Last weekend I went to see Jia Zhangke’s Goldern Lion winner. It tells the story of two people caught in the maelstrom of China’s breakneck development. The film is set in Sichuan’s Three Gorges which is soon to be flooded. In terms of plot not much happens, but then maybe that’s the point. Still Life is a raw unsentimental experience. I liked the way it dealt with the reality of migration and technology without overstated empathy - oh and it looks incredible. Still Life is showing at the BFI Southbank until the 28th of February.

bfi, Jia Zhangke, review, still life film