Mike’s brother corrects our pronunciation of director Jia Zhangke’s name, helping us settle into a discussion of his ambitious, deeply moving tale of friendship and loss that spans two and a half decades. We talk about motifs of keys and coats, themes of capitalism and home, the changing aspect ratios and clarity of the image, the documentary feel to its portrayal of Fenyang and the way of life there, and much more besides. We admire almost everything and still can’t get Go West out of our heads.
Recorded on 11th January 2018.
The podcast can be listened to in the player above or at this link
You can download it from i-tunes here
José Arroyo and Michael Glass of Writing About Film
Hi,
I’m wondering if you will be interested in reviewing my short film Before Christmas. It is a compelling story and shares the similarity with Mountains May Depart because it’s based on the true character in China. The film is on the film festival run, and I would love to have you to review the film to reach more audiences on the media platform. I already included the trailer link and the synopsis. Please let me know if you are interested in seeing the film and I’ll send you the online link for the film. Looking forward to hearing from you. 🙂
Trailer:
Synopsis:
A lower class Chinese family moves to a big city for a living. The father and his son Xiao Lee, an 18-year-old teenager who dreams of becoming a singer, begin working hard labor in a Christmas decoration factory. Reluctant to face reality, Xiao Lee decides to make a change to pursue his dream. The tragedy is in store for this young man and his poor family as they become victims of Chinese society.
Best,
Chuyao (writer and director of Before Christmas)
We would be very happy to see and review your film. E-mail me a link at arroyo1308@gmail.com
Already emailed you. Thank you very much! 🙂