(Ren shan ren hai). A sort of horror film where the terror stems as much from the crushing despair and pervasive corruption of working-class China as from the murder at the center of its plot, People Mountain People Sea is a story of vengeance set in China’s wild Southwest, where brutality can be the norm rather than the exception. Director Cai Shangjun expertly modulates the film’s growing dread and wretchedness with carefully choreographed long takes and stunning cinemascope vistas. Applying the austere observational style and sociological preoccupations of Jia Zhangke to a storyline that might suit an adrenaline-fueled Park Chan-wook film, Cai’s second feature is a disturbing glimpse into the dark heart of Southwest China’s industrial revolution. Jesse Dubus
Written by Gu Xiaobai, Cai, Gu Zheng. Photographed by Dong Jinsong. With Chen Jianbin, Tao Hong, Wu Xiubo. (91 mins)
55th San Francisco International Film Festival @ BAM/PFA
BAM/PFA is honored to once again be the exclusive East Bay venue for the San Francisco International Film Festival. Join us for forty-two films—features, shorts, documentaries, experimental films—from over thirty countries. We expect additional filmmakers and other special guests in person: go to bampfa.berkeley.edu for the latest updates.
Special Pricing
BAM/PFA members, San Francisco Film Society members, UC Berkeley students: $11
General admission: $13
Non-UC Berkeley students, seniors, and disabled persons: $12
Please note that our second-feature discount does not apply to these programs. Tickets are nonrefundable, and may not be exchanged. CineVouchers may not be redeemed in person at the PFA Theater.
