The World
- -“The World” is a theme park on the outskirts of Beijing, sixteen kilometers from the Chinese capital, designed around scaled representations of the world’s famous landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower or the Leaning Tower of Pisa.The site is seen here not from the visitors’ point of view but through the eyes of a few of its staff, lonely people, communicating poorly, a bit disillusioned with life, glittering for the tourists but dull and restricted as far as they are concerned.
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“The World” is a theme park on the outskirts of Beijing, sixteen kilometers from the Chinese capital, designed around scaled representations of the world’s famous landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower or the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
The World is a 2004 Chinese film written and directed by Jia Zhangke.
Starring Jia’s muse, Zhao Tao, as well as Chen Taisheng, The World was filmed on and around an actual theme park located in Beijing, Beijing World Park, which recreates world landmarks at reduced scales for Chinese tourists.
The World was Jia’s first to gain official approval from the Chinese government.
It was the first of his films to take place outside of his home province of Shanxi.
It received additional financial support from the Shanghai Film Studio and several Japanese corporations including Bandai Visual and Tokyo FM, among others.
The film premiered in competition at the 2004 Venice Film Festival on September 4, 2004, but failed to win the coveted Golden Lion, the festival’s top award, which ultimately went to Mike Leigh’s drama Vera Drake, but which Jia would win two years later with Still Life.
The World also premiered in 2004 at the New York Film Festival and would go on to receive a limited release in New York City the following year on July 1, 2005.
Plot
The World tells the story of two workers at Beijing World Park: a performer, Tao, and Taisheng, a security guard and Tao’s boyfriend.
Taisheng meets Tao and the ex-boyfriend at a small diner and insists on driving him to the Beijing Railway Station.
Tao meets one of World Park’s Russian performers, a woman named Anna.
Later, while at a karaoke bar, Tao runs into Anna and confirms that Anna has indeed become a prostitute.
Taisheng becomes enraptured with Qun shortly afterwards, and the two often meet at Qun’s small clothing shop.
Taisheng eventually convinces Tao to have sex with him, with Tao threatening that she will poison him if he ever betrays her.
At the wedding, Tao discovers a text-message sent from Qun, who has at last received her visa, to Taisheng, saying that their meeting and relationship was destined. [Wikipedia]