Unknown Pleasures

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04/22/2021 love, made me feel nostalgic af See more 01/07/2013 A story of disaffected youth in modern-day China. Provides some interesting insights into Chinese version of Socialist society, but aside from that, not the most exciting cinematic experience. A well-made movie though, clearly influenced by Western cinema. See more 09/04/2012 The Pulp Fiction reference is cute though, kii See more 04/24/2012 One of Jia's greatest strengths--his ability to draw upon his character's surroundings to offer insight into their psyches--is on display in full force here. Rubble and barren fields of rock contrast strongly with new construction and the busy streets of the city. The characters wander through all of these landscapes, striving for something but being turned back time and again. The last few minutes are beautifully bleak, while Jia's mise en scene and tight framing are consistently excellent. See more 02/21/2012 Two unemployed slacker teenagers have no real motivation or future prospects at all. They hang out in their sheltered town in China where they spend their days aimlessly wondering about their uncertain future ahead. The most appealing aspect of Zhang Ke Jia's film is it's observation of Chinese culture and the western world's influence on this ancient civilization. The two slackers minds are full of pop music and western culture dreams completely without focus on their past or future. At times the film feels very hypnotic as these two characters feel very out of place and almost alone in a weird place, which happens to be the place they presumably have lived their entire lives creating a very real sense of alienation. The film makes this connection between a countries need to industrialize and grow in this ever changing global landscape while still holding on to tradition and purpose which Zhang Ke Jia seems to believe comes from one's past. I don't think the film is a detriment to Western Culture, not at all, but rather an examination on how these various elements can conflict in China, as it heads towards a new age of Industrialization. The whole film is very subtle, as viewer is asked to merely observe these characters. The camera-work is also very observational in it's approach, often scanning various room and/or showing smaller details of a space. This is another great observational film by Zhang Ke Jia who clearly has a lot of things to say about the social, political and economical ever-changing conditions in China. See more 12/25/2011 For those who wants to witness China cinema at its best, and for those who wishes to have a peek at the modern China at its most realistic, (not Crouching Tiger, not Beijing Olympics), you need to go no further than the Homeland Trilogy by the great Jia Zhang Ke (Xiao Wu, Platform, and Unknown Pleasures). This was made 8 years ago yet it is even more relevant today. Introspect and expressionistic at the same time. Bravo! See more Read all reviews

Unknown Pleasures

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