24 City $29.95
A masterful film from Jia Zhang-ke, the renowned director of Still Life and The World, 24 City chronicles the dramatic closing of a once-prosperous state-owned aeronautics factory in Chengdu, a city in Southwest China, and its conversion into a sprawling luxury apartment complex. Bursting with poetry, pop songs and striking visual detail, the film weaves together unforgettable stories from three generations of workers some real, some played by actors (including Joan Chen) into a vivid portrait…
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Last updated: December 10, 2009, 10:50 am
24 City Customer reviews:
Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 1
(Nathan Andersen, 2009-11-07) The films of the Chinese independent filmmaker Jia Zhang Ke (Still Life, Unknown Pleasures) have always blurred the line between documentary and fiction, but never more so than in 24 City. The occasion for the film is the demolition of a once bustling state-run munitions factory in Chengdu to make way for a high rise apartment complex. The film documents the stages on the way to demolition and development, and ties each stage to a chronological series of interviews with people whose lives were connected to the factory, from its early days in the '50s to its heyday in the '60s and the '70s and its subsequent decline in the '80s and the '90s with the thawing of the cold war and the growth of Western-style capitalism in China. The result is both a powerful depiction of the effects of modernization in China, and an oral history that covers three generations, from those who spent their lives as workers in a time when factory work carried some prestige and national pride, to those who followed in the footsteps of their parents only to be laid off as the work in the factory became unprofitable, to a younger generation that recognized quickly that life in the factory was a dead end and sought education and employment elsewhere. The images are powerful - artfully composed and poignant - and the period music that accompanies some of the moments captures very precisely the feeling of each era. One thing you might miss if you aren't watching the credits is that some of the interviews and situations are scripted and acted by professionals, such as Joan Chen who plays the part of a middle aged former factory worker, who had been thought to resemble her and who had been named "Little Flower" after one of her famous film roles. Perhaps one of the most powerful and moving interviews is of a young woman who drives a VW bug, and who had early on distanced herself from her factory working parents. She tells the story of coming home after a long absence, finding no one at home and then going to look for her mother in the factory. At first unable to find her, she finally recognized her as a hunched worker who was repeatedly throwing large chunks of metal into a bin. The sound was so jarring and she was immediately saddened to find her mother in such a state. Now, she says, her aim is to make as much money as she can so that she can buy a comfortable home for her aging parents, perhaps in the new development of 24 city. It will not be easy, she says, but she can manage - after all she is the daughter of workers. Highly recommended for those who appreciate innovative filmmaking, especially when it blurs the line between documentary and fiction, and also for those who are interested in better understanding China and the changes it has undergone in recent decades.