XIAO SHAN GOES HOME
Title: XIAO SHAN GOES HOME
Original title: XIAOSHAN HUIJIA
Section: Tribute Programme
Director: Jia Zhang-Ke
Cast list: Hongwei Wang, Shuzhe Dong, Sheng Yao, Xiaomin Zhou, Liqin Zhu
Credits:
screenplay: Jia Zhang-Ke; director of photography: Zhao Zebiao; editor: Jia Zhang-Ke; music: Zhang Chu; sound: Lin Xiaoling Wei Ye; producer: Zhao Zebiao; production: Beijing Film Academy;
Country: China
Year: 1995
Running time: 59
Colour: Colour
Format: Beta Sp
An early, sometimes manic work, this is also the most Brechtian in Jia Zhang-ke's body of films. Focusing on someone from the countryside working in the city, it anticipates the later features. The plotline is simple: A young cook journeys to his hometown along with another resident. Atypically, the characters speak in regional dialects, in contradistinction to the Mandarin one hears in Chinese films. The director overlays text only tenuously related to the narrative, from commentary to train schedules. (H. F.)
