As beautiful and poetic a first feature can be, this heartwarming Chinese drama centering on Uighur kids in the Xinjiang region is eye-opening.
Tag / China
Elephant Sitting Still, An (2018)
Could have been a formidable work if it was a good 90 minutes tighter, but Hu Bo’s first and last film is still a riveting watch, backed by strong performances and societal themes.
Dead Pigs (2018)
Clearly an ambitious first feature, and it mostly hits the right spots in this ‘Magnolia’-inspired ensemble drama about China at the crossroads of modernity.
Trap Street (2013)
This seemingly saccharine drama about a blossoming romance between two strangers plunges headlong into an unexpected, but satisfying direction.
Long Day’s Journey Into Night (2018)
Difficult to connect emotionally, though it features a technical masterclass in a nearly hour-long 3D sequence-shot that must be experienced on the big screen.
Angels Wear White (2017)
Qu’s second feature is a decent follow-up to ‘Trap Street’ in what is a bleak sociopolitical indictment of the treatment of women in modern society.
Ash Is Purest White (2018)
A Jia Zhangke enthusiast might find this very much a recycling of past themes—not that it is any bad, but that greatness seems elusive as the film progresses.
