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24 City

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The films of the Chinese independent filmmaker Jia Zhang Ke (Still Life, Unknown Pleasures) have always blurred the line between documentary and fiction, but never more so than in 24 City. The occasion for the film is the demolition of a once bustling state-run munitions factory in Chengdu to make way for a high rise apartment complex. The film documents the stages on the way to demolition and development, and ties each stage to a chronological series of interviews with people whose lives were connected to the factory, from its early days in the '50s to its heyday in the '60s and the '70s and its subsequent decline in the '80s and the '90s with the thawing of the cold war and the growth of Western-style capitalism in China. The result is both a powerful depiction of the effects of modernization in China, and an oral history that covers three generations, from those who spent their lives as workers in a time when factory work carried some prestige and national pride, to those who followed in the footsteps of their parents only to be laid off as the work in the factory became unprofitable, to a younger generation that recognized quickly that life in the factory was a dead end and sought education and employment elsewhere. The images are powerful - artfully composed and poignant - and the period music that accompanies some of the moments captures very precisely the feeling of each era.

One thing you might miss if you aren't watching the credits is that some of the interviews and situations are scripted and acted by professionals, such as Joan Chen who plays the part of a middle aged former factory worker, who had been thought to resemble her and who had been named "Little Flower" after one of her famous film roles. Perhaps one of the most powerful and moving interviews is of a young woman who drives a VW bug, and who had early on distanced herself from her factory working parents. She tells the story of coming home after a long absence, finding no one at home and then going to look for her mother in the factory. At first unable to find her, she finally recognized her as a hunched worker who was repeatedly throwing large chunks of metal into a bin. The sound was so jarring and she was immediately saddened to find her mother in such a state. Now, she says, her aim is to make as much money as she can so that she can buy a comfortable home for her aging parents, perhaps in the new development of 24 city. It will not be easy, she says, but she can manage - after all she is the daughter of workers. Highly recommended for those who appreciate innovative filmmaking, especially when it blurs the line between documentary and fiction, and also for those who are interested in better understanding China and the changes it has undergone in recent decades.

Sometimes, one scene makes an entire show click. In 24 City, this moment for me was when a buyer for wealthy ladies in Chengdu, China acknowledges that she will survive because she is the daughter of factory workers. Born in the 1980s, Zhao Tao is one of the final characters we meet in this poetic take on how China is shifting.

24 City focuses on stories from three generations of residents in an area formerly known as Factory 420. In a subtle mix of documentary and fiction film-making, director Jia Zhang-ke handles his subjects carefully, akin to a portrait artist, focusing on memories of migration and the lines around the lips. Quotes from Irish writer W.B. Yeats along with music from Chinese red songs, orchestral strings and Japanese enka add to this peculiar yet strangely comforting film about the transition of an aeronautical factory into a luxury high-rise complex.

As I watched the film, I thought of the stories buildings contain. Once these places are demolished, do memories become rubble to be swept away?

Jia Zhange is famed for using documentary techniques in his film-making.In 24 City he blends fact and fiction.The film is set in Chengdu,Sichuan Province,where a large industrial site,Factory 420,50 years old,used to manufacture aircraft and weaponry in the past,has been sold to a developer,who will demolish and replace it with a vast residential business and shopping complex,24 City.Built in 1958 as a product of Mao's policies to move `front-line' industries inland to mountainous and rural areas.We get 3 generations of people.

60%(4000) of the staff,north-easterners, were forced to relocate.24 City is made up of interviews with 5 workers, who share their real life experiences with us,and fictional,scripted monologues by 3 women.Jia found this the best way of representing the last half century of Chinese history.He is representing memory,the hardships brought about by the shift from Communism to Capitalism.He focuses on the impact of the changes on individual lives.Most of the running time is given to 8 interviews with local people,6 of them past or present workers in the factory and 2 of them adult children of factory workers.In the 1980s the factory diversified into manufacturing white goods, fridges,washing machines to boost its income,post-Mao,post-planning profits.Worn down tools were once resharpened, now everything is disposable.He Xicun adumbrates his former mentor's(Lao Wang)values:waste not,want not.

The two actresses(Lu Liping and Joan Chen)play women who have sacrificed a lot,the former lost a child to take up her work assignment,the latter faced a lifetime of romantic disappointments because she put her image and career ahead of personal happiness.There are those with a distaste for factory work who capitulate to China's glossy new values.One manager born in 1966,tells of his fights with local kids with whom the factory kids were not allowed to fraternise,also the loss of his 1st love.There were hardships faced by people who were layed off in the 1990s,in their search for other work,when as in capitalist economies the factory had to down-size.People talk of the emotion of leaving parents and grandparents.One is determined to buy an apartment in 24 City for elderly parents. Jia provides images of the abandoned buildings,the movement of equipment to the new site,demolition and reconstruction.I don't think the film totally succeeds due to the merging of fake and true interviewees,which leads to some confusion,while you are watching.Also Jia was commissioned to film by the developers.

Sixth Generation Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhang-Ke combines documentary and artifice in "24 City" to explore his signature theme: the impact of modernization and rapid change on the lives of Chinese individuals. The subject is the destruction of Factory 420 in the center of the city of Chendu to make room for an enormous residential and commercial high rise complex, to be called "24 City". Factory 420 manufactured aeronautics equipment for the Chinese air force and was, therefore, important during the Korean and Vietnam wars. Since then, it has downsized and become obsolete. Ownership of the property was transferred to the development company China Resource Land Limited in 2007.

"24 City" follows the factory's history through interviews with eight people who worked there over three generations. It was part of Chairman Mao's initiative to move military factories inland. The factory's initial head of security, Guan Fengjiu, and a worker who came there in the 1950s, Xiao He, are interviewed about its origins and the work environment. Then a woman who worked there as a repairman talks about being laid off in the 1990s. Another man explains that the factory was separate from the surrounding city, with its own schools, residences, shops -a self-contained environment created for the workers. The film gradually works its way to the director's generation, whose attitude toward factory work and money are markedly different from their elders.

Between the interviews, we see song lyrics, poetry, and images whose significance is not always clear. But half (four) of the workers being interviewed are, in fact, actors with a script. Joan Chen plays an aging spinster whose co-workers nicknamed her "Little Flower" because they thought she looked like Joan Chen. Cute. Or not. The segments with the actors are not difficult to pick out, because they feel contrived and overdramatic. Jia probably wanted to make certain comments and observations that real people didn't articulate, so he included scripted segments. But it's obviously what Jia thinks, not what the factory workers feel. I think he'd have done better to make this as a documentary, which could be framed to present a particular perspective without being maudlin.

The DVD (Cinema Guild 2010): Bonus features are a short film by Jia Zhang-Ke called "Cry Me a River" (18 min) about 4 friends from college who reunite in their 30s, a theatrical trailer (3 min), and "Scott Foundas interviews director Jia Zhang-Ke" (50 min). This was a Q&A session from the New York Film Festival in 2008. Jia talks about his background, the themes of his films, his visual style, censorship and pirating in China, the hybrid documentary-narrative film, and more. He is simultaneously translated into English. The film is in Mandarin with optional English subtitles.

24 City is the first film by critically esteemed Chinese director Jia Zhang-Ke that I've seen and it was a fascinating film. It chronicles the closing and reopening of a factory into a luxury apartment complex and in the time explores and evaluates 50 years of Chinese history and culture. It is at a once a portrait of a rapidly changing China. It is also a hard film to categorize since it includes documentary style interviews with non-actors as well as performances in the same vein by actors-most notably Joan Chen. It is also a stunning visual document of China at the moment with some stunning cinematography. I am looking forward to seeing more of Zhang-ke's earlier films like Platform and Still Life. The DVD features an interesting short film, Cry Me A River, an interview with film critic Scott Foundas, and an essay by film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum.