Chinese Portrait

2018 1h 19m ZH

👍

6.9

SOLID

🔥

90%

CERTIFIED FRESH

💯

METACRITIC

⭐

6.6

IMDB

★6.9TMDB · 7🍅90%Rotten Tomatoes●81Metacritic★6.6IMDB · 151

Documentary

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Shot over the course of ten years on both film and video, the film consists of a series of carefully composed tableaux of people and environments. Pedestrians shuffle across a bustling Beijing street, steelworkers linger outside a deserted factory, tourists laugh and scamper across a crowded beach, worshippers kneel to pray in a remote village. With a painterly eye for composition, Wang captures China as he sees it, calling to a temporary halt a land in a constant state of change.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Wang Xiaoshuai
Languages: Mandarin
Countries: China, France, Hong Kong

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 79-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 8 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: China, France, Hong Kong.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Wang Xiaoshuai, shot by Wu Di. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Valérie Loiseleux shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt9434778 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 7 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Wang Xiaoshuai directs. Wu Di behind the camera. Valérie Loiseleux cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in China, France, Hong Kong. Dialogue in Mandarin.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 79-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
2Released 8 years ago.
3International production across 3 countries: China, France, Hong Kong.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Wang Xiaoshuai, shot by Wu Di. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Editor Valérie Loiseleux shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7IMDB entry: tt9434778 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 7 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.