an instant all-time favorite JZ. like Jia, I too am in love with Zhao Tao's face, and her story told through an impressionistic, musical collage was so moving as a bildungsroman and time capsule of the 21st century.

i wondered while watching if Jia is politically hopeful at all. this has probably been written about extensively… (if you have reading recs please share). i liked this point from Leo Goldsmith’s review:

"Looming in the background of these films is the Chinese…

My friend has been trying to place a negative review of this film for the past month. She is a film critic, a sex worker, and studies the portrayal of sex work in films, so I'd think would be the perfect voice on the matter. she wrote to her various publications that declined because they had either ran a glowing review, or explicitly told her they didn't want to upset someone on Sean's team. I wish her review existed! Some…