Linda C

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A love story of sorts, set within a trenchant view of changes in China as Mao's influence frays. As the Three Gorges Dam begins to obliterate the beauty of the gorges and the ancient towns along them, we see the devastation wrought by China's rulers as they force displacement of the residents who loved their homes and as the authorities demolish the towns brick by brick. We see the crumbling of former public works, like the People's hall, as privatization and graft take hold. At the center of that sequence stands a salvaged portrait of Mao, glowing in sunset colors but burned away from its frame on one edge. The man "restoring" the hall planned to fix the painting up and hang it again, but it's clear it is ruined, as are any values or ideals it may once have represented. Meanwhile, Christianity and Buddhism attract believers, and hard partying reves up crowds of young Chinese, putting young women in some danger. The director's critique takes a swipe at the U.S. as well. Covid has struck China, further isolating everyone from everyone else, even as they enthusiastically cheer for siting the Olympics in Beijing and for China's Olympic win. Against that triumph, a quote appears on screen critiquing American ineptitude in containing the pandemic. Knowing the dam was about to drown the Three Gorges, a friend and I went to China, sailed on the Yangtze in a boat much like the ones we see in the film, read Li Po's poems, in a book from the boat's library, about the scenes we were sailing past.We saw the markers for how high the water would rise, the towns that would drown, and learned of the planned mass displacement to come. So I found the film intriguing for what it taught me about that history playing out. The love here is not for Mao nor for the Gorges, but for a hope of connection without which we are truly desolate. And no AI robot will save us from this loneliness, which the film also makes clear.

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