I’ve always been of the opinion that one should not be allowed, feel enabled or whatever, to criticize any piece of work without having previously tried a hand, himself in producing something along the same lines – so only after having published a book, however lame, should one proceed to review other books, only after having painted a few canvases yourself should you feel entitled to criticize art. But that doesn’t seem to be the way things work. Usually, once you’ve started producing, you’re not going to be interested in picking on the mishaps of others. That’s when all the ‘wannabes’, ‘could’ve been’ and ‘should’ve been’ come into play. Now I’ve been a great defender of cyber democracy. It is a dream comes true, to some extent. Finally we aren’t subject to the malicious whims to those manipulating Svengalies behind institutional media. We can think freely and produce all the content we want. I’ve found myself in many an argument upholding the noble opportunities we have at our disposal. But I’ve come to realize that it’s just been overcrowded by the bitching and ravings of the motley crew mentioned earlier.
So here I am, bitching about everyone else’s bitching. Mind you, I too have yet to produce something I’m proud of. So now resigned to my status and the sour cynicism that comes along with it, I inaugurate a series of film reviews. I will admit that, though I stand by my initial opinion regarding criticism, I secretly feel entitled to such reviews. I guess everyone else must have some reason that sounds perfectly natural to them as to why they consider themselves apt for such a task and mine probably isn’t any better than theirs, but I still prefer mine.
The reason I chose this film isn’t for any symbolic reason, though I really did enjoy it, but because I’ve already done most of the dirty work in Italian and can easily translate it. It may sound cheap but knowing myself, I could’ve easily waited for the appropriate film with which to begin, as usual, never to make a fucking move.

The film is ‘Shaxia Haoren’ or ‘Still Life’, Jia Zhang Ke’s fourth feature film, the second to be released in Mainland China, and winner of the golden Lion prize in the 63rd Venice film festival. I had been waiting a good four months to see it, even though it feels like a whole lot longer, but it was worth the wait, I personally think it might be his best yet.
Unlike other film directors who switch to big budget commercial productions after an initial positive response to their independent films, Jia Zhang Ke continues to remain faithful to his slow-paced neo-realistic narrative style and aesthetics.
The film follows two parallel tales; both set against the backdrop of the Three Gorges Dam, in Fengjie, a 2000-year-old village soon to be totally submerged by the enormous Project. Han Sanming, a middle-aged miner, has come to find his daughter he hasn’t seen in sixteen years, while Shen Hong, a young nurse, is searching for her husband who hasn’t been home for over two years. While they roam through the dilapidated streets of the eerie village in search for clues, the townsfolk are either helping to tear down the ancient buildings or busy gathering up their most precious belongings before scattering throughout the country.

Without being either confrontational or polemic, Shanxia Houren is able to engage in a powerful social commentary, addressing some of the most significant developments in contemporary Chinese society. Themes such as intellectual property rights, environmentalism or social injustices, are tackled with sharp, though disarming, irony. To some, the absence of narrative links between the two plots and the meager editing, which to be honest could’ve used a few more cuts, may result tedious or frustrating to some but there is a wealth of clever nuances a brisk viewing would completely miss.
However, a simple socially conscious reading would do injustice to its poetic, not to say lyric, beauty – its delicate portrayal of the struggles and sufferings of common folk, determined to keep moving forwards even when their past is literally being washed away.