The Worst Film Ever

Really Surprised!

The first must-see film of the year.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

When I started watching this movie, my first thought was, "oh, documentary film maker moving into feature film and being kind of artsy and pretentious"...because the film is very gritty and realistic and you almost feel uncomfortably present in the intimate lives of people you don't know. That in itself shows how good the acting is in this film because you really, really think these people are locals and that is really and truly what they do, they are amateur theater performers. it's hard to see at the beginning just how you're going to spend 2 plus hours with folks who seem so opaque and indifferent to the spectator.But then almost imperceptibly, the movie starts to draw you in. Each frame of the movie, each scene is a clue, a thread that connects to other scenes or begins its own story and you realize this guy is a master of movie narrative. He gets it. And then it really takes off. This is one of the best movies I think I've ever seen, one I could probably watch several times because there's a lot going on in every single scene but none of it is overstated. And if you're not watching closely, some tragic moments go by and you miss them.Hats off to the director and actors on this...

It is kind of sad to read these sad comments about being "bored" with this wonderful film, or "not understanding the characters".This film is so full of atmosphere, and yes, emotion... but it is not shoved down your throat with typical Hollywood dramatic tricks... it is something you have to have the time and will to discover. That makes is so much closer and valuable.Film IS about seeing, and the fact that there are hardly any close-ups in this film gives our eyes the freedom to discover things in the frame. It is also, I believe a much more respectful way to film actors generally.This is a great film, I hope we see many more from this young director!

This is Jia's best film ever. I watched it twice. I was deeply touched twice by its poignant delineation of a bleak and still town in the 80's in Shanxi province, China. It seems nothing is changing in that nearly forgotten town. But with the collapse of Maoism and the influence of reforming in the country, the people there, especially those youngsters, are changing. They were like struggling in a very slow-moving turmoil, desires so much to change their lives but yet so helpless and knowing nothing about how to do it. They drifted away from there initial purposes, their friendship, and their love.The cello appears 3 times during the whole film, which is almost heartbreaking. They were running towards the train, but the train just ran away. And gradually, you forgot what you've been chasing when you were young, you don't care about those inspiring songs like 'In the field of hopes' which is a symbol of those old days. Life always keeps moving on, like the brick of those ancient walls of Fenyang ever exists.There are so many retrospective 'cultural reminders' in this film, e.g. those old songs, costumes, literal expressions, furniture and behaviors that bring you back to that time. I would say, if a western audience appreciate this film, he will appreciate double if he were Chinese, and even more.Bravo, Jia Zhangke. The Chinese cinema is now filled with Hollywood-style huge investment martial art shitt and he is among the rare ones who are decent filmmakers.

Platform, a film by Jia ZhangKe, is about political, economic, and social change in China during the 1980s and the effect it has on four young performers in a provincial performance troupe. Set in Fenyang, a small town west of Beijing, Platform begins after the Chinese Cultural Revolution has run its course with the dramatization of Maoist orthodoxy by the Peasant Cultural Group. As the 80s progress, Jia shows the changes that led China away from Mao-inspired collectivism to the influence of Western ideas under Deng Xiaoping. Color TVs replace black and white and popular music videos appear on TV. By the end of the decade, the performance troupe has reconfigured themselves as the All-Stars Rock 'n' Breakdance Electronic Band, offering Western-oriented pop music. They perform in the same towns but now use electric guitars and the girls wear sparkly outfits. The performers -- accordion player Cui Mingliang (Wang Hongwei), his girl friend, singer Yin Ruijuan (Zhao Tao), her best friend, Zhong Ping (Yang Tianyi), and Zhong's boyfriend Zhang Jun (Liang Jingdong) all adopt new fashions. The boys wear bell-bottom trousers, the girls get perms, and the band delivers the latest pop disco music. The boys are sullen, however, and their romances with Zhong and Ruijuan seem lethargic. Zhong Pin becomes pregnant by Jun and has an abortion after Jun is arrested for having sex out of wedlock. They smoke cigarettes, go to the movies, and become enmeshed in petty squabbles -- all seemingly to no end, as their personal happiness remains elusive. In one scene that underscores their loneliness, the female dancers of the band stand alone looking desolate as they perform on the back of a truck while uninterested motorists drive past without noticing. Their lives that started out so promising seem to deliver very little. Toward the end, the All-Star Band returns to Fenyang, and Cui Mingliang is reunited with Ruijuan, who has become a tax collector. Platform takes its title from a popular 1980s Chinese pop song that includes the line "We are waiting, our whole hearts are waiting forever". As in the film "Unknown Pleasures" by Jia, the youngsters find themselves doing a lot of waiting. Jia captures this desultory mood but after two and half-hours the grim tone becomes oppressive. Platform is an "important" film and a realistic depiction of a turning point in Chinese history, yet I found the characters to be poorly defined and the film did not come alive as an experience.