O'Reilly calls this his favorite film, pointing to the humor generated by its many sub-plots centered on the bathhouse patrons.
The director makes good use of cinematic space to show the two separate worlds of the sophisticated Shenzhenite and the more rough-cut father and son and as the movie progresses, uses it to convey how those worlds move closer.
Blood of Yingzhou District (2006)
This Oscar-winning documentary is about an AIDS orphan and the moving nature of the subject is reinforced by the cinematic techniques. The camera is kept at the boy's eye level and shows, says O'Reilly, the world from his perspective. The boy is also often framed in the doorway, with the camera inside, as though to show him reaching out to the outside world.
Blind Shaft (2003)
This bleak, almost Hitchcock-style film tells the story of two Chinese coal miners who hit upon the perfect scam: luring an unsuspecting job seeker to the mines, murdering him and extorting money from the boss as compensation for their "relative".
The film's setting is the black landscape of a coal mine and the blue and gray overtones reinforce its dark theme. One interesting detail, says O'Reilly, is what the duo do with all the bundles of money they collect. A movie sure to stir the conscience.
Up the Yangtze (2007)
Made by a Canadian-Chinese, Yung Chang, this is a great snapshot of a certain period of history from two different perspectives. The main character is a girl whose house is about to be submerged by the construction of the dam; the other protagonist is a product of the one-child policy, a self-centered man who just wants to get rich. Both get a job on one of the boats that ply the Yangtze.
Mardi Gras; Made in China (2005)
The film offers a wonderful insight into globalization by following the journey of a bead. It is made by the world's largest producer of beads and other Mardi Gras trinkets at a disciplined factory in Fuzhou and used by revelers in the New Orleans Mardi Gras, where the beads offer a peek at a naked breast.
The film juxtaposes candid comments from the Chinese boss of the bead factory and the American buyer at the other end. It also captures the Chinese workers' reactions when they are shown where the product of their hard work ends up, making for an interesting comment on capitalism and globalization.
Blind Mountain (2007)
Another searing look at society, this film tells the story of girls who are lured into jobs but are actually sold. The main protagonist, a college graduate, thinks she is going to be working for a pharmacy but is forced to play wife to an illiterate man in a remote mountain region. It is unrelentingly bleak to the very end and the handheld camera gives it a shaky, edgy feel.
Manufactured Landscapes (2006)
In this documentary, director Jennifer Baichwal follows the work of renowned Canadian artist Edward Burtynsky, known for his large-scale photographs of "manufactured landscapes" - recycling yards, factories, dams - and follows him through China as he details the effects of its massive industrialization. It looks at the centers of this industrial effort and their dumping grounds.
The above list is definitely not exhaustive, says O'Reilly. As if to prove the point, he says he would have loved to include The Road Home (a 1999 film by Zhang Yimou, set in the turbulent times of the "cultural revolution"); Not One Less, again by Zhang Yimou (about education in China); and All the Invisible Children, a 2005 collection of seven short films on childhood and exploitation.
Room might also have been found for Song Song and Little Cat, by John Woo, a director better known for his blockbusters. With a simple plot of a young abandoned girl and an old man, the film manages to pack a punch of raw emotion and social comment into just 20 minutes, leaving a powerful impact on the viewer.
By Usha Sankar
Edited by Shi Liwei
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