Direction: Huo Meng
Country: China
Huo Meng’s sophomore feature, Living The Land, is a tender and poetic drama about traditional life in a corner of the Chinese countryside at the end of the 20th century. It also unfolds as a bittersweet coming-of-age story, offering an honest portrait of a farming family in the village of Bewangtai, in Henan province, seen through the eyes of a sensitive ten-year-old boy, Chuang (Wang Shang).
Living the Land may bear a simple title, but it conceals an expansive universe within a story that spans four generations. Its heartfelt approach and wealth of observation prove captivating from beginning to end—absent parents, family solidarity, the party’s grip, age-old traditions, an unwanted marriage, survival, oil diggers and progress, (controlled) birth, death… It’s a dazzling package shaped by a distinct aesthetic, bucolic tones, and deliberate pacing.
Carrying a documentary-like verisimilitude and reflective strength, the film—shot over the course of a year—is dedicated to Meng’s childhood and the farmers of his village. Rich in depth, this moving chronicle is remarkably staged and naturally performed, marking it as a film destined to leave its imprint on the history of Chinese cinema. This marvel of subtlety earned Meng the Silver Bear for Best Director at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Quisque iaculis facilisis lacinia. Mauris euismod pellentesque tellus sit amet mollis.