The World

The World

2004 · 143 min · ZH · 6.9 (61 votes)
Dir. Jia Zhangke · Starring Zhao Tao, Cheng Taishen, Jue Jing, Jiang Zhongwei, Wang Hongwei, Liang Jingdong · Music Lim Giong
Drama

A young dancer, her security-guard boyfriend and others work at World Park, a bizarre cross-pollination of Las Vegas and Epcot Center where visitors can interact with famous international monuments without ever leaving the Beijing suburbs.

VIBE

A quiet, contemplative look at lives lived amidst manufactured wonder. It feels like a hazy, dreamlike exploration of ennui and the search for authenticity in a world of replicas. The atmosphere is hushed and melancholic.

melancholywistfulobservationalpoignantslow-burnarthousecharacter-drivenslice-of-lifedisillusionmentartificialitylongingmodernity
▶ Stream on Criterion Channel
MORE LIKE THIS — multi-vector + why, diversified