30/22
Synopsis
After being released from prison, Lang returns to his hometown in northwest China. As part of a dog patrol tasked with cleaning up stray dogs before the 2008 Olympics, he forms a bond with a black stray. The two lonely souls embark on a new journey together. Eddie Peng [the lead character] has formed such a strong bond with Xin, the film’s lead dog, that he adopted him after filming wrapped. I had no idea what to expect when I saw this film. It was slow-paced but completely gripping. It’s set in a somewhat bleak environment but it really opened my eyes to how people live in parts of China. It’s an austere, barren, treeless existence, yet the city is preparing for the 2008 Beijing Olympics with propaganda blaring over loudspeakers, in true Communist China style. Although it’s a serious film, there are several parts that are quite funny, and although it’s not dialogue-heavy, it’s what’s NOT said that makes you think. I can understand why he won at CANNES.