It comes to no surprise that the most active cities in the world are slowly becoming identical to each other with the push of economic growth through globalist ventuers. Where we replace the old with the new, the skyscrapers and modern housing developments. The sleak and the glass, modern living over the idea of tradition. The sad outcome of this is the abandonment of culture that comes with the idea of futuristic, near-minimalist living and design. The world just twenty years ago being almost unrecognisable in the present. Cathy Yan is a filmmaker that I had heard of briefly before, but not for her film Dead Pigs, which details the way in which life and society has changed in one of China's most modern locations. Despite the location, the story is ultimately one that we can all relate to in some form in our home nations, as the world changes and adapts to the futuristic and heavily technological life that is coming very soon.
Dead Pigs reflects on the loss of indentity and the increase in greed that comes with it. As China enters a stage of constant growth and development with little consideration for the values and traditions that helped shaped its present, as money becomes placed ahead of all else. Cathy Tan approaches these ideas carefully, displaying multiple perspectives in which different social classes and nationalities are considered. Where the globalism of China's modern functionality is often at the hands of those who never did understand the culture and never will as they help shape its replacement.
That is not to say that Dead Pigs considers the western individuals to be bad, but the film understands that rapid living contains a bit of everything and everyone. And to my surprise, there are undertones in which China's aggressive approach to rapid development has its consequences on everyone despite the government's seemingly ignorant lack of acknowledgement over it. Though Dead Pigs is a film about the individuals, victims of the growth, and how some still cling to the generations before them.
Despite the film's title and the curiosity it brings, the first thing I noticed about Dead Pigs was the beautiful cinematography and directing it held. The film throughout felt so delicate, with a score that felt just as fragile alongside it. The scenes were often dreamlike, slowly traversing through the purple, pink, and blue tones of Shanghai's modern lights that seemingly never go out. The film does an amazing job at portraying the very modern and rapid life of the city, to which it then introduces its main characters and shows us the opposite side, the old and the frail. The abandonment of tradition, and the total lack of interest in cultural preservation that comes with the thirst for growth. Our characters come from different backgrounds, some wealthy, some poor, others young and careless and clinging to the old ways of earning an income.
Our characters are loosely tied to a series of events based on a true story, one in which thousands of dead pigs began to appear in the river. This event despite its weirdness is mostly kept in the dark as the characters and their lives take reign over the narrative. It was very quickly captivating in its slow storytelling, where the camera would pan in and out of environments, moving graciously throughout buildings and rooms to display the broader picture in regards to the traditions and former generations that once spent their lives within these now irrelevant walls.
A larger narrative is one of a housing development just outside of the city where the streets are nothing but debris. A wasteland of bricks and the ghosts of former homes. Where just a handful remain isolated and scattered around this debris. One of which being lived in by a woman that has no interest in letting it go, still caring for the meaning this old home had to her family and past generations. And in classic capitalist fashion: nobody cares for these traditions, and only cares for getting her out of the home so that it can be demolished in favour of the development of the new.
Dead Pigs treads around this idea of the old no longer being cared for. Where those who simply wish to sit idle and live a slow life are pretty much pushed aside or forced to adapt to the rapid movement of Shanghai. We see how China, in few locations, has reached a stage of a never-ending game of musical chairs; I found it particularly interesting towards the end in which a character's dialogue roams over the technological developments of modern day items: how we replace one item with the next, then the next, and there's a 2S, a 3S, a 2 PRO, a 3 PRO, and how this just never ends. There's a degree of existentialism present in this idea as the city's inhabitants live in the same manner.
One character of a different background being offered yet another position in a new housing development plan before the last one has really even started. We see the constant replacing of old with new before we are even given a moment to sit down and relax and see the changes we just implemented. It is ironic to see from a film that is shot in a nation that is still incredibly communist in government and living. Also interesting in how that aspect of living promotes greed and a capitalist's mindset in a desperate bid to escape the poverty of communism. Something many other films from China also address.
I found myself thoroughly enjoying Dead Pigs. I am surprised a film like this was capable of being shot and released in China given its themes and empathy towards the idea of preserving history and tradition, when the government seems so persistent on destroying those very things. The cinematography was incredibly beautiful, and the score alongside it just added to that more ethereal approach to a modern lifestyle. We see a life of articial lighting and bright tones, alongside the gentle sounds of ambience that connect us to this understanding of transcendence into something greater. It was nice to see that the film was not overly preaching in its appproach to handle the themes it did.
Instead we see a very human story on the many types of people and generations that are all witnessing these changes at the same time, and how they adapt and feel about these changes. Many are not ready for it, nor will they ever be. Some refuse to adapt and stick to old ways. Some contribute to the harmful nature of this endless growth without quite realising it in the pursuit of their own wealth and greed. All of these people living all at once and experiencing the same changes all at once. These characters eventually come together and are connected to the story, and it was done rather well.
Dead Pigs feels like a film merely documenting the many changes taking place, not quite sure of how it should portray them, but knows that the documenting of it all is important. It throws in different ideas and perspectives to connect it all under a comedic tone and piece of fiction, though the film is essentially showing us this change in humanity and saying: "This is pretty crazy, isn't it?"
Perhaps not in some overly negative tone, but in one that is very self-aware of who is being affected and how. While also basking in the marvel of it all. I really liked it for this. There's sadness, suffering, happiness, change, and humanity all in one. A somewhat rarity within Chinese cinema. If you want to check this out, it is currently available on Mubi. I definitely recommend it, it is worth your time.
Greetings Namiks, I happened to see a Chinese movie last night although it has nothing to do with the depth of this one you saw, however, I was amazed by the art direction of it, I will do a review this week, I hope I have time, I loved how they played with those colors, just like you describe with this one and although the movie is about some chefs, it has nothing to do with dead pigs, it also has a background where they focus on contrasting everything new and industrialized with the old and traditional Chinese culture and I thought who understands them? They get upset if they don't stick to their customs and want to keep their millenary traditions, but every day their industries bring out copies of the latest models of the best electronic equipment in the capitalist world and live in a perennial competition to show their degree of technological advancement 🙃.
I found it a bit ambiguous what they want to sell. But I liked the movie, even though the performances were not very good, just because of that direction and the script I liked it.
Now that I read your review where you compare those ambiguities I feel sorry to make my review because you do know how to describe cinematographically that 🙃, but well, anyway, I never knew anything about cinema and I'm still around here trying 😅😅😅😅.
Excellent post @namiks I think I will look for this movie soon.
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