20/28

Chronology

What I like about Jia Zhangke is that his works of Chinese cinema are highly interesting and something that feels so different from any other filmmakers in China. In many ways, using strange digital camera approaches, approaches on themes, the music, the characters and setting. Using archive footage and blending both non-linear fiction and non-fiction, Zhangke presents a melancholic and avant-garde narrative and an atmosphere that is filled with wonderful presentations and themes explored. Presenting characters, performances, music, and dialogue that feels realistic and almost as if you are observing the daily lives of an individual and the nature of human beings. the soundtrack choices are interesting, and the whole fiction vs nonfiction scenario, while it will put off many viewers, I found it to be interesting and a great experiment of a story.I don't suggest this as the first movie to watch for Jia Zhangke though, but I say it's amazing.