It just all seems a little too neat to me. For an unvarnished documentary, some of the scenes seem a bit too, well, *coached.*
Did anyone else come away with an uneasy feeling that some scenes were staged (to one degree or another) for the sake of reaching a predetermined conclusion?
I did feel as if some scenes were rehearsed, but that didn't bother me much. I think that this film conveyed a pretty powerful truth and if some scenes were fabricated to complete the story and inspire the message, that's okay with me.
After all, art is about truth, not fact.
"After all, art is about truth, not fact."
And that is why, my reservation aside, I'm enthusiastic about this film. I don't think it will fail to resonate with most mainland Chinese - if in fact any of them have actually had a chance to see it.
"I think that this film conveyed a pretty powerful truth"
I'd be interested in reading more of your thoughts on this.
... the truth that is authoritarianism. I saw the film awhile ago, but the class elects the police chief's son to be their leader, is that correct?
Otherwise, that modern diplomacy has been reduced to bullying, talent contests, popularity.
Particularly I was moved by the scene in which the young girl's mother begins to cry due to the stress and guilt that accompanies life as a single mother. Though I was disturbed by the film's politics, the humanity of its subjects pervades; and the director admirably shoots with enough irony to find his subjects memorable.