Qiu Sheng’s debut feature Suburban Birds is a low-key but fascinating work. At first it appears to fall in line as yet another naturalistic urban character drama; the kind that tends to be liberally scattered over international film festivals each year. As … Continue reading REVIEW: Suburban Birds (2018)
In a near future when human civilization is entirely powered by solar energy, the Earth’s sun suddenly vanishes from the sky. As temperatures across the planet plummet, and the atmosphere begins to dissipate, freelance astronomer Sun Yang (Zhang Jue) and … Continue reading REVIEW: Last Sunrise (2019)
Cheng Yong (Xu Zheng) sells Indian homeopathic oils from a Shanghai storefront. His business is failing, but a last-minute opportunity comes when he is given a lucrative but illegal offer: smuggle Indian medication for chronic myeloid leukaemia into the country … Continue reading REVIEW: Dying to Survive (2018)
Comedian Shangguan Didi (Dee Hsu) makes a middling living out of appearances on stunt and gag-based comedy television shows, while being estranged from her much more successful actress sister Lingling (Lin Chi-ling). Didi’s first big chance at success comes when … Continue reading REVIEW: Didi’s Dream (2017)
A young woman named Ciao Ciao returns from Guangzhou to her rural home in southern China. She has enjoyed a more sophisticated lifestyle, and now chafes against her parents and her former neighbors. With nothing to do, and craving the … Continue reading REVIEW: Ciao Ciao (2017)
Better Days truly is one hell of a thing. From what seem to be social realist beginnings, Derek Tsang’s fourth film shifts effortlessly into a genuinely touching melodrama and then again into a violent thriller. It is an impressive feat to … Continue reading REVIEW: Better Days (2019)
Zheng Kaisi (Li Yifeng) is a disaffected young man who works a dead-end job at a gaming arcade. His mother lies in a coma in a nearby hospital, the bills for which cost more money than he can afford. His … Continue reading REVIEW: Animal World (2018)
Guei (Cui Lin) travels to Beijing from the Chinese countryside to find work. He is hired as a bicycle courier, and for the first few weeks must sacrifice most of his pay to purchase outright the bike that has been … Continue reading REVIEW: Beijing Bicycle (2001)
In October 2017 the People’s Republic of China held its 19th National Congress of the Communist Party. 2,300 party representatives assembled in Beijing to elect a new Central Committee, Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, Politburo and Central Military Commission. The … Continue reading REVIEW: Sky Hunter (2017)
Despite being a feature debut for both its director and star, Zhang Yimou’s Red Sorghum is both an excellent, award-winning drama and a landmark in Chinese film history. China was one of the earliest nations to embrace cinema, thanks to a visit … Continue reading REVIEW: Red Sorghum (1987)
FictionMachine 