Review of The World (2004) by 'Becca L — 22 Mar 2006

[font=Times New Roman][size=3][color=darkorange]Dir: Jia Zhangke[/color][/size][/font].

[font=Times New Roman][size=3][color=darkorange]More vibrant and colorful than Jia Zhanke's XIAO WU, this story takes place in a theme park called "The World" near Beijing. Filmed at an actual theme park (Beijing World Garden) that consists of miniaturized famous world structure replicas, the intent of the park is to let people see the world without leaving Beijing. Scaled down Egyptian Pyramids, the Taj Mahal, Eiffel Tower, even a New York city, complete with still-erect trade towers all combine to form a bizarre portrait of the rest of the world through the eyes of Beijing.[/color][/size][/font].

[font=Times New Roman][size=3][color=darkorange]The story unfolds around the employees of the park, namely Tao, the pretty star of many of the opulent shows that are performed at the park, and Taisheng, one of the park's security guards. The story actually splits into smaller, parallel stories, one of which is Tao's and Taisheng's relationship with each other. Taisheng is seeing a young, pretty fashion designer (who actually makes tailored knock-offs of designer clothing) behind Tao's back. Their mutual friends also have relationship ups and downs, none of the relationships are without their problems.[/color][/size][/font].

[font=Times New Roman][size=3][color=darkorange]We see behind the scenes of the shows, the opulent shows that are staged in each region of the park, and for all the glitz and glamour of the performers and the actual performances, it's all still fake, false, it isn't really a part of these other cultures, so far away and exotic. While this may have been a small step up in life for the employees of the park who come from rural areas, it still is not a satisfying [i]career[/i]. It is [i]just a job[/i]. Under the brightly colored silk dresses and bejeweled clothing, everyone is still the same person that they were before. Same problems, same hopes and dreams, same everything. Same mundane problems that everyone else in the world deals with on a daily basis. This encapsulated World and it's relevant problems could [i]really[/i] be [i]any[/i] location in our world.[/color][/size][/font].

[font=Times New Roman][size=3][color=darkorange]Is it better to stay close to home, or risk everything to move to a bigger city? Is it necessarily worth the sacrifice? A parallel story about Taisheng's younger brother moving to the city to make money as a hard laborer/construction worker brings up these questions and makes us ponder what we are willing to sacrifice for the hope of a better life, for the chance to fulfill our desires. Staying at home may be boring and predictable, but venturing forth into the wilderness of the world is not a guarantee of happiness or success.[/color][/size][/font].

[font=Times New Roman][size=3][color=darkorange]Visually, scenes in the movie oscillate between stark, gritty, tightly filmed, extremely personal scenes of the characters and their attendant relationships, hopes, and dreams, and then to a sort cross between Las Vegas and Epcot Center with the glitzy showmanship of the performances. Dazzling, yet dark and realistic.[/color][/size][/font].

[font=Times New Roman][size=3][color=darkorange]I feel like I have only just scratched the surface of this film, but at the risk of over analysis (and ruining it for others!) I will stop here. I'm sure there are many different things I have not mentioned or have not picked up on that other people will discover. It really can be a very personal movie that every one of us can somehow relate to. Well done![/color][/size][/font].