Fang
Xiuying is sort of like a Chinese Mr. Lazarescu, but her passing is
much less drawn out. She was also a real person. After years of faithfully documenting
life in China as it really happens, Wang Bing finally captures some death in
the brief (by his standards) but discomfiting Mrs. Fang
(trailer here),
which screens during the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival.
Mrs.
Fang has suffered from Alzheimer’s for years, so when death finally comes, it
will probably be a relief for her. Certainly, most of her family will feel that
way too. They have all duly assembled for her final moments, but they are
starting to get restless. Most of them are obviously annoyed by this ritual,
but a handful look genuinely distraught. However, the former take great delight
in criticizing one of her grandsons, who will no doubt take flak for his
absence at every family gathering going forward.
At
a mere eighty-six minutes, Mrs. Fang practically
qualifies as a short subject compared to Wang’s previous films, like the nearly
four-hour ‘Til Madness Do Us Part and
the nine-hour Tie Xi Qu: West of the
Tracks. However, it displays the same uncomfortably intimate aesthetics.
Frankly, it is hard to look at Mrs. Fang’s face, because she has essentially
wasted away, leaving her desiccated features tightly drawn-looking. Yet, Wang
forces us to look, with long, extended close-ups.
It
is almost impossible to not feel intrusive while watching these final personal
moments. Yet, it is important to take into account Wang was filming with the
full cooperation of her adult children and he had met his silent subject well
before her health declined so sharply (however, she had already been diagnosed
with Alzheimer’s by the time of their first encounter).
Like
many of Wang’s documentaries, Mrs. Fang is
not expressly political, but it is hard to imagine it getting any noticeable
theatrical release in Mainland China, since any censor worth their salt would
recognize it is just bad for Party business. As a resident of Maihui Village
Zhejiang Province from 1948 to 2016, Mrs. Fang lived under mean circumstances
and she died under mean circumstances. That is an incontestable truth that
comes through loud and clear in Wang’s film.
