So Close to Paradise

Gao Ping is cheated out of money by Su Wu, and in anger he drags his friend Dong Zi into the dangerous underworld of Wuhan to recover the debt. They head to the Li Li Club to seek Ruan Hong, who is rumored to know Su Wu. This marks the first step into a perilous course that will pull the trio into crime and complicate their lives.

At the Li Li Club, Gao and Dong locate Ruan Hong and kidnap her to their apartment. Gao demands that Dong Zi leave the room while he rapes her, an act witnessed by Dong Zi through a crack in the door. The kidnapping sets the stage for a dangerous, morally murky entanglement.

Despite the brutal start, Gao and Ruan begin an uneasy relationship. The growing bond between them unsettles Dong Zi, who feels pushed aside by the pair’s closeness. The trio's dynamic becomes increasingly unstable.

As Gao and Ruan's relationship deepens, Dong Zi grows sullen and conflicted. The sense of betrayal and confusion heightens the tension within the makeshift trio. The underworld life seems to close in on them from all sides.

This night, after Ruan and Dong Zi talk, she reveals that her true aim is to become a professional singer, a dream that appears increasingly elusive. The confession adds a hopeful but fragile motive to the grim reality around them. The revelation shifts the stakes for everyone involved.

Ruan returns to the apartment and leaves Su Wu's phone number, creating a link to the local power structure. The move hints at an escape route or a way to advance her ambitions, but also binds her fate to the underworld network. The choice tightens the peril around Gao and Dong Zi.

Gao locates Su Wu, beats him, and imprisons him in a cellar, a brutal act that demonstrates his willingness to go to extremes. He then releases Su Wu, ostensibly to take him to Su Wu's boss. This event ties Gao deeper into a dangerous scheme with powerful patrons.

Dong Zi's narration reveals that Gao becomes entangled in a scheme with Su Wu and his boss, culminating in the murder of an unknown person. The underworld machinations draw Gao toward violent ends and darker loyalties. The line between friend and criminal blurs beyond repair.

Tensions peak when it is discovered that Ruan is the kept woman of Su Wu's boss, placing her directly in danger. Fearing capture and worse, Gao disappears to avoid the consequences of the boss's wrath and law enforcement. The trio's precarious position becomes a countdown.

The Li Li Club is seized as a den of prostitution, and Ruan Hong is arrested in the crackdown. Gao promises to take her away from trouble, but he never shows up, signaling his own fall into the trap he helped trigger. The seizure marks a turning point in their attempts to escape the underworld.

When Gao returns to his apartment, the Boss's men confront him and beat him to death. The brutal ending to Gao's arc underscores the deadly power of the faction he joined. The loss also cripples any chance of escape or rescue for Ruan.

Ruan Hong is released from prison and makes her way back to the apartment shared with Dong Zi and Gao Ping. She remains the only friend she knows in the new, dangerous city, returning to a place that once felt like home. The return marks a fragile reopening of life amid the trauma.

In the final moments, Ruan reminisces about Gao as she reassembles life in Wuhan with Dong Zi. Dong Zi gives her a Walkman loaded with a tape of one of her songs, a small gesture that preserves a memory of what they endured. The film closes on a note of memory, loss, and quiet resilience.