Walking on the Wild Side

Han JIE. China. 2006. 89 min. Narrative. Digibeta.

Part of the "China's Past, Present, Future on Film" series

Han Jie's feature debut draws on his own experiences growing up in a desolate mining district in northern China's Shanxi province. A Chinese road movie, Walking charts a young gang's continuous flights from one kind of trouble to the next. Mirroring the stark and barren landscape, the film relays the grim story of these delinquents' dreams of liberty and easy money. Played by nonprofessional actors who are real life troublemakers, the film offers a realism that is at once oppressive, cruel, and sympathetic. Produced by Jia Zhangke.

Rotterdam International Film Festival - Tiger Award

"Han excels at capturing the deadening landscape of barren hills and exhaust-filled skies, physical manifestations of the numbed inhabitants." – Jay Weissberg, Variety

Read about Walking on the Wild Side on the j.b. spins blog

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