Fish Eyes
Yu yan
China, 2009, 75 Minute Running Time
Genre/Subjects: Asian, Crime, Drama, Experimental, Foreign, Social Issues
Language: Cantonese, Mandarin English Sub-Titles
Against the dry and dusty backdrop of remote China, an old man and his hooligan son Deshui are faced with the sudden appearance of a mysterious girl on their doorstep. As empty of words as the landscape is empty of green and growing things, they engage only through looks, gestures, and everyday routines; the lone sounds around them are the low roar of the wind and the irritation of traffic in the nearest outpost of the booming, industrial China they know only from the voices that come across the airwaves, bringing news of the Beijing Olympics and the Sichuan earthquake – events as meaningless to their lives as words. In the midst of this wasteland, Deshui reaps the rewards of his petty criminal existence at the girl’s expense. Upon discovering his actions have consequences, he seeks redemption – but it may be too late.
Working with a cast of nonprofessional actors, first-time director Zheng Wei has created a nearly silent, contemplative drama that relies on slow pacing and a meditative focus on ordinary activities to capture his characters and the surrounding landscape in all their bleakness and beauty. Likewise, the violence central to the plot disturbs and resonates all the more for being kept offscreen. A joint production of China and South Korea, Fish Eyes was shot in Inner Mongolia in 18 days with a budget of under $40,000.
DIRECTOR: Zheng Wei
Producer: Fu Chang Yang
Editor: Zheng Wei
Screenwriter: Zheng Wei
Cinematographer: Minho Choi
Principal Cast: Gu Xing Hong, Shi Pei Liang, Shen Meng Yao
The following short films will screen before this film...
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USA
,
2009
,
7 min.
Director:
Gary Hebert
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