Shijie

"See the world without leaving Beijing" is the theme of the fantasy park the film is set in. The theme park has miniature replicas of some of the famous structures in the world fringed with dancers who add to the show. Tao (Tao Zhao) is one of the dancers.

The film revolves around her relationship with Taisheng (Taisheng Chen) who is a security guard there. Swirling around their strained love are other vignettes which opens a window into the lives of the rural population of China that drifts to the big city.

What really fascinated me was Tao's friendship with Anna, a Russian dancer. Anna does not speak a word of Mandarin and Tao knows no Russian. But they become fast friends conversing with each other in their respective languages.

Director Jia Zanghke has a unique way of framing his shots. Very panoramic but with distractions on the edges. Coupled with the pace of the film, it causes for fine viewing.

Rating: * * *