In the neon-lit rush of 1990s Shanghai, an ordinary young man reinvents himself. Ah Bao, the protagonist of Blossoms Shanghai, becomes Mr. Bao, and with him, a dazzling figure of the city’s emerging business elite. His story unfolds over thirty episodes, available to stream on Mubi. Ah Bao starts off-the-radar. His once-wealthy family lost its fortune during the Cultural Revolution, and he ends up working in a factory. There, he meets his first love, who ultimately turns him down. On the morning of December 19, 1990, the Shanghai Stock Exchange opens, and with it a new world of possibilities. Mr. Bao is born. The origins of his wealth remain mysterious, but the young entrepreneur quickly becomes known for his “golden touch” — charismatic, handsome and ambitious. He glides through the glittering world of wealth, moving from his hotel residence to high-end restaurants along Huanghe Road, and on to the next club. On every guest list, his name comes first. He builds alliances: the financial genius and mentor Uncle Ye, the resourceful restaurateur Ling Zi, and Ms. Wang from the foreign trade office form his inner circle as he constructs his business empire. And, as it must, things begin to unravel: Mr. Bao gets entangled.
And somewhere between gangsters and smear campaigns, affairs of every kind, luxury and loss of control, the dream of rapid ascent and the big life begins to collapse. Loosely based on the 2013 novel Blossoms by Jin Yucheng, director Wong Kar Wai — known for Chungking Express and In the Mood for Love — constructs a dense portrait of 1990s Shanghai. Neon advertisements shimmer in the wet asphalt, reflected in taxi windows. Business deals and secret arrangements unfold at restaurant tables across the city, from lobster-drenched installations to back rooms. A flickering portrait of a city, and of a man trying to keep pace with it.
Text: Inga Krumme / Credits: MUBI
Mubi
Blossoms Shanghai
@mubideutschland
