In
today’s China, opinions on hutongs vary drastically. Some view them as embarrassing
reminders of the nation’s darker days that should be bulldozed as soon as
possible. However, many of the remaining residents recognize they are a real
community, with more neighborly cohesion that the glass and steel apartment
towers sprouting like weeds. Chongqing’s Shibati hutong is scheduled for
demolition, but many residents are determined to hang on as long as they can.
French filmmaker Hendrick Dusollier documents the slow destruction of a
community over six-month intervals in Last
Days in Shibati (trailer
here) which screens during this year’s First Look at the Museum of the Moving Image.
Not
everyone welcomes Dusollier and his camera to Shibati, but those who do become
his fast friends. When he first arrives, the hutong is still full of life, even
though it is grossly impoverished and lacking consistent infrastructure, especially
electricity. Ironically, the posh shopping mall romantically named Moonlight City
is just a hop, skip, and a jump from the bowels of Shibati.
During
the course of his repeat visits, Dusollier focuses on three figures:
seven-year-old Zhou Hong, his self-appointed fixer; Mr. Li, a barber with
enough low-level political connections to be one of the last forced out; and
Ms. Xue Lian, a kindly garbage-picker, who also runs a dorm-style hostel for
migrant workers. Basically, Dusollier captures the realities of their lives, occasionally
interrupting for a little Q&A, but all three are so charismatic and
engaging, viewers will immediately get sucked into their world.
To
his credit, Dusollier includes plenty of reality checks regarding the quality
of life in old Shibati. There is no question residents were due for some
improvements. Nevertheless, those who admonish Dusollier to “show something
positive for a change” are really just as blinkered as the biased perspective
they project onto him. Frankly, when they shout such protests at him while he
follows Ms. Xue, it rather makes the blood boil. It is hard to imagine any more
positive than her (and beautiful too, she must have been something else during
the prime she never had a chance to enjoy).
Often,
Dusollier captures telling reminders that even if the government makes good on
its relocation promises (in buildings way on the outskirts of town), the former
Shibatians will never be socially accepted by “proper” Chongqingers. As a
result, Last Days becomes
increasingly bittersweet, with an emphasis on the bitter.
