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5.8/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.8/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Zhifen shichang remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you need a movie that moves fast or has a big 'aha' moment at the end, keep walking. Zhifen Shichang is a slow burn that mostly just watches people talk and walk through rooms. It is the kind of movie that assumes you have all afternoon to spare. If you get bored when people are just sitting around drinking tea, you are probably going to hate it.
But if you like movies that feel like they have some dust on the lens and a bit of weight in their pockets, maybe stick around. It captures that specific feeling of being stuck, which is something I think we have all felt at least once.
There is a scene about thirty minutes in—I think it was in a kitchen—where Ping Hu is just peeling something. She does it for so long. The sound of the knife hitting the wood is the only thing happening. It was weirdly hypnotic. Most directors would have cut that out to get to the dialogue, but they left it in, and you end up just staring at the texture of the fruit. 🍊
It reminded me a bit of the pacing in The Bottom of the Sea, where the silence feels like a character all on its own. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it feels like the movie is just waiting for someone to remember their lines.
There is a moment where the camera lingers on a stack of old newspapers in the corner of a shop. It stays there for maybe ten seconds too long. I found myself trying to read the headlines instead of listening to the characters. Did they mean for us to see that? Probably not.
Maybe. It doesn't have the polish you see in modern stuff, and some of the performances feel a little stiff, like everyone is walking on eggshells. But there is a realness to it. It does not feel like a 'product.' It feels like a project someone actually wanted to finish, even if they ran out of money or ideas halfway through.
It’s not perfect. The ending just kind of… stops. There is no big resolution. You just realize the movie is done and you have to get up from the couch. It’s not profound, but it stayed with me longer than a lot of 'better' films did this month.
It’s the kind of film that doesn’t ask for your attention; it just sits there until you give it to him.
If you want something to fill the space in your head, give it a shot. Just don’t expect to be wowed. Sometimes 'fine' is enough, you know?
IMDb 6.9
1932
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