HAVE A NICE DAY (HAO JI LE) (Jian Liu,2017):China

Reviewed by Rujie Wang. Viewed at AFI Fest 2017.

“Hao ji le” is a Chinese animated dark comedy movie, and its name is translated to Have a nice day. Directed by Liu Jian, the 75­minute movie was released in Feb 2017 in Berlin. The movie features Yang Siming, Cao Kou, Ma Xiaofeng, and Xiao Zhang as the starring actors. Being his second anime, Liu Jian proves his creativity in animation films. He develops both the characters and the serenity in the movie, making him a specialist in the art. Although it is an animation movie, the movie has worked to portray real world activities and occurrences. The movie begins calmly quoting the novel Resurrection and explaining how man has developed the cities and destroyed the nature. This calm nature of the film fades slowly, and as it reaches the climax, the movie has various scenes of bloody fights. Nevertheless, the storyline of the movie is simple. A low level driver is desperate to help his girl do a cosmetic surgery and decides to steal a million Yuan. The money is in a bag. The protagonists in the movie involve a gangster (Yang Siming), hitman Ma Xiaofeng, and a man called Cao Kou who is easily identifiable with his X­ray glasses. These characters want the money and are ready to do absolutely anything to lay their hands on the money. While in the pursuit of the money, the nature of the characters is displayed in the movie. The writer shows that the movie is acted in our world despite being an animation. This is shown when Trump congratulates Clinton on his hardwon elections on the radio. The writer also shows that some characters dream of western education, just like in real world. In the current world, robbery is the order of the day. This movie depicts the dilemmas that the people in the low earning level pass through and end up in crime. Conflict is another theme that is depicted in the movie. The music interlude in the movie brings out the art and the good styles in the movie properly. Also, the proper composure of the graphics in the movie gives an appealing texture to the viewer. The movie has a good and well composed structure and storyline, showing the activities that happen in the current world. This movie is, therefore, a must watch for everyone. Animation movies are receiving an acceptance in the world and are becoming one of the most watched genres. Hao ji le is rated above average and hence can be recommended for a view of anyone.