Films A-Z
We
Women
Huang Wenhai / Switzerland, China / 2008 / 102 min.
This young Chinese director's film follows men with different generational experiences who are convinced of the need for a fundamental reform of the political system in China. The people who are juxtaposed in the documentary include a young blogger, who subsequently gets baptised and becomes involved in an underground church, as well as the aged Li Rui, a former secretary of Mao Zedong who was imprisoned for many years, and people close to him - former high-ranking state officials who resisted corruption and are fighting for justice. They speak with other people about the political conditions that prevail in China; they listen to their stories of injustice and explain the need for change to them. At the same time, they try to print controversial opinions on the Internet and in samizdat publications, or else they write letters to top state representatives. A debate about the need to officially register an opposition organisation comes to the fore in the film. This is simply a political gesture and is just the first step on the road to reform, but actually taking this measure seems to be unrealistic in view of the repression that is expected. This movie offers a uniquely open and dispassionate view of a key problem facing contemporary China. It does not neglect to look at the possibility of essential reforms being implemented among the ranks of the Communist Party.