Still Life

New Yorker Films | Release Date: January 18, 2008

8.1	USER SCORE Universal acclaim based on 20 Ratings

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RobertH.Nov 29, 2008

The film has it's moments but when compared to the director's previous efforts the filmmaking here strikes me as far too lazy, relying too much on the backdrop and nonactors at the cost of lackadaisical narrative. if you don'tThe film has it's moments but when compared to the director's previous efforts the filmmaking here strikes me as far too lazy, relying too much on the backdrop and nonactors at the cost of lackadaisical narrative. if you don't edit your view of life enough to focus our attention where's the art?… Expand

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ryancarroll88Aug 27, 2010

Uncertainty is at the stem of Jia Zhangke's "Still Life" and it molds itself into many forms - uncertainty as to what China's economic boom holds for its future, displaced people uncertain whether they will ever see those they have lostUncertainty is at the stem of Jia Zhangke's "Still Life" and it molds itself into many forms - uncertainty as to what China's economic boom holds for its future, displaced people uncertain whether they will ever see those they have lost again, and uncertainty over whether love that is broken can ever be mended. All of this takes place in the backdrop of Fengjie village, which was at the time being upheaved for the construction of Three Gorges Dam (now complete, and the largest electricity-generating plant in the world). Zhangke's use of a real setting provides for some powerful shots that have formed him into one of China's foremost artistic commentators, but this also diminishes the entertainment value (which, in my opinion, shouldn't have to be compromised in this type of filmmaking).… Expand

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idahotravelerFeb 27, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I actually really enjoyed this movie (that is, if you can enjoy a movie about loneliness and death). Eddie Marsan, as Mr. May, does a wonderful job of portraying what living in the world as an unconnected being is all about. Ironically, his job is to find connections for others like himself, who have passed on with no known family or friends. He diligently tries to provide for them what he lacks in his own life- at least one person who cares. His boss berates him for spending too much time and money trying to find relatives or friends who would come to a funeral and says the person is dead, so doesn't care. But Mr. May seeks to honor their lives as best he can- he keeps all their pictures in a photo album which he looks at frequently- as long as he remembers them, they haven't lived a wasted life. He even tries to give them a funeral in whatever religious tradition they followed, if he can find evidence of one. Of course, the final irony is that he is responsible for bringing a family together on the last case he had before his job was terminated, and as the funeral is going on and all the people he found are gathered there, he is being buried in the same cemetery, alone, with no mourners (he gets hit by a London double-decker bus). The only reason I gave this less than a 10 was for the final scene- where all the dead people he had served in his job are seen as spirits coming to surround his grave to pay their respects and as a thank you to him- it was just a bit campy and intended to tug at heartstrings, in which it succeeded, but a little too much on the 'and he died happily ever after' side. Otherwise, I enjoyed Mr. May's sensitive, gentle soul and wished more people in today's world were as caring- a good moral lesson there.… Expand

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AllenWongJun 6, 2021

I think this film can represent Chinese ordinary people. A sad man, a unlucky woman, give us a true story.

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