Miao Miao

Somehow, despite this words being basically antonyms, Miao Miao is a lighthearted tragedy.

Miao Miao follows a three person bisexual love triangle. The first member is Ai, an enthusiastic teen. Ai becomes interested in the new Japanese exchange student who she nicknames Miao Miao. The girls become close friends though Miao Miao seems oblivious to Ai’s romantic interest. Miao Miao’s own romantic interest is Chen Fei, the sullen owner of a CD store. She goes to great lengths to get his attention. While Chen Fei doesn’t seem to mind her company, he is as oblivious to her advances as Miao Miao is to Ai’s. It’s revealed that part of the reason Chen Fei is like this is because he is still mourning his boyfriend who died in a car crash. Chen Fei spends most of the movie trying to track down a demo CD he and his boyfriend produced as he otherwise doesn’t have any photos or recordings of his dead lover.

I like Miao Miao’s use of point of view and lack of information to portray how laser-focused one can get when they have a crush. There’s some tragic comedy in the fact that these characters struggle to communicate with each other because they’re too focused on their romantic interest. As much as it depicts all the characters as being self-involved to the point of ignorance, it seems realistic. I think we can all relate to getting tunnel vision when we have a crush or likewise relate to being so into someone who’s too caught up in their own lives to notice.

So, spoiler alert but none of these three characters end up in romantic relationships. The film ends with none of these characters getting kissed. And it does hurt, especially Ai’s ending. Ai sees Miao Miao off at the airport before she returns to Japan. Then, as she’s on the bus on the way home, she decides to tell Miao Miao how she feels. So the movie gives us the classic running after your love as they’re about to get on a plane. The difference is that Ai doesn’t make it. She arrives in time to see the plane take off and tearfully confesses her feelings where nobody can hear them. Did I cry? Yes.

What’s really neat about this movie is that while it ends sadly, there’s a great deal of hope in its ending too. While the ending is tragic, it’s not the sort of tragedy that will never allow its characters to be happy. They’re all young and the movie really emphasizes the fact that even sad milestones like your first heartbreak are important parts of life. They also make sure to give each character some hopeful development. Ai begins to patch things up with her father, Chen Fei finally receives his boyfriend’s CD and Miao Miao has a voice over monologue about how much she’s grown thanks to being loved by Ai and being heartbroken by Chen Fei. It was really nice to watch a movie and feel sad at the end but still hopeful for the future.

The youth of these characters was a big part of why this movie worked. Miao Miao understands how much life these young people have left to live and all the potential they have for the future. Additionally, they’re just likeable, realistic-seeming teens. Everything from their awkward attempts at flirting to the overblown emotional reactions to rejection feel correct for this age. And it does so without it being obnoxious. I care for these characters. I find them charming and sweet. That’s not something I say for a lot of movies with teens.

I do have some concerns about Ai. Ai is the only confirmed WLW in the film and so obviously, I have to write a separate paragraph about her. Mostly, I love Ai. I love her enthusiasm. However, I was a little concerned that her interest in Miao Miao verged towards predatory. She tended to get very up in Miao Miao’s physical space and had a possessive streak. On the other hands, I shouldn’t be presuming that a character who I’ve previously celebrated for being a realistic teen has total understanding or control over her actions. Plus, much as Ai’s efforts might be clumsy, a lot of her actions are all trying to make her friend happy.

Miao Miao made me cry but it also made me feel hope. That’s a rare combo. I stand by my description of this movie as “lighthearted tragedy”. I really enjoyed the film’s take on a young, bisexual love triangle. Admittedly, it is a bummer that the only queer content in the film is an unrequited crush. On the other hand, what’s more accurate WLW representation than having an all-consuming crush on a straight girl who doesn’t notice?

Overall rating: 6.5/10

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