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.
