Jia Zhang-ke's Still Life Captures China's Rapid Transformation
In his 2006 film Still Life, Chinese director Jia Zhang-ke documents the disappearance of entire towns along the Three Gorges due to the construction of a dam that submerges even archaeological sites. The film juxtaposes hypermodern new cities with ruins gradually erased by water. Jia's approach, as noted by Serge Daney in the mid-1980s, avoids lamenting a lost world; instead, he strives to restore the bond between humans and their environment. The movie's temporal collisions—between contemporary reality and vanishing landscapes—are underscored by popular music that shapes character relationships. Dork Zabunyan's analysis in artpress highlights how Jia's patient observation of these mutations results in a haunting cinematic experience.
Key facts
- Jia Zhang-ke directed Still Life in 2006.
- The film focuses on the Three Gorges dam project in China.
- Entire towns and archaeological sites were submerged by the dam.
- Serge Daney's mid-1980s observation about the world becoming a bad film is referenced.
- Jia Zhang-ke chooses to believe in the world despite its transformations.
- The film shows a clash between hypermodern cities and ruins.
- Popular music plays a decisive role in character relationships.
- Dork Zabunyan wrote the analysis for artpress.
Entities
Artists
- Jia Zhang-ke
- Serge Daney
- Dork Zabunyan
Institutions
- artpress
Locations
- China
- Three Gorges
Sources
- artpress —