An Elephant Sitting Still

 

Hu_Elephant©ArsenalInstitute


Hu Bo

CN 2018

230 min – HD – Mandarin

B: Hu Bo – K: Fan Chao – S: Hu Bo – T: Bai Ruizhou – P: Liu Xuan – V:  Arsenal Institute – Mit Zhang Yu, Peng Yuchang, Wang Yuwen (Huangling), Liu Congxi (Laojin)


sunday 14 oct 8 pm werkstattkino

In the northern Chinese city of Manzhouli, they say there is an elephant that simply sits and ignores the world. Manzhouli becomes an obsession for the protagonists of this film, a longed-for escape from the downward spiral in which they find themselves. In virtuoso visual compositions, the film tells the story of one single suspenseful day from dawn to dusk, when the train to Manzhouli is set to depart.

This electrifying directorial debut from Hu Bo, whose novels already caused a sensation in China, is a four-hour portrait of a society of egoists. Tragically, it will also be the final chapter in his legacy. On October 12, 2017, the artist took his own life at age 29. (Berlinale)


Hu Bo
   Born in 1988 in Jinan, Shangdong, China, He studied Film Directing at the Beijing Film Academy. Following two short films, An Elephant Sitting Still was his first feature-length film. Hu Bo took his own life in October 2017.


Films
   Distant Father 2014 – Fleeing by Night 2014 – An Elephant Sitting Still 2018