South of the Clouds (Zhu Wen, 2003)

[ChrisW]

Hey,

Been away from these boards for far too long...

My recent travels in China led me to an interesting opportunity for potential video distribution in Australia/NZ of this little gem of a film. Due to circumstances at the time, this film was never distributed anywhere in the world so has never appeared on DVD before.

Curious to sound out your thoughts on this film. Is it a forgotten classic that people have been dying to see on DVD? Would be great to hear what you guys think.

Regards,
Chris

[zedz]

I love this film. Unassuming, but insidious, kind of like Hong Sang-soo's take on Kafka, and it has one of my favourite dream sequences. A man tries to return to an important site from his youth, only to find himself trapped there in a kind of bureaucratic purgatory. You think it's going to be gently ironic nostalgia, or a dry comedy of manners, but it turns into a weird, but very understated, existential nightmare.

Director Zhu Wen was also the writer of another neglected gem, Rainclouds Over Wushan, which tackled the Three Gorges topic a good ten years before the current spate. It's another film that subtly shifts moods and modes, going from the surreal comedy of an amazingly incongruous musical cue (Prince's 'Peach') to the darker goings on in the doomed city.

[Doug Cummings]

I absolutely loved the film when I saw it at the Los Angeles fest four years ago. Visually potent, an affecting tribute to a "silent generation," and it even has a memorable performance by the film's executive producer, Tian Zhuangzhuang. I'd buy the DVD in a heartbeat.

[foggy eyes]

I had a look around for this about a year ago, and was disappointed to see that it wasn't available anywhere. Chalk me up for a purchase if a release is on the cards.