Piercing I

Piercing I

Kitajska / China, 2009, digiBeta, 74'. V kitajskem jeziku z angleškimi podnapisi. / In Chinese language with English subtitles.

Režija / Directed by: Liu Jian
Scenarij / Screenplay: Liu Jian
Animacija / Animation: Liu Jian
Montaža / Editing: Liu Jian
Produkcija / Production: Le-Joy Animation Studio
Distribucija / Distribution: Holland Animation Film Festival

Zhang Xiaojun z revnega podeželja pride v veliko mesto. Prebije se skozi študij in si najde službo v tovarni čevljev. Leta 2008 morajo zaradi finančne krize zapreti številne tovarne. Zhang Xiaojun izgubi službo, ko ga nekega dne varnostnik v supermarketu pretepe, ker ga zamenja za tatu. Poslovodjo supermarketa brez uspeha prosi za odškodnino – njegova srčna želja je, da bi se vrnil v rodno vas in nadaljeval s preprostim kmečkim življenjem. Tik pred odhodom ga policija aretira. Tudi poslovodja supermarketa ima svoje težave. V noči, obsijani z mesečino, se njuni zgodbi srečata v čajni hiši blizu mestnega obzidja.

Liu Jian v svojem prvem animiranem filmu pripoveduje zgodbo o kitajskem mladostniku, ki ga po krivici obtožijo zločina, zaradi česar izgubi službo. “Piercing I” je navdušujoč portret trenutnih družbenih razmer na Kitajskem. Za neolepšano estetiko in črnim humorjem se skrivata kritika in odpor do družbe, v kateri so diskriminacija, nasilje in korupcija nekaj normalnega in kjer so življenja neprivilegiranih brezupna. Izjemen dokument sodobnosti.


**

Liu Jian je diplomiral na Inštitutu za umetnost v Nandžingu, potem pa začel delati za podjetje, ki se ukvarja z animacijo. “Nekega dne sem se z ženo pogovoril o zamisli, da bi izdelal animirani film. Z njenim privoljenjem sva prodala stanovanje in se oprla na svoje prihranke, nekaj pomoči pa sva dobila od sorodnikov. Skupna vsota denarja, ki sem jo potreboval za produkcijo, je bila 100.000 ameriških dolarjev.”
Tri leta je na grafičnem tabličnem računalniku WACOM risal animirane sličice. Pred enim letom je s filmom zaslovel v tujini in dobil ogromno pozitivnih kritiških odzivov nanj.


Zhang Xiaojun came from a poor rural area to the big city. He put himself through university and found a job in a shoe factory. In 2008, the financial crisis forced the closure of many factories. Zhang Xiaojun lost his job. One day, a supermarket guard beats him up, mistaking him for a thief. In vain, he asks the supermarket manager for financial redress – his dearest wish is to return to his village to resume a simple farming life. Right before his departure, the police arrest him. The supermarket manager also has his problems. On a moonlit night, the storylines converge in a teahouse near the city rampart.

In his first animated feature film, Liu Jian tells the story of a Chinese youth who is wrongfully accused of a crime and loses his job. “Piercing I” is an impressive portrayal of the current social conditions in China. Criticism and distaste for a society in which discrimination, violence and corruption are the norm and in which the lives of the disadvantaged are desperate, are concealed behind unembellished aesthetics and black humour. A remarkable contemporary document.


**

Liu Jian graduated from the Nanjing Arts Institute and then went off to work for an animation company. "One day, I talked to my wife about the idea of making an animation film. With her permission, we sold our apartment, relied on our savings and we also got help from our relatives. The whole combination of money needed to produce the film was USD $100,000."
For three years, he drew animation frames on a WACOM graphic tablet. One year ago, the film won fame overseas and gained much critical acclaim.