The second film by Zhang Yimou to be set in a modern city, Happy Times marks a significant departure from the director’s more familiar historical subjects and pyrotechnic visual style. A bittersweet comedy about loneliness and cruelty among the urban poor, the film follows Zhao, a hapless, aging bachelor who woos his money-grubbing fiancée by claiming he’s a wealthy hotelier. She buys it, seizing on the opportunity to get her blind stepdaughter out of the house and into one of his hotels. Zhao and his gang of unemployed pals frantically devise one ploy after to another to fool the girl into believing his lies. In the process, a tender friendship develops. Using a naturalistic, simple camera style and focusing on performance, Zhang manages to create a touching addition to his increasingly diverse body of work.