one last time. Will you come with me?
You already burnt the house down.
You think you have anything left to threaten me with?
That house was of no use anyway.
Everything you told me was a lie!
Are you really leaving with this man?
Shut up. It's none of your business!
Just stand there.
Are you really going with him?
Then tell me why you want to go with him.
I can help you.
I've tasted too much bitterness.
At least he had sweet honey to give me.
So you've made up your mind?
Isn't there anyone you care about?
There is someone.
But he's too young to remember me.
Open the gate.
Come here.
Hurry up.
Give her the keys to the truck.
Do it!
Go wait in the truck. I've got you in my sights.
I was in a rush, so I didn't bring you anything.
You like apples, right?
You're nuts.
Do we know each other?
No.
Why are you crying?
Why are you helping me?
Because...
I want your most valuable possession.
This is all I have.
Hey, man.
Where's Kaizhen?
She's backstage.
I thought you'd already gone.
Aren't you looking for someone?
Why are you back again?
This is for you.
You can't just give watches to people.
Why not?
A watch is a symbol of eternity.
And it's broken.
This is for you.
You can't just give fireworks to people.
Why not?
They're a symbol of how brief existence is.
Aren't our lives brief?
How many singers are ahead of me?
One more. You're the last one tonight.
It's a while until dawn.
I'll take you to the house I was talking about.
Do you believe that everything I told you is true?
It's completely burnt out.
What happened?
There used to be a lovely crystal chandelier here.
It was beautiful.
I remember the switch was on the wall there.
When you turned it on, it was dazzling.
That cabinet used to be locked up tight.
It took me forever to get it open.
The only things in there were men's and women's clothes.
There was a big dining table here.
There was always a lot of fresh fruit on the table.
The ceiling always leaked. The floor too.
When it rained, the downstairs turned into a pool.
One evening, I overheard the man saying to the woman
that if you recited a spell, the house would begin to spin.
Do you believe that?
Do we know when we're dreaming?
Maybe.
On TV, they said that dreams are lost memories.
Suddenly I feel regret.
About what?
How short this night is.
Can I kiss you?
If you think the moon is bright enough.
But the moon is pale tonight.
Then if the house spins, you can kiss me.
Using the point of a knife to pierce the water.
Examining snow with a microscope.
Doing this over and over,
one still wants to ask--
have you counted the stars in the sky?
They're like little birds...
always skydiving on my chest.
LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT