Good Cats

‘Look,’ said the always practical Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, ‘it’s a good cat as long as he catches mice; the colour of the cat is not important.’ That famous dictum explains the title of Good Cats. It also explains why half of China is convinced that the only task in life is to become as rich as possible.
In his third film after the committed Taking Father Home and The Other Half, Ying Liang and his co-writer and producer Peng Shan use the form of black comedy and cheerful satire in order to show the consequences of Deng’s limited philosophy, such as corruption and fraud. The film is situated in their home province of Sichuan. There they present the young Luo Liang, who also does his best to get a place on the fast train to wealth: he has a job as a driver for a gangster annex project developer. His boss wants to confiscate a peasant village with the aid of corrupt politicians. Like a real Greek choir, the Chinese metal-gothic band Lamb’s Funeral puts in an unannounced visit with songs about hell and damnation. The unconventional juxtaposition of unparalleled self-enrichment and this unusual sung commentary gives Good Cats a hilarious, light-hearted undertone. Again made for a pittance, but the result is sublime.

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