Halfway between documentary and feature film, 24 City (tiff) was a microcosmic look at China itself: former workers lamenting the demise of the communist-era factory in favor of new condominiums, children who’ve spent their entire lives in the factory complex, security guards reminiscing about the opening of the plant, all melded with scripted parts by actresses. The documentary device was hard to stay with when an actress as recognizable as Joan Chen was on the screen, but they even made a sly little joke to explain that away and keep you in the moment.

I liked the film a lot, but I found I had to work at it a bit, and it took some time to get into it. Some (including Blue Rodeo‘s Jim Cuddy) never seemed to, and left early. The director (who wasn’t present; this was the third screening) did well to show Chengdu, and China in general, in the middle of a growth spurt, growing pains and all.

B

[tags]tiff, tiff08, 24 city, jim cuddy[/tags]