영화 정보
World Premiere
Celestial Kingdom
A Window on Asian Cinema
Social Criticism · Psychology · Tradition
- CountryChina
- Production Year2011
- Running Time115min
- FormatHD
- ColorCOLOR
Program Note
In China, there is a practiced superstition that if a man dies unmarried, he has to be buried with a woman who died around that time, otherwise the rest of his family will be unhappy. The ritual is known as a soul wedding. In a village in northern China, where young miners die almost every day, Xian Yangdong, the village soul wedding matchmaker, unwittingly gets involved in a murder to provide a female body for the ritual. This film describes the superstitious rituals of soul weddings in a very realistic way. Despite dark, moody lighting, long takes, and unfriendly editing which sometimes makes the characters′ motives difficult to comprehend, the fast pace of the story stimulates the audience’s attention. This film is in two parts: In the first part, characters appear against the spectacular backdrop of the Chinese New Year Festival where some examples of soul weddings are seen. The second part focuses on Yangdong’s actions in great detail. The last scene of Yangdong smoking, mysteriously filmed from behind, leaves a lasting impression. (PARK Jin-hee)
Director
WANG Chao
Born in Nanjing, China in 1964, Wang Chao worked as a factory worker for five years, writing poetry in his spare time. After graduating from the Beijing Film Academy in 1994, Wang worked as the assistant to the director Chen Kaige, and as a foreign film critic. His feature debut, [The Orphan of Anyang] (2001), screened at film festivals including Cannes, Toronto, and Rotterdam. His works include [Day and Night] (2004), [Luxury Car ](2006), and [Memory of Love] (2009), all screened at Busan International Film Festival.
Credit
- Director
WANG Chao - ProducerWANG CHao
- CastWEI Hong Wei
- ScreenplayWANG CHao
- CinematographyCHEN Ji
- Production DesignSONG Chen Xiao
- EditorWANG CHao
- SoundZHE Li
- Production CompanyWuTong Films
wangchaofilm@vip.sina.com - World SalesWuTong Films
wangchaofilm@vip.sina.com
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