Part of Jia Zhang-ke’s Rapidly Changing Landscapes (Dir. #3)

Within those ten years, the Peasant Culture Group of Fenyang feels the effects of these abrupt changes, and morphs into the absurd All-Star Rock 'n' Breakdance Electronic Band from Shenzhen. The group at first performs populist Maoist propaganda like “Train Heading to Shaoshan,” then gradually begins to lean more towards antagonistic rock 'n' roll music. Cui Mingliang, played by Jia’s alter ego Wang Hongwei, is a performer in the troupe and our paradoxical moral center. He and his friends represent a bastion of modernity amongst rural culture, adopting the latest fashions and attempting to dream of a better future.

Cui Mingliang is a character that is easy to identify with: his rebellious devil-may-care attitude allows him the space to be completely ungrounded and, therefore, unattached to the people and the world around him. His on-again/off-again girlfriend, Ruijuan, makes the decision to leave the troupe and stay behind in Fenyang, leaving Mingliang solo. He drifts in his new world of bitter freedom.

“Platform” is a film held together by dichotomies and confrontations: the old versus the new, the communist versus the capitalist, desire versus contentment, the society versus the individual, and idealism versus reality. All the characters are imbued with a yearning for something more, yet none are able to make good on that desire. Unable to verbalize their yearnings and anxieties, relationships develop over wordless conversations, and Yu Lik-wai’s camera locks in on the negative space that holds his characters.

Symbolically, all roads lead back to Fenyang-- not coincidentally, Jia’s hometown. A question arises: “Where is Ulaanbaatar?” Mingliang replies, “North,” and the question continues, “...and north of that? …and north of that?” until Mingliang finally admits, “North of that and you are right back in Fenyang!” Moving forward is not all that it seems, and the troupe’s travels inevitably return them to where they started. Even Zhang Jun, who visits the excitement of Guangzhou, chooses to return to his old, familiar surroundings.

Jia’s view of the 80s is sharp and darkly funny, but “Platform” is tinged with undeniable sadness that breaks to the surface at the most unexpected moments. The most poignant comes when we meet Mingliang’s cousin Sanming (who we also meet later in Jia’s “Still Life”). Sanming seems apathetic to his situation: uneducated and relegated to a life working in the coalmines. The hard road, both literally and symptomatically, is something Sanming accepts, but when Sanming chases after Mingliang so he can pass along his paltry earnings to his sister, we feel the heartbreak. As he hands Mingliang 5 yuans, Sanming says, “Tell her she has to go to college and must never come back to this village again.”

“Platform” is not without hope; there are cathartic moments of joy, but the end of the film replaces aspiration with resignation. Mingliang returns to Fenyang and is reunited with Ruijuan over a very anticlimactic conversation about a ditch being dug in the road. It is a taciturn union, and we find Mingliang dozing and Ruijuan bouncing a baby in her arms. Reading disappointment or disillusionment into the scene may be a knee-jerk reaction, but it may also be a flawed interpretation. Perhaps I am projecting, but it strikes me that complacency can be one of the most unsung forms of happiness.

Last word:

“Platform” is a thought provoking, carefully constructed film that solidified Jia’s place as an internationally treasured auteur.

And check out...

• Old Hat Film: Xiao Wu (1997) Directed by Jia Zhang-ke

• Old Hat Film: Unknown Pleasures (2002) Directed by Jia Zhang-ke

• Old Hat Film: The World (2005) Directed by Jia Zhang-ke

• Old Hat Film: Still Life (2008) Directed by Jia Zhang-ke

Review By:
Kathie Smith, Staff Writer

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