20/47
A Chinese woman lives for herself in silence, glorifying the prosperous Beautiful Age with songs and dances. The main character does not have a single line of dialogue throughout the entire film. What I like about Jia Zhang is that his work in Chinese cinema is very interesting and something that feels so different from any other director in China. In many ways, using the strange approaches of a digital camera, approaches to themes, music, characters and setting. This film feels like a statement about his career, in a documentary and artistic manner, it’s a mesmerizing experience. Using archival footage and mixing both non-linear fiction and documentary, Zhangke presents a melancholic and avant-garde narrative and atmosphere filled with beautiful presentations and explored themes. The presentation of the characters, performances, music and dialogues seems realistic, and the impression is created that you are observing the daily life of an individual and the nature of human beings. Zhao Tao continues to shine with her natural acting and language in every scene where she appears, the choice of soundtracks is interesting, and the entire script is fiction versus non-fiction, although it will turn many viewers off, I found it an interesting and excellent experiment with history. I don’t recommend this as the first film to watch Jia Zhangke, but I will say that it is amazing.
