Sept 11, 2014 – Xiaoshuai Wang’s Red Amnesia stars an active senior citizen named Deng who finds respite after her husband’s death by tending to her family. Brilliantly played by Lü Zhong, Deng lives alone in an apartment complex in Beijing and becomes easily frustrated when she starts to receive phantom phone calls. Her sons are concerned and take her to the doctor who quickly blames it on the stress of losing a loved one. Wherever she goes, strange happenings occur. For example, while Deng is at her son’s for dinner, someone dumps garbage at the foot of the front doorstep. While relaxing one evening at home, a brick is thrown through her living room window, narrowly missing her. On her way home, she is followed by a strange boy. A neighbour’s house is broken into during the day and another neighbour is murdered. These incidents begin to trouble her sons and leave Deng feeling as though a dark shadow is following her. She tries her best to continue with her life, finding comfort in her daily routine and in knowing that her husband’s spirit is ever present.
Despite her fierce dedication to her family, her sons refuse her help thinking she needs to rest at home. During her solitude, she chances upon the strange boy once again. She invites the child into her home, feeds him, and allows him to rest overnight. That night she enters a restless sleep. Is the child trying to murder his host or comfort her? Are we viewing a dream state or reality? Startled, she wakes up to finds the boy gone and her beloved collection of family photographs ripped, torn and utterly destroyed. The police are called and the search is on.
Verdict: 3.5/5 – A suspense-filled thriller that blurs the lines between reality, imagination and memories.
