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| The Yu Family, 2007 |
I consider 2008 the best year of the last decade for documentary film. Consider Surfwise, Trouble the Water, Man on Wire, Young @ Heart, Nerakhoon (The Betrayal), and Bigger, Stronger, Faster*, along with the second tier of Encounters at the End of the World, Dear Zachary, American Teen, Blindsight, Waltz with Bashir, and Standard Operating Procedure.
Above all of these great films that year, however, I placed Up the Yangtze, Yung Chang's heartbreaking examination of the impact of the Three Gorges Dam on the lives of lower and middle class Chinese living along the banks of the Yangtze River. From my review: "Yung Chang masterfully weaves power, wealth, culture, humility, sacrifice, tradition, national pride, poverty, and environmental concerns into a rich tapestry worthy of the world's attention...The unique aspects of Chinese culture are on such brilliant display in Up the Yangtze that we Westerners will have difficulty understanding them with one viewing."
The film somehow eluded the attention of AMPAS (who award the Oscars), but it did win numerous other awards and received healthy praise from critics. It was also broadcast on PBS as part of its POV documentary series, and now, two years later, the POV blog has an encouraging update from Yung Chang about the main family profiled in the film. Some highlights are below:
Beginning tomorrow night and continuing through Nov. 23 is yet another fascinating film series at the Walker Art Center: The People's Republic of Cinema: 60 Years of China on Film. I know as much about Chinese cinema as I do about aerospace engineering, which is to say I'm a total ignoramus about both subjects.
Hopefully this series will broaden my horizons even a little, and I'm particularly intrigued by the concept of observing a country's history through the eyes of its most famous filmmakers. I'd love to see that for any country, let alone a country poised to be one of the great superpowers of this century (and a country so richly studied in last year's best documentary, Up the Yangtze).
Here's part of the official blurb from the Walker, as well as a listing of the films, synopses, and, when I could track them down, even trailers.
"The series celebrates 60 years of China on film, featuring 14 films, many of them rarely seen, which trace the evolution of China through the eyes of its filmmakers...Marking the 60th anniversary of 'New China', this timely series tracks the decades of political tumult and massive cultural and economic change that followed 1949’s Communist revolution. The People’s Republic of Cinema charts the unprecedented propulsive energies at work through years of radical transformation and looks to the future of a country still in flux—one responding both to its past and its relatively new prominence in the larger world. The series is organized chronologically by content, from films created or set during the establishment of the People’s Republic of China to those of the present day."
Background: About 15 years ago, the Chinese government broke ground on the Three Gorges Dam, which will be the largest hydroelectric power station in the world when it's finished in a few years. The length of the construction should give you an idea of how unfathomably massive this thing is - over a mile long and over 60 stories high. The dam will, of course, raise the level of the fabled Yangtze River by an incredible scale, and the devastating effect on the local population is the subject of Chinese-Canadian filmmaker Yung Chang's new documentary, Up The Yangtze. The film is the feature length debut for Chang and it had its U.S. premiere in competition at Sundance in 2008. Check out the trailer, and if you unfortunately miss Up the Yangtze in the theater, make sure to watch it on 10/14/08 as part of PBS's phenomenal P.O.V. series.
Synopsis : Chang gives us a personal background of his grandfather's stories about the Yangtze river (including a chilling poem by Mao Zedong: "The mountain goddess if she is still there, will marvel at a world so changed.") before focusing on the film's two subjects. Yu Shui, 16, is the eldest child of peasant farmers who live on the banks of the river. She wants to continue her education but her parents need her to work to support the family. Chen Bo Yu, 19, is an attractive, charismatic, spoiled only child from an urban, middle-class family. Both teens end up working on a cruise ship that eerily ferries its Western passengers on a "Farewell Tour" of the Yangtze's sights. Yu (known on the ship as "Cindy") struggles with her impoverished background and uncertain future; she couldn't be more out of her element, and her poor language skills relegate her to the kitchen. Bo Yu ("Jerry") charms the passengers with his singing and smiling, but like many young Chinese in a one-child state, he's used to being the center of attention and doesn't understand the meaning of humility. The story of these two is framed by an unbelievably rich study of Chinese culture and its symbolic relation to what's happening with the dam and the two million people displaced by its construction. There's no reconciliation at the end of this - the project is happening, period. Chang's motive is to simply help us empathize with those in an impossible situation.
I Loved:
+ The shockingly impressive time-lapse shot of the river's water level rising.
+ The moments of genuine comedy that are well placed and never inappropriate.
+ Getting an intimate look at life on the Yangtze river - the mysterious landscapes and bizarre nautical voyages.
I Liked:
+ That Chang didn't get his hands dirty with Michael Moore-style attempts at confronting the stubborn government or dam developers (because what would be the point of doing so now?).
+ The moving musical score, and Chang's well-timed narration.
I Disliked:
- The editing, and some of the video quality. A few sequences didn't flow very easily and the last shot left me puzzled.
I Hated:
- The utter desperation that you feel watching the situation unfold. More than once I either threw up my hands or pounded my fist in exasperation.
Grade:
Writing - N/A
Acting - N/A
Production - 8
Emotional Impact - 10
Music - 5
Significance - 5
Total: 28/30= 93% = A
Last Word: Do what you can to see Up the Yangtze at first opportunity. Yung Chang masterfully weaves power, wealth, culture, humility, sacrifice, tradition, national pride, poverty, and environmental concerns into a rich tapestry worthy of the world's attention. The production of the film is unpolished, but the raw footage is extremely potent, and the gray, smoggy feel to it brings an added sense of realism (funny to say for a documentary, but it's true). There are symbolic images that you'll remember long after it's over: a man literally carrying his house on his back, a family living by candlelight, cruise ship passengers ignorantly posing for pictures in Chinese dynastic costumes. One of the most ironic aspects of Up the Yangtze, a searingly tragic film, is that it's frequently funny, if only for moments at a time. Some of the responses from the people Chang interviews are staggering, causing your smile to dissolve as soon as it forms - "It's hard being a human...being a common person in China is more difficult," jokes a shopkeeper before bursting into a fit of tears. The unique aspects of Chinese culture are on such brilliant display in Up the Yangtze that we Westerners will have difficulty understanding them with one viewing. What kind of society would allow this to happen? "Sacrifice the little family for the big family," laments one peasant. Chairman Mao would be proud.
