(1993)
4.5
Derek Armstrong
An unusually forthright product of Chinese filmmaking -- so forthright, in fact, that it was banned in mainland China -- The Blue Kite is a disarming look at the illusions of Communism and the forceful repression of dissident thinkers in the first decades after World War II. That's a pretty big topic to take on in the abstract, so it's filtered through the eyes of a young boy, raised by a mother who's terminally exhausted, and a succession of incomplete father figures, whose residency is always temporary. The Blue Kite sneaks up on a viewer with how powerful it is. That is to say, many of the dreadful things that happen are presented matter-of-factly -- an indication of both the subtlety of director Tian Zhuangzhuang and the ingrained stoicism of the Chinese people. As young Tietou grows from an infant to a young teen, his greater family and social dynamic degenerates from jovial bliss to staring hopelessness. But this occurs in such imperceptible steps that it takes the viewer by surprise. Zhuangzhuang has little interest in large-scale emotional displays, preferring to let the deaths of major characters occur off-screen, noted only in the narration of the grown Tietou. What emerges from the director's choices is a China in which the speed people learned to keep their opinions to themselves bore a direct relationship to how they prospered. Sadly, even those who did fall in lock step with the regime didn't really prosper, either. The Blue Kite expertly balances its core political dramas with Tietou's everyday coming-of-age issues, making for a powerful case study. The film's imposing length means it's not for everybody, but viewers eager to peer inside a China the government would prefer to forget -- even as it still echoes in modern Chinese society -- won't be disappointed.
releases for The Blue Kite on AllMovie
The Blue Kite (1993)
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The Blue Kite
Kino
More
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January 14, 2003 |
