THE WORLD (Shijie); DVD (Jia Zhangke 2004)
$40.00
Chinese, Surreal, Stunning, Arthouse, Foreign, Acclaimed; DVD – Ex Used condition
Zhang Ke Jia is a masterful director. His use of colour and character direction is unreal. One of the things he uses to great effect are arches and hallways. Characters appear in them, or look out of them in what is some of the most visual photography I have ever witnessed. But it doesn’t end there. The film is beyond surreal, its real setting makes it all more spectacular and that more effective. Att times it feels like watching a documentary and finds the viewer hoping for characters to do well and be happy and find themselves thinking that these were real people in harsh sometimes difficult situations. “The World” has this effect on you, you can’t begin to believe the beauty and harshness it shows, and it tricks you in the most crafty way. The World is a truly fantastic small place in more ways than one…
