Ang Lee’s Lust, Caution is a hauntingly poignant tale of love, betrayal, and sacrifice set against the turbulent backdrop of wartime China. The story centers on Wang Jiazhi, a young female student from Guangzhou whose life has been marked by loss—her father abandons her, and her mother has passed away. With the onset of war, she and her fellow students are relocated to Hong Kong to continue their studies. Here, Wang, an exceptionally talented member of the university’s drama club, captivates audiences with her performances, her artistry imbued with a passion that foreshadows the intensity of her later life.
During a fateful summer vacation, Kuang Yumin, a fervent patriot grieving the loss of his brother to Japanese soldiers, rallies a group of students to assassinate a high-ranking traitor, Mr. Yi. Wang, assuming the role of the alluring “Mrs. Mai,” infiltrates the traitor’s inner circle by befriending his wife, Mrs. Yi. Naïve and inexperienced, the group sacrifices Wang’s purity and dignity, pressuring her to rehearse seduction with a fellow student to prepare for her role. Yet their youthful idealism is no match for the harsh realities of espionage, and Mr. Yi’s sudden relocation to Shanghai renders their plot a failed and reckless endeavor. Wang, however, is left profoundly scarred—her body and soul mere pawns in a deadly game.
Three years later, Wang lives with her aunt in Shanghai. Her dreams of studying abroad have been dashed; her father, indifferent to her plight, cannot support her, and her aunt has sold the family house. Her life is adrift, her existence defined by quiet resignation. When Kuang reappears, imploring her to rejoin the mission, she complies, perhaps seeking purpose or redemption. What unfolds is an intricate dance of power and vulnerability between Wang and Mr. Yi, one that blurs the line between duty and desire. Against all odds, they appear to develop genuine feelings for one another—a bond that becomes Wang’s undoing. Betrayed by her comrades, who never delivered her final letter to her father, she is left with no escape from her tragic fate.
In the film’s harrowing climax, Wang’s affection for Mr. Yi overpowers her allegiance to the mission. Her whispered plea for him to flee spares his life but seals her own doom. At precisely 10 o’clock that evening, Wang and her co-conspirators are executed.
To some extent, Wang Jiazhi reminds me of Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie. Both women are products of naturalism, their lives shaped by external forces and internal desires. Yet while Carrie ascends to a life of material comfort, Wang is doomed to a tragic end. Her fate is sealed the moment she “steps onto the stage,” sacrificed by Kuang’s cowardice, Wu’s self-interest, her father’s neglect, and the chaos of a merciless world. In a society fractured by war and betrayal, Wang finds fleeting warmth in the arms of a traitor—a man who, despite his moral failings, offers her a semblance of human connection.
Ang Lee masterfully captures the nuances of power dynamics, especially in the mahjong scenes, where seemingly trivial conversations unravel deeper truths about loyalty, love, and survival. The quiet tension, the loaded glances, and the unspoken alliances all contribute to a rich tapestry of human complexity. The film does not glorify treachery but rather illuminates the humanity within even the vilest actions. It is this complexity that makes Lust, Caution such a compelling and meditative work.
In the end, I am left mourning Wang Jiazhi—a woman whose brief moments of love and light were extinguished by a world that demanded her sacrifice. Her story lingers like an unfinished melody, stirring sorrow and reflection long after the final frame fades.
值得细细品味的片子，麻将桌上的权力涌动让我想起了品特的剧，在乱世各位太太都各怀鬼胎，似乎只有王佳芝为着所谓的革命理想无私的奉献了自己的时间与身体。没有看张爱玲的原著，不知道是原著中就这样还是李安改成这样，女性琐碎的对话解构了男性的宏大叙事，电影更是将这种张力表现得淋漓尽致。
借用雷晓宇在《海胆》中的观点：“这部电影，反反复复看，也忘了有五六遍还是七八遍。觉得害怕，不是那十分钟的床戏，而是因为电影里彻头彻尾的虚无——爱情是荒谬的，友情是虚伪的，亲情是荒芜的，国家是四分五裂的，革命是似是而非的……只有性爱的快乐是真实的，而这唯一的真实恰恰又是不可说的。这个女人，她就生活在这样一个废墟里。”
