.A new movie directed by Wang Bing, the master of slow cinemas. The movie starts with three shots, in front of Mrs. Fang’s room and the house. The title refers to this woman, Mrs. Fang, but contrary to the audience’s expectation, a close-up shot of an old woman appears. The movie shows the last few days of Mrs. Fang suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, which ultimately leads to her demise. Her family and friends visit her, except they have no choice but to wait for her death. Poor people in rural areas of China cannot afford to call a doctor or visit a hospital. The audience, who has no idea about her before she had the disease, can’t make any sense of her life. The movie stares at death through the close-up scenes of Mrs. Fang, who never blinks her eyes nor turns her head. During the credits, it says they would like to thank her family and friends for agreeing to be filmed, but it is impossible to get Mrs. Fang’s consent. That is death. (CHO Hyeyoung)
[BIFF]