Agridulce - Bittersweet
Cuba, Germany 2008 | 45 Min. | DigiBeta, OmeU

“Don’t worry about what has passed, look towards what is coming.” This fareastern proverb works as a mission statement for Xiaolu Guo’s filmic kaleidoscope. This is a multifaceted portrait of post Marxist China. 12 chapters explore facets of Chinese social and political landscape. Stories of yearning, loss and dreams unfold: an old peasant who has lost his land, a millionaire chatting with his mate in a stock exchange office, a young migrant who came to the city to wash cars, a weapon factory worker who wishes Mao was still alive to save the country, a successful hotel owner who praises the government’s liberal economy policies, and young kids whose dream is to become famous western artists. Lead by metaphoric comical and absurd children stories, each chapter conveys themes of trivial reality, despaired heart, lonesome youth, and uncertain future. This film contemplates a vast and complex society whose citizens are searching for new beliefs and identities after the country’s great revolutionary days, and demonstrates how the individual is conflicting with his time and history.