Camille Ponsin: Les demoisellesDeNankin
There are loads of documentaries about the changing China made by Westerners and/or by the Chinese themselves. This one is made by French filmmaker Camille Ponsin, who unlike several Western crews got access to the University of Nankin and took his camera and time to film during a year. A clever and charming observation of young students has come out of it, yet a bit anonymous, lacks maybe a clearer storyline in his showing of youngsters, who basically are like young students all over the world. They fall in love, they find the studies sometimes boring, some are adapting to the rules of the university, others object and find their own small niche.
The year is 2005 and Qie Kun and Miao Miao are the main characters. They represent what is the new China. One is still the perfect student, who advises others and goes to pay a visit to the pioneers, the other is more keen on finding out what she can do with her body. The first is ironic about the propaganda but goes along, the other talks with her boyfriend about the variety of sex positions.
The director had also access to the teachers and he definitely demonstrates a talent for catching human moments that go different than the clichés about China today.
France, 2007, 55 mins.
http://www.javafilms.fr/HIGHLIGHTS.html
http://www.festivalcinemaafricano.org/eng/index.php?pag=vis_film&id_film=513#
