Being Towards Death is a comedy-drama from writer/director Chen Sicheng. It is an ensemble piece headlined by Jiang Long. Long plays Xiabing, a young man desperately trying to make it in the world. He’s up to his eyes in debt through a combination of hospital bills for his ailing auntie and money he owes to several loan sharks.
When a collaborator of his is ousted from his job in the hospital, and Xiabing’s auntie, his last living member of his family, finally succumbs to cancer, he attempts to commit suicide. Luckily, Xiabing survives and is then given an opportunity by the new director of the hospital. Work off his debt, eke out a meagre living as a caregiver for the patients of Ward 10 and the director will help him. This is the best opportunity for Xiabing in his current situation; it will also become a life-changing one.
Being Towards Death is a darkly humorous and human take on death and how we all deal with it. Through the eyes of Xiabing, we meet several characters who are all dealing with the prospect of death, and we see how they’re all handling it. First of all, none of the patients wants to be defined by their illness, and it makes them all endearing.
They are a lively bunch, an excellent foil to Xiabing’s down-and-out protagonist who feels like dying. They feel like living, and when the two groups meet and begin their journey together, it is an emotional experience watching it unfold.
Can’t afford to live, can’t afford to die
Being Towards Death’s best aspect is its cast. They are so impressive. Each one is full of character and unique charm. Whether it be struggling director Jia with delusions of grandeur or young megalomaniac Xiabing, who is in a perpetual state of lying, there are a lot of characters to attach yourself to. My particular favourite was Bowen. He’s a young man who has a lot of pressure on his young shoulders. Even though he has cancer, his family, in particular his asshole of a father, wants him to push himself to get every opportunity available to him, for the family. It’s a truly tragic element of the film, which has a highly satisfying conclusion.
Being Towards Death also has a suitably bonkers score that plays up the film’s comedic element well. It’s weirdly whimsical, it’s offbeat, and it suits the world that these characters inhabit.
My issues with Being Towards Death involve the opening segment, which takes about 20 minutes before it properly kicks off. There is also the ending of the film, or should I say endings. There are multiple, and I think there was one too many; that’s just me nitpicking, though. My biggest issue came with the subtitles of the film; there were issues. It was obvious at times that the translation was raw, meaning that nuance and complexity were lost in translation, which was a shame. Thankfully, the message of the story and the acting from the cast are so exceptional that I could get past it.
Being Towards Death was a complete surprise for me. I was floored by it, and I highly recommend it for those looking to have their humanity rekindled.
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