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By Dan Leone

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MIDWAY THROUGH QUITTING , the latest film by Chinese director Zhang Yang (Shower), the camera pulls back after a particularly intense on-screen conflict, revealing that the movie set is actually a set for a play, positioned on a stage in an empty theater. It's one of many moments that emphasize the multiple layers in this unusual work, which tells the true story of onetime "thug idol" Jia Hongsheng (recently seen in Suzhou River, playing himself here), who at the height of his fame starred in B movies with titles like Silver Snake Murders and Weekend Lover. In 1992, while appearing in the play Kiss of the Spider Woman (also directed by Zhang), he tried drugs for the first time. (If you've seen Corey Haim's E! True Hollywood Story, you know what happened next.) Quitting begins as the 29-year-old Jia's parents (played by his real-life parents, veteran theater actors) move into the Beijing apartment he shares with his workaholic sister (played by his real-life sister). Through flashbacks and interviews with acquaintances (again, playing themselves), we learn more about Jia's rapid decline ("I was afraid of him," more than one former friend remarks) and are witness to the freewheeling lifestyle that later leads to Jia's state as seen in the film's present tense: hostile, argumentative, erratic, paranoid, and heading off the deep end. Though it's completely drawn from life, the film never feels like a reenactment – many scenes between Jia and his parents are painfully raw, and it's a testament to their abilities as actors that they can so vividly bring what was clearly a nightmarish time in their lives to the screen. In addition, Zhang remembers to include personal details, such as Jia's obsession with John Lennon and the quiet affection between Jia's father and mother, that allow the characters to seem – fittingly – as true as the story. (Cheryl Eddy)