20/26
Of course, if you’re over thirty-five, that is
Synopsis
A Chinese woman lives her life in silence, celebrating the flourishing Belle Epoque with song and dance. Have you ever bought a band’s album and discovered that it’s not new material, but old B-sides, remixes, and a couple of new songs for added value? Jia Zhang-ke’s "Caught by the Tides" is in many ways exactly that. But in doing so, it makes a statement about his career and, indeed, about the changing face of the world around him. Qiao Qiao (Zhao Tao) strikes up an affair with Guao Bing (Zhubin Li), but he continues on his journey with Qiao Qiao.
falling behind him
Over the years and across the country, she follows him. But when she reaches her destination, perhaps what she’s longed for is not there for her. But the plot doesn’t really matter, because much of it has already been written and filmed over the years; now it’s just remade. Exceptions to this are films like "Unknown Pleasures" (2002), "Still Life" (2006), and "Mountains May Depart" (2015), if I remember correctly. This allows for a realistic portrayal of both potential figures over time and their uneven aging.
But there are some nice coincidences that materialize and allow Jia’s #39
As a result, the scenes are distinct yet very familiar, serving as a sort of retrospective of Jia’s work in a more direct and better-executed way than Takeshi Kitano attempted with "Takeshis'" (2005). The problem with making a film this way is that while it works perfectly as a narrative film, the fact that you’re already there makes it a bit awkward in terms of flow. It feels more like a series of vignettes than a well-constructed piece of work. Watching a lot of the footage from the movies serves to remind you of the original script, and so it doesn’t feel like one story, but rather different stories stuck together. Text messages on an old Nokia become TikTok videos on a newer smartphone.
Jia has a very unabashed view of technology
The TikTok star is more about cheap advertising than actual fame and fortune; and service bots can easily be mistaken for a simple question. Technology has played an interesting role in shaping human relationships, especially over the past two decades. If you know Jia’s work, you’ll immediately recognize what’s going on here. But if you start his work from scratch, this may seem like a slightly odd film that doesn’t quite connect well enough. Some scenes don’t really seem to fit; more was added because they were available.
Has life moved forward in the last eighteen years?Politic1983homeblog
So, it may require a little background work for the uninitiated, and it’s another one for long-term fans. Although they might feel like they’re watching "The Still Life" again.