LIKE THE DYER’S HAND

“Heaven uses a hundred misfortunes to fashion one poet,” writes Ye Jiaying, one of the top scholars of classical Chinese poetry in the world, citing the intellectual Wang Guowei to explain how life’s tribulations led her to a deeper understanding of poetry. In this critically acclaimed documentary, Ye’s life story unfolds in poetic narration from herself and her students, peers, and friends. Born in 1924, Ye has lived through war, political turmoil, and extreme personal loss, but has found

solace in classical poetry, especially Du Fu’s poems written during the chaotic

close of the Tang dynasty (618 — 907). The documentary is not just a biography,but an immersive literary experience.

COFFEE OR TEA?

Failed serial entrepreneur Wei Jinbei (Liu Haoran) is reluctantly dragged into yet another startup venture by courier Peng Xiubing (Peng Yuchang) to build a rural delivery service in Peng’s home village in Yunnan. Their comical journey involves getting villagers addicted to online shopping, leading to unexpected results. But when they meet Li Shaoqun (Yin Fang), a fellow urban returnee and avid coffee fan, the three get new ideas. Featuring beautiful natural scenery and local rituals like praying to the tea god, this low-budget comedy, which took less than three weeks to produce, was the dark horse during October’s “Golden Week” holiday,earning more than 300 million at the box office.

MY PEOPLE, MY HOMELAND

This follow-up to the 2019 patriotic blockbusterMy People, My Countryfeatures five stories by seven directors, all set in the countryside. An officially sanctioned film reflecting state ideology, it depicts rural-born individuals returning to give back to their home communities, featuring familiar characters such as dedicated village teachers and plucky rural livestreamers. Several stories are quite entertaining, such as that of a grassroots inventor causing a UFO scare. Some of the beloved actors fromMy Countryreprise their roles, including Ge You as a bumbling Beijing taxi driver.

LEAP

This long-anticipated sports film was postponed since late January due to the Covid-19 pandemic.Leaptells the three-decade long journey of China’s women’s volleyball team from underdogs to defending world and Olympic champions. Lang Ping, the legendary player-turned–coach, is the primary character, played by her real-life daughter Bai Lang in her younger years and Gong Li in the present day. The film recreates classic moments from historic matches, and several members of the Chinese national team play themselves,making the action scenes realistic and entertaining to watch. – LIU JUE (劉玨)