Zhangke Jia and his vision of China
- Tommaso Carlo Mascolo
- 12 mag 2016
- Tempo di lettura: 2 min
Film has always been an excellent way to talk about modern society, and some movies can give an interesting view of our times.
A good example of this is Zhangke Jia’s Mountains may depart, which participated in 2015 Cannes Film Festival.
The film is divided into three parts. It begins in Fenyang in 1999. On New Year’s Day, the city is illuminated by fireworks. The new millennium is nearing and everyone is excited. Tao (Zhao Tao) is a young woman who has two male friends: Zhang (Yi Zhang) and Liangzi (Jing Dong Liang). Both men are in love with Tao, and, after some consideration, she decides to marry Zhang. Fifteen years later, Tao and Zhang are divorced, and their son, called Dollar, named after the American currency, lives with his father in Beijing. When Tao’s father dies, Dollar goes to visit his mother. Ten years later, Dollar is shown to be living in Australia. He only speaks English and has forgotten his mother tongue.
Zhangke Jia uses lively photography and emphasizes colours in his portrait of China. Moreover, he uses different screen formats to represent the idea of progress: the movie begins in 4:3, a usual format of the classical cinema, and it ends in widescreen.
Still of Zhao Tao as Tao © 2015 Kino Lorber, BIM Distribuzione Above: still of Zhao Tao © 2015 Kino Lorber, BIM Distribuzione
By following the life of these characters throughout a period of twenty-five years, Zhangke Jia shows the progressive absorption of Western Culture into Chinese society. Zhang, an entrepreneur who decides to call his son “Dollar”, perfectly represents China’s desire to become a modern country. However, this progress also meant losing something - in particular, losing human relationships. Zhang can’t talk to his son anymore, as he never learned English, while Dollar doesn’t remember Chinese. Dollar doesn’t even remember his mother. He would like to find her but doesn’t have the courage to face his past.
Zijian Dong and Zhao Tao © 2015 Kino Lorber, BIM Distribuzione
Therefore, Tao represents China’s heritage: she is alone and separated from everyone else, since, in this new society, there is no place for her.
The song Go West by the Pet Shop Boys, which at the beginning of the movie represents joy and faith for the future, at the end it acquires the melancholic taste of lost hopes.
Director: Zhangke Jia
Writer: Zhangke Jia
Cast: Tao Zhao, Yi Zhang, Jing Dong Liang, Zijian Dong, Sylvia Chang, Zishan Rong
Year: 2015
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