Film Reviews: May 2009

thebeijinger — Sun, 10 May 2009 15:00:49 +0800

Red River 红河
Landmines don’t often lead to love stories. Then again, love stories don’t often center around the mentally disabled. In a Sino-Vietnamese border town in Yunnan province, a Vietnamese girl sustains brain damage from the same landmine that killed her father in 1977. Years later, she meets a middle-aged Chinese man who’s struggling to make ends meet; as their relationship develops, we see how the lives of ordinary people have been shaped by the aftermath of the Vietnam War. Despite its tragic twists, Red River qualifies as a comedy, while breathtaking shots of Southeast Asian landscapes add a sexy flavor to the picture.

Film Reviews: April 2009

thebeijinger — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 09:00:52 +0800

24 City (24城记)

Watch the trailer here or the whole film here

Set in a military ordnance factory turned modern apartment complex in Chengdu, 24 City captures the nostalgia of people living on the edge of society. Jia Zhangke’s latest film unfolds through interviews that blend fiction and documentary, and delves into the gap between young and old created by the earthshaking history of recent decades.

The Beijinger Blog - Brenna Fitzgerald

Film Reviews: May 2009

Film Reviews: April 2009