THE BREAKING ICE - Mark Reviews Movies

The Breaking Ice, Strand Releasing

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Review by Mark Dujsik | January 18, 2024

Nobody really has it figured out in their 20s, even if everything and everyone is telling you that you should. The Breaking Ice, about a trio of 20-somethings who have connected by chance and because they're not sure what they want to do with their lives, is a melancholy story about this predicament. It's also honest, thoughtful, and surprisingly optimistic, and writer/director Anthony Chen doesn't have to put his protagonists through a lot to arrive at that point. He's smart enough to know these three put themselves through more than enough without any external influence or complications.

Those three characters are Nana (Zhou Dongyu), Haofeng (Liu Haoran), and Xiao (Qu Chuxiao). All of them are currently in the Chinese city of Yanji, which sits along the country's border with North Korea. Nana and Xiao are residents of the city, with the former giving tours of various sites and shops that highlight Korean culture, while the latter works at a restaurant owned and operated by his aunt.

Neither of them thought this would be a destination, either temporary or permanent, in life, but circumstances brought both of them here. Since Xiao's family restaurant is a usual stop on her tours, Nana has become friends with Xiao, but his attitude around her suggests Xiao is hoping for more out of their relationship.

As for Haofeng, he has come to Yanji for the wedding of a former classmate. He presently works in finance in Shanghai, and everything about this young man comes across as a silent scream of misery. He barely talks to anyone at the wedding. He's hesitant to participate in a group dance at the reception. Haofeng keeps receiving phone calls that he ignores, and after sneaking out to the fire escape to take the call, we learn it's from a mental health clinic. He missed a previous appointment, and he has no interest in rescheduling, telling the person on the other line it's a wrong number.

Staring over the railing of the stairwell, Haofeng gently pushes some snow with his foot and watches it fall to the ground. It's like a compulsive act, and as he closes his eyes and leans a bit over the rail, it's clear there's another idea in his mind.

There's more to these characters, of course, but, also, not much more, since they are still young, after all, and filled with more potential than actual accomplishments. None of them sees it that way, though, because each of them is young and, at some point, thought one way about what life would be. It hasn't turned out that way, though.

Haofeng has a well-paying job (At one point, Nana and Xiao note his expensive watch and point out they couldn't afford it in two lifetimes), but he's depressed and contemplating suicide. Nana has taken this job as a guide as a matter of necessity, since she felt the need to escape her past, her family, and her friends. She could leave and go anywhere, but without any plan in mind beyond survival, what would be the point? This is Xiao's only professional prospect, apparently, since he did poorly in school and was more or less forced to leave home by a mother who believed this might be his only opportunity to have a life of his own.

Chen's film just lives with these characters, watching as they bond, talk, and try to make the most of their time together, because it's likely that life will just go on as it has for each of them once that time is finished. While on that fire escape, Haofeng notices Nana's bus and decides to join the tour. He's quiet and clearly lonely at every stop, and maybe, that's what draws Nana to him.

After he loses—or, on account of the continued calls, intentionally leaves behind—his phone at one of those stops, Nana invites him out for drinks at a bar with Xiao, and following some conversation and lots of drinks at the joint and back at Nana's apartment, Haofeng wakes up in the morning too late to catch the only daily flight to Shanghai. Nana and Xiao suggest he should just stay a few days more to hang out and see more of the city's sights.

That's what they do, and in the story's simplicity, it's rather sad and lovely, as these three uncertain and lonesome souls travel on Xiao's motorcycle, talk, drink, visit assorted attractions and local establishments, and talk some more. A romance of sorts emerges between Nana and Haofeng, and beyond how it doesn't become the seemingly obvious source of contention that it could (Xiao is just happy for his friend and the nice guy who might become a new one), the affair explains what happened to Nana before, shows us how uncomfortable she is with herself, and solidifies how she longs for some understanding of who she is.

Each of these characters does understand the others in some way, despite their distinct situations, and isn't it enough to observe as those connections reveal themselves, as they see what's beneath the surface, and as each one teaches other some little thing the others never considered or couldn't put into words?

It is here, thanks to these performances, Chen's relative subtlety in detailing these characters and how they change (A big, furry metaphor near the end is a notable exception), and how Yanji and its surrounding area reflect the mood and theme of the narrative so well. The backdrop of The Breaking Ice is cold and appears inhospitable, but if one looks in the right places and in the right way, there's beauty to be found.

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