An Unfinished Film

Just finished watching An Unfinished Film in the cinema. As a film that is prohibited from being screened in mainland China, it's actually quite restrained in its portrayal. The scene where the crew reunites and toasts as the song "Twilight" plays is both peaceful and poignant; the melody and lyrics feel so powerful.

When you think about it, what has Lou Ye captured in this film? Nothing more than documentation. The camera is honest, and the person holding it is not afraid of being blacklisted. A literally unfinished film, a banned old song-woven together, they fight against a memory that is fading and constantly redefined. Though the viewing experience was a bit traumatic, I don't regret it at all; I found it meaningful. Thank you, Lou Ye.

In the first half of the movie, the actors' performances were surprising, especially the awkward smiles between the director and Jianghao when they were trying to convince each other, which was completely subconscious. For a time, I really thought it was a documentary. However, regarding the beginning of the epidemic, maybe I had too high expectations. The director did not give some new pictures, and most of the pictures were from real clips on the Internet. The most heartbreaking thing is of course the girl crying for her mother and the lady crying on the street during the Qingming Festival. Maybe this is the director's restraint, or maybe it is his consistent film style. In short, to paraphrase the Chinese writer Shi Tiesheng: If there are things I haven't said, don't think it's because I've forgotten them, I haven't forgotten anything, but there are some things that are only fit to be collected. You can't talk about it or think about it, yet you can't forget it.

Watched @Vancouver, CA.

This is a mockumentary-style film. During the first third, the constantly shaking camera almost made me nauseous. However, after the halfway point, the film gradually finds its rhythm and becomes increasingly engaging.

For such a major public health event, it was astonishing how quickly the pandemic vanished from public discourse after the lockdowns were lifted-no one talked about it, no one reflected on it, as if it had all been just a dream. Especially in mainland China, discussing the pandemic became a taboo, even though it had been the very center of life for three whole years.

As I watched the film, those buried memories suddenly came back to life. I was struck by the realization that I had once lived through it all so vividly. This chapter of history should not be forgotten - it is the path we have walked to get here.

Throughout the film, I was deeply moved more than once, with tears welling up in my eyes. As someone who lived through the pandemic, I didn't need the film to show me what happened next-I already knew. But when someone holds up those moments for you to see again, they still hit you hard. At the end of the film, the theater echoed with applause-both for the film, and for all of us.

Thank you to the director and the cast for their courage in making this film. I know very well the immense pressure they faced-this film will not be released, or even allowed to be mentioned, in mainland China. Yet still, someone far from home was moved by it, enough to seek out this platform and write an English review-for the path we've walked, and for the sake of conscience.

It is definitely worth watching and meaningful for exposing the truth of damage to people's physical and mental health. It showcases our people's history instead of the version beautified by the government. I should be proud and grateful to this movie because it wrote exactly what I have experienced. The director used lots of true videos of the Covid time which show our struggles, reactions, amusement and tragedy. This is totally fine, or even the best. The best argument is the real history and director Lou made a wonderful assembly of the social media materials. It is absolutely amazing and heartbreaking. I will say it is the most meaningful movie recently.

It reminds me of Zheng Yuanjie's novel The Pegasus Bus that I read as a child. A new bus encountered citywide gridlock on its very first trip. The driver adhered rigidly to the rule 'no opening doors before reaching a stop,' refusing to let passengers disembark. The traffic jam lasted twelve years, with the government air-dropping supplies by helicopter to sustain those trapped. Passengers got married, had children, formed organizations, and even apprehended lawbreakers onboard. A new generation grew up within the sealed bus, regarding it as their 'whole world.' Now that I think about it, are we really so different from those living on that bus?