#oxhide ii

[communicants]

Oxhide II (Liu Jiayin, 2009)

[sinetheta]

Oxhide II (牛皮贰) dir. Liu Jiayin (刘伽茵). 2009.

Independent filmmaker Liu Jiayin (b. 1981) is a Beijing native whose experimental works combine elements of both documentary and narrative storytelling. During her time at the Beijing Film Academy, she directed her first feature film Oxhide (牛皮) that took home two awards at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2005. Its sequel, Oxhide II, spans a length of two hours and is composed of 9 separate shots of her family making jiaozi. She is acknowledged as “the most interesting new Chinese director to emerge since Jia Zhangke,” known for her uniquely intimate camerawork and preferences for a 2.35:1 aspect ratio. 

[folms]

Oxhide II (2009, dir. Liu Jiayin)

[folms]

[sunairi]

99Filmo about “Oxhide II” (Niu Pi II) by Liu Jiayin

[sunairi]

Building on the stunning vision of OXHIDE (voted one of the best Chinese films of the 2000s), writer-director Liu Jiayin once again casts herself and her parents in scripted versions of their life in a tiny Beijing apartment.

“A masterpiece… inventive, quietly virtuosic.”– David Bordwell,Observations on Film Art

“Arguably the most interesting new Chinese director to emerge since Jia Zhangke.” – Peter Rist, Offscreen

Breaking new ground in cinematic art, Liu Jiayin’s follow-up to her masterful debut OXHIDE turns a simple dinner into a profoundly intimate study of family relationships.

Building on the stunning vision of OXHIDE (voted one of the best Chinese films of the 2000s), writer-director Liu Jiayin once again casts herself and her parents in scripted versions of their life in a tiny Beijing apartment. Liu takes her uncompromising artistry to the extreme, setting all of the action around the family dinner table, which doubles as her father’s leather-making station. As the workbench is cleared for the family to make a dinner of dumplings, the camera catches every meticulous detail of the action in real time. Small moments between family members reveal deep insights into the mysteries of family relations and the art of everyday living.

OXHIDE II advances the inimitable artistry of one of China’s most prodigious filmmakers. Its lovingly intimate, naturalistic observations of working-class life suggest “the ultimate work of everyday realism” (Mike Walsh, Real Time Arts). At the same time, “Liu’s shots are carefully, rigorously, exquisitely composed” (Berenice Reynaud,Senses of Cinema), showcasing one of the most gifted visual artists working in China today. The result is “a direct, honest, miniature epic”(Daniel Kasman, MUBI Notebook).

Director’s Bio:

Liu Jiayin

Reviews

David Bordwell

Senses of Cinema (2010)

Senses of Cinema (2009)

MUBI

RealTime Arts

Twitch

The Beijinger

Independencia

Offscreen

[anpham-blog]

[shiningwizard]

alltime favourite credit sequence.