Mar 14, 2020
An Elephant Sitting Still (Da xiang xi di er zuo) (2018) Hu Bo
March 14th 2020
seen from Saudi Arabia
seen from United States
seen from Netherlands
seen from China
seen from China
seen from Romania
seen from United Kingdom
seen from China
seen from Hong Kong SAR China
seen from China
seen from Hong Kong SAR China
seen from United Kingdom
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Yemen
seen from United States
seen from Indonesia
seen from France
seen from Saudi Arabia
An Elephant Sitting Still (Da xiang xi di er zuo) (2018) Hu Bo
March 14th 2020
DA XIANG XI DI ER ZUO (Hu Bo, 2018)
An Elephant Sitting Still
directed by Hu Bo
“When I was at school, there was a guy in class. One day, I saw him with a stray cat at the riverside. He found some stones, and he slowly smashed the cat to death.”
“And then?”
“He was often bullied back then. His grades sucked as well. Teachers said that he had no future. But these had nothing to do with him killing the cat. He was just happy doing it.”
“And you were watching as he did it?”
“Yep. I wanted to stop him. That was the right thing to do. But if I did, I would have something to do with it. So I just watched. I have to admit that I enjoyed watching the whole thing.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“I want you to know daily routines have always been the same across different ages. You don’t have to be confused. People will get it over time.”
“Can I get myself?”
“Life just won’t get better. It’s all about agony. That agony began when you were born. You think that a new place will change your fate? It’s bullshit. New place, new sufferings. You understand?”
“A professor boards a fishing boat. He asks the fisherman if he understands poetry. The fisherman says no. The professor says ‘Your life is reduced by half.’ Then he asks if the fisherman understands music. He says no again. The professor says ‘Then the other half of your life is gone.’ The fisherman asks if the professor knows how to swim. The professor says he can’t. ‘Then your whole life is gone.’ And the professor is thrown into the water.”
“Don’t cry.”
“Why not?”
“Because... no reason. You can go wherever you want. Yes, you can. However, you’ll find nothing different. I wasted most of my life learning this, so I have to sugarcoat it. ‘There must be a difference.’ Do you understand?”
“I do.”
“No, you don’t. You’re looking for something else. Well the best solution is to stay right here. Look over to the other side, and believe that it must be better than this. But you can’t go. By not going, you learn to live with it here.”
“Let’s go and take a look.”