Director Feng Yan spent 10 years filming Bing Ai, along the banks of the flooding Yangtze River. (Image courtesy of VIFF)
First Review: Junette Tan, North VancouverBefore watching this documentary, I wasn't sure what to expect, having only read a short blurb about how this film was made over 10 years and focused on a woman affected by the Three Gorges Dam Project. As soon as the opening credits finished, I realized that this was going to be very personal.
Right from the beginning, we're absorbed into Bing Ai's life as a villager next to the Yangtze River. We see the daily toils she endures as she farms her family's plot of land, almost singlehandedly, in addition to managing every other facet of her household. With the introduction of terms such as "relocation" and "migrants", it's so easy to get swept up in the strong emotions caught by Feng Yan's film.
Yan achieves a spectacular story captured through footage of critical periods during the difficult relocation of villagers caught below the floodlines, as well as insightful narratives provided by Bing Ai.
