'Fifty shades of pitch black" is an apt way to describe "Mystery." It's a feel-awful anti-love film that should come with a huge warning label for anyone contemplating marriage or even a long-term commitment. On the other hand, it's a raw and compelling look at contemporary Chinese society, as the emerging middle class demands more in terms of privileges, money, relationships and sex.
The bone-chilling opening scene shows rich Chinese youths racing their cars in the middle of a storm. One car runs over a woman who steps out onto the street, but they drive on. Before even thinking to call for help, they decide it's better to go back and finish the job — a dead hit-and-run victim will cause less legal trouble than a living one.
Filmmaker Lou Ye is one of the darlings of the Cannes Film Festival, but in the real world he's not exactly a people's director. In fact, he was banned from filmmaking in his native China for five years, and "Mystery" is his first film set in his homeland since the ban was lifted.