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An Elephant Sitting Still (18*)

Da xiang xi di er zuo

An Elephant Sitting Still

In the northern Chinese city of Manzhouli, there is an elephant that sits and ignores the world – a symbol of escape for the protagonists of the late writer and filmmaker Hu Bo’s four-hour epic.

The film unfolds over a single suspenseful day in the city and follows the struggles of its characters: Bu is on the run after pushing the school bully Shuai down the stairs; Shuai’s older brother Cheng, a gangster, is after revenge; and Bu’s schoolmate, Ling, fears the release of an incriminating video.
 
Told through beautiful compositions, punctured by silence and violence, Hu Bo's critically acclaimed first and final film delivers a furious social commentary on contemporary China that is destined to become a landmark of Chinese cinema.

 

Tagged with: Cinema New releases

China 2018 Dir Hu Bo 230 min

* = locally classified by the City of London Corporation

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