Dream Weavers on AllMovie

As helmed by Chinese director Jun Gu, Dream Weavers embodies a multistranded reflection on the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Jun hones in not on the games themselves, but on a handful of different, criss-crossed narratives all related to the preparation for the games. In one strand, the audience follows one of four thousand families subjected to a grueling, forced relocation in order to make room for the new Olympic Village; in a second, the film witnesses the now-legendary construction of the colossal Bird's Nest stadium where the events will be held; in a third, Jun observes the grueling preparations of the gymnastics team under the aegis of no-prisoners coach Xiong Jingbin, with all of the forced fatigue, weariness and strain they must undergo; in a fourth, the film follows the training of a SWAT team in Beijing; in a fifth, the film observes the training of male hurdler Liu Xiang; and the sixth strand observes female gymnasts vying for the national team.