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filcoco004
Reviews
Ascension (2021)
A Random Footage Collection of Modern Chinese' life
The entire film lacks a voice, a story, or a theme. The message that this film trying to present is too hidden and conflicted by its material, and it results in so much confusion. Unless the audiences already made up their mind about China, this film is not doing much besides showing segments of Modern Chinese' life.
At the beginning, the film wants to show the massive repetitive manufacturing in China, which seems that the Chinese are becoming mindless workers stuck in the pipeline. However, some shots are showing although workers are wearing the same uniform and protective gear, they wear fashionable shoes, listen to pop music, have small talk. The pipeline is only their work, they have a life outside of it.
The film tries to show the huge gap between rich and poor, but again, it is confusing. They show footage of Chimelong Water Park, which is open to the public and the ticket price is RMB 200 (around $40 CAD) per adult, if consider the labour hourly rate in this film of 16 yuan ($3.2 CAD) per hour, it is not that expensive to go there and enjoy. So I'm so confusing, and this kind of confusion is spread out in the film.
The only message clear shown in this film is how much Chinese life is getting close to westerns, they are not that "commie" anymore. They are happily and shamelessly embracing Capitalism.
In the Same Breath (2021)
A Disney-like ending ruins the potential powerful message
The film did great job in capturing the dark side of what happened in Wuhan, and I thank her for showing the story for those families who lost their loved ones. Not much platforms were given to those people.
BUT! I think the director's personal opinion of CPC blinds her from seeing the real issue, and give her false hope in humanity.
The ending provides an Disney-like ending if all relative information was released at every beginning. She miscount that the virus is a silent disaster, no one can see the severity until it was too late. No government will be put enforcement, unless the virus is proved deadly. No one will follow the rules unless they saw the damage. The optimism will numb everyone, the virus is feed by the ignorant and arrogant. Unless we face this flaw in our nature, this will be happen again and again, no country can survived from that.