I've always been drawn towards the quiet, contemplative and lingering films. Typically, they convey mood and narrative through meticulously composed cinematography and minimal dialogue. Distinctive works that that come to mind are Stranger than Paradise, Paris Texas, and anything by Andrei Tarkovsky. In all respects, Zhan Ke Jia's work could be included among them. However, his cinematography places the individual in scenes of diconnection and abandonment--resulting in an extreme sense of hopelessness.
Zhan Ke films take place mostly contemporary China and tend to focus on the daily and often monotonous life of the average citizen. The films' locations could be captured majestically--or even grandly imposing. Instead, he strives for a preponderance of ordinariness through the use of diminutive shots and dull color tones. While Wim Wenders characters find themselves lost in a grand and majestic backdrop, Zhan Ke undercuts any potential majesty in favor of banality.
The narrative traces one man's search for is wife paralleled by one woman's search for her husband. Ultimately, the two protagonists confront and accept the reality that their relationship had likely died so long ago. The setting is the valley flooded by the construction of the controversial Three Gorges Dam. The dam effectively serves as a dual symbol of disconnection--between the individuals themselves as well as there relationship to the egocentric whims of the state.
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