Wang Bing on His New Film 'Man in Black' and the Simplicity of Filmmaking

Wang Bing, the Xi'an-born, Paris-based documentary filmmaker known for lengthy immersive works like 'West of the Tracks' (2003), discusses his latest film 'Hei Yi Ren (Man in Black)' (2023) in an interview with ArtReview Asia. The hour-long film, which screened at Cannes, documents Chinese composer Wang Xilin, a Cultural Revolution survivor now in German exile, performing naked in Paris's Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord. Wang Bing explains the sudden decision to film Wang Xilin nude, emphasizing trust and a three-day shoot. He contrasts this performative work with his earlier observational documentaries, noting that 'Man in Black' focuses on a single subject to portray a psychological space through music and body. Wang Bing rejects the notion of objective history, stating his goal is to respect Wang Xilin as an individual. He discusses his decentralized narrative style, used in 'Youth (Spring)' (2023) and 'West of the Tracks', but notes it was unnecessary here. On the camera's potential violence, he argues it is a neutral instrument; violence lies in content and viewer projection. He recently admired Jacques Rozier's 'Adieu Philippine' (1962) and has two films in postproduction.