Help

I won't sit here and pretend to understand all of the socio-economic and political feelings in present day China, but I did pick up on lots of the metaphors and still, the film fell flat for me. The first vignette felt like a bad remake of a Tarantino film. The second was almost a noir thriller, minus the thrill. The third, was very effective and had it been a lone short, I'd have loved it, but then the final piece. What a transparent, obvious klunker. The thin way they threaded them together was poorly done, but what really has me questioning the movie is the hype. I've read this was the best movie of the year, the best movie of the past decade, the greatest screenplay of the last twenty years. Really?

Can someone put into context, what is so amazing about this? Period pieces are one thing, but when they're done in present day, shouldn't we feel more connected? I just watched Hard to be a God and felt as if it was more in tune with today's world. I am chalking this up to simply not understanding how powerful this was to those in the know, but for an outsider, this simply didn't resonate with me.