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Perhaps the best and most important Chinese filmmaker of his generation, Jia Zhang-ke's fifth feature seems to be a further shift away from the focus on alienated youth, which defined his earlier masterpieces (Platform, Unknown Pleasures). Much in the way his previous film (The World) Still Life is a reflective of a changing world. Through symbolic imagery, Jia presents a mysterious film that expresses both political and human depths (particularly in the way he contrasts people and landscapes, recalling a trademark of Michelangelo Antonioni). The landscapes become a character in itself and the photography is the catalyst of the film expression. The film is a significant one for it's reflection of a changing world, and thus in turn gives the films title (Still Life) an irony. The significance of Jia as an artist is evident as ever here. He truly is an important filmmaker in world cinema.
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