During the last century the global interdependency has reached proportions, that surpass the human imagination. The unification is accompanied by a global shift in power towards the densely populated Asia. If I had to make a bet between China and India as the future superpower, I would put my money on China - because of its equality and even income distribution. Although it is also possible that one or both of these countries will eventually fall apart into smaller countries. Nevertheless, it seems wise to get a better understanding of the people that make our clothes and electronic appliances. So what does the film Still Life tell us? In fact it is composed of two panels, which portray the old and new life in China. They merge at the start of the film, when a ferry brings a woman and a man to a town (Sandouping?) on the border of the Yangtze river. The woman is married to an official of the communist party. They lived in another province, but he was ordered by the party to supervise construction works near the Three Gorges Dam. They haven't't seen each other for years, and now the woman wants to file for a divorce. She just needs his signature on the legal documents. It takes some time to find him, and when they finally meet there is some hesitation. He makes some protestations, which however are not really convincing. So she leaves just like she came. The other panel follows the man on the boat. Unlike the previous couple he is not a white collar worker, but a simple worker. Several decades ago he was married by appointment, through buying his future wife. They got a daughter, and subsequently she left him. Now he wants to meet her, under the pretense that he wants to see his daughter. He tries to find her village, but it was swallowed by the river, after the dam had been installed. So he takes a job as a demolisher of the old communist tenement houses. The working conditions are extremely simple, just using a sledge hammer, with no protection against dust or asbestos. He rents a room, and lives together with the other workers. The living conditions are clearly those of a developing country, however with some modern appliances such as mobile phones. During his searches he visits the former state factory, where his wife used to work. It has been closed as part of the new economic policy. At last he finds her on a boat, where she is the housekeeper of the owner. The boat owner pays her with food and shelter (so what is usually called the informal economy). The worker talks with his wife. Eventually he wants to take her back, which means paying a debt to the boat owner (which will cost him a year of labor). I guess the film is about change: both on the cultural and economic level. The old way of life is disappearing, although some of its primitive traditions prove to remain viable - and even more robust than some of the new habits. The new economic system has removed the certainty and protection, that were typical of the communist state. More and more the people move from the rural areas to the industrial regions. The dialogs are slow and simple, just as the narrative as a whole, but nevertheless touching. This low pace is also a hallmark of many Russian films, and it may be a remnant of the recent agricultural and feudal society. The film is also about the need to cherish relations, but here the message is mixed. For me the most informative parts are probably the primitive working and living conditions even in urban China. And the effects of the changing policies of the communist party. If you are interested in social films, but prefer somewhat more excitement, you may find my other reviews interesting.
Review of Still Life
