Analysis of Jia Zhangkes The World Movie - Essay Example

Jia Zhangke’s The World The World is an ideal representation of the 21st century changes that are a true reflection of globalization and modernity. The film elucidates the contradictory difference between globalization, modernity and Cultural Revolution. It achieves this through the experience of immigrants who visits the urban city, Beijing, and gets transformed. The film mostly focuses on the identity of a woman to explain the above difference. The World is Jia Zhangke’s representation of urban life in Beijing. This is contrary to his first films where he indirectly encountered the globalism of Chinese culture and economy. The film, however, faces the very force and capabilities of the evolving city of Beijing. The globalization setting of Beijing, therefore, could have been the compelling reason of Jia’s filmsetting. Filming of the World in main social places in Beijing city bears a lot of significance as far as migrants experience is concerned. The landscapes like Beijing World Park, Qun’s family clothe store and the Beijing railway station all have cultural and social demands that new migrants from local regions have to learn. Moreover, in all the global landscapes in Zhangkes film, confounding factors such as language barriers, music, dance, clothes, changing technology, dialects’ and the buildings are clearly depicted. These factors have great impact in influencing the very functions and objectives of the global landscape. The elements also shape the values and identities of their inhabitants like the transformation of Qun and Tao. Social regions like the Beijing railway station and Qun’s clothes store all differ in function and locality. However, their roles in transforming the livelihood and behavior of migrants from the local regions are evident. For example, the social places influences the thoughts of the migrants about the immorality issues like prostitution in the city. Some migrants like Mau became prostitutes because of the city’s social places influence while others like Tao managed to conserve her believe on immorality. Moreover, the city social places managed to unite migrants from different ethnic backgrounds, like the relationship between Qun and Taisheng that thrived, despite the two being natives of two different speaking languages. This shows that in a globalizing society, the social hierarchy power of individuals is envisaged in their flexibility to adapt to changes in their vicinity. This adaptation may involve learning a foreign language to help migrants fit in the established culture and the evolving city (Szeto 95-107). Global landscape and its relevance in sustaining national demands and the process of globalization are well depicted by the clothes factory owned by Qun. The factory designs clothes that reflect Chinese culture and as well have employs from different parts of china. This shows diversity and the inherent change of a global world. The power of women is reflected in this setup as Qun is able to sustain the family factory and even introduce new technologies in the design of clothes. For example, she meets her customers’ demands by designing different fashions of clothes and bags especially for her loyal customers from foreign states like America. Furthermore, the factory is well built and workers recognize the leadership skills of Qun and respect her. This is clear at the incidence where Taisheng is directed by a female worker to where Qun is. The Chinese clothe design factory also shows the modernity embraced by the Chinese citizens. This is reflected by Qun’s studio that has its walls covered all round by posters and western fashion models. The embrace of western culture is clearer as Qun’s younger sister is made to practice western ballroom dance in a different dialect. The younger sister of Qun learns the dance in Wenzhou dialect. The learning process is supported by ‘crazy for love’ song a pop music that has its origin in Taiwan. Taisheng description of Qun’s factory further shows how modern the family has become even stocking cosmetics from international origins like Biore and Maybelline. However the powers of modernization and globalization does not sway Qun away as utensils, food and clothes in parts of the store are of Chinese origin. This clearly shows the contradiction between the powers of localization and globalization. There is evident global evolution in Beijing city mostly from the popularity of international pop music like Taiwan pop ‘crazy for love’ sung by Rene Liu. Moreover, such accommodation of international artists in Beijing influences modernization of the city that further manipulates migrants’ lifestyle. Qun’s younger sister for example is seen training dancing while listening to Rene Liu song. Besides, her training with aid of Taiwanese song shows further the centrality of women in globalization of Beijing city. In addition, acceptance of international cosmetics from Japan and America like Biore clarifies more on the modernity and globalization level depicted by the film. The inherent contradictions in globalization and the effects of modernity are effectively illustrated in the film. The global landscapes from the clothes factory, London Bridge, world theme park to Beijing railway station has created a life of its own kind. The landscapes have become a small village in the city of Beijing where local migrants and urban individuals interacts. The population of small village is largely composed of women who are jobless. The majority of these women is still very young and is unmarried like the case of Tao. They, therefore, flocks the city looking for jobs employment in urban industries in Beijing city. It is here that they get exploited by men like Tao and Mau who as the say goes’ ‘Give Us a Day and we’ll Give you the world’, they are offered jobs in light industries in exchange for sexual favors. Most of these migrants only find menial jobs in the capitals light industries. The film represents the Chinese Beijing town as city with very high unemployment rates especially among women. This depicts china as a country that has most of its citizens living below the poverty line. Most of them like women engage in immoral income generating activities like prostitution and entertainment performances like dancing. Majority of these unemployed women are naïve are only go to the city for exposure through which they learn hard life experiences like betrayal like Qun. Qun is forced to endure a lonely life as her husband left her for France. This has driven her to infidelity problems in which a relationship starts to thrive between her and Tao’s boyfriend. The film shows clearly the livelihood of citizens in china. They live in an era where movement is highly restricted. Internal passports are the major requirements for one even to move to the larger cities like Beijing. These household restrictions are solely aimed at limiting permanent migration of citizens to the urban centers. The government uses the strategy to help maintain cheap and adequate access of labor (Gaetano , pgs 25-39). The passports are required to access basic social amenities like health care, employments and education. Those who make it to the city and gets jobs in light industries like construction industry are forced to give back to their poor families in the rural. They, therefore, cannot even make substantial saving. These individuals hence become victims of their own choices. The most striking issue is the contradiction between globalization of the Chinese community, and how the community is informed. Tao who is supposedly should be informed of the transport system questions about individuals that fly the airplanes. She spends time with her younger sister watching planes fly. This depicts remoteness and ignorance of citizens who migrate to the city with the sole aim of gaining experience and exploring the world. The film, therefore, depicts the actual status of education level of China as one with the highest illiteracy. Some of its citizens cannot even communicate in foreign languages as the only language they seem to understand is the native one. The harsh living conditions forces migrants to engage in family issues. Family forms the basis of Chinese culture and is valuable act. The temporary employment and the economic hardships compel Tao too long to get married to Taisheng, her boyfriend who followed her to the city. The film, therefore, depicts the family as unit that acts as a true identity of citizens in the country yard. Prostitution is represented in the film as the main cause problems in the Beijing town. Citizens at work place are forced to exchange sex for job promotions or for money. Women mostly engage in sexual acts for money and job favors. They, therefore, cannot maintain their virginity as sometimes prostitution forms the only source of livelihood in the harsh economic status. Most of these migrants, therefore, are forced to engage in immoral behaviors pending the inherent politics on gender and capitalism. Tao, for example, feels the pressure of sexual harassments at her work place. She is forced to endure hardships at her work place as she is teased by her male workmates who only see them as sex objects. Her colleagues engage in sex with her boss for a promotion. Her friend Youyou gets promotion after having sex with Mou their boss. This is clarified even further in Jia composer of the statement ‘Give Us a Day and we’ll Give you the world’’. Those in higher hierarchy especially male bosses gets pleasure in sexual acts and unveils the desires of the women workers who are their juniors as explained above. This is the world Jia is depicting. He refers to Beijing as an immoral city one that embraces immorality in achieving their coveted goals. Older individuals exploit young and inexperienced women who migrate to the city by offering them jobs. These acts of prostitution, however, depict the government of China as immoral, one that does not seem to serve the interests of their citizens. The government cannot provide for workers rights and there are no human rights activists. The women cannot be defended as those who are in leadership exploits and abuse them more than any other citizen (Bloom ,pgs 198-245). They, therefore, are forced to survive with no one to report to. The film gives the idea that most young women who migrate to the city are forced to endure the prostitution levels and exploitation in the city. The woman gets engaged to infidel men who they are forced to remain with as the culture dictates. They, therefore, have their pleasures of life and choices restricted. Tao, for example, opts to get married to her boyfriend whom she suspects to be in a relationship with Qun. She knows that life will be not easy without the boyfriend who at most times supports her. She, therefore, is caged between being a prostitute like Anna or to go back to the village and be a maid. She decides to marry her boyfriend who she knows loves another woman. This scene is a true reflection of the limited choices that women experience in real life situations. They are forced to endure the infidelity of their men and hope for change to relieve them from their miserable lifestyle. Women are further shown in a couple of scenes as the victims mostly affected by changes in the society. Technological changes like in mobiles rather than improving their lifestyles and make them happy only brings sorrows and restrictions. Their boyfriends use the technologies to subdue their freedom. Their phones are fixed with programs that inform their boyfriends of who they communicate with whether through text messages or calls. Tao, for example, have her boyfriend Taisheng watch her movements and social life from the Eiffel tower. Wei also has her boyfriend teased because of her infidelity. Nou’s friends even suggest that he embraces the technology and keep tabs with Wei. This represents a community that is besieged with dishonesty. For the community to be productive, its citizens like Taisheng must be fully engaged and committed to their work than spend time tracking the activities of their spouses. The film gives a good and moral teaching that keeping track of partners only bring sorrows with no benefits (Gaetano 25-29) The film the world, therefore, is a true reflection of the cost of globalization and modernization in the Chinese community. It shows urbanization affects the livelihood of China citizens, especially the young women. The film further clarifies problems that results from permanent migration as immoral deeds and unemployment. It, therefore, is a true picture the 21st globalization effects. Work Cited Bloom, Michelle. "Transnational Chinese Cinema with a French Twist: Emily Tang Xiaobais "Conjugation" and Jia Zhangkes "The World" as Sinofrench Films." Modern Chinese Literature and Culture (2009): 198-245.Print. Gaetano, Arianne. "Rural Woman and Modernity in Globalizing China: Seeing Jia Zhangkes The World." Visual Anthropology Review 25.1 (aa2009): 25-39.Print. Szeto, Kin-Yan. "A Moist Heart: Love, Politics and Chinas Neoliberal Transition in the Films of Jia Zhangke." Visual Anthropology 22 (2009): 95-107.Print. Read More