by Fred Barrett
While Jia Zhangke has been called “(perhaps) the most important filmmaker working in the world today,” his third film, “Unknown Pleasures”, the final entry in his informal “Hometown Trilogy”, doesn’t quite reach the heights this praise implies. Even so, the Chinese writer-director managed to craft a thoughtful and melancholy reflection on youth, globalization and lost futures which lingers long after the credits roll.
The film takes place in the provincial Chinese town Datong and follows the lives of three young adults, aimlessly wandering its rubble-littered and crime-infested streets, working odd jobs, watching TV and trying to make ends meet. Bin Bin (Zhao Weiwei) is a nineteen-year-old who has recently been laid off, Xiao Ji (Wu Qiong) is his reckless best friend and Qiao Qiao (Zhao Tao) is a singer and dancer, performing at promotional events for a liquor company and earning money on the side as a sex worker.
While Jia Zhangke has been called “(perhaps) the most important filmmaker working in the world today,” his third film, “Unknown Pleasures”, the final entry in his informal “Hometown Trilogy”, doesn’t quite reach the heights this praise implies. Even so, the Chinese writer-director managed to craft a thoughtful and melancholy reflection on youth, globalization and lost futures which lingers long after the credits roll.
The film takes place in the provincial Chinese town Datong and follows the lives of three young adults, aimlessly wandering its rubble-littered and crime-infested streets, working odd jobs, watching TV and trying to make ends meet. Bin Bin (Zhao Weiwei) is a nineteen-year-old who has recently been laid off, Xiao Ji (Wu Qiong) is his reckless best friend and Qiao Qiao (Zhao Tao) is a singer and dancer, performing at promotional events for a liquor company and earning money on the side as a sex worker.
- 3/25/2022
- by Guest Writer
- AsianMoviePulse
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