Confronting the real, construing reality: Artistic vision and gaze in Jia Zhangke's 24 City
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2013
Abstract
This study thinks through the relationship between documentary and truth in Jia Zhangke's 24 City. Taking into consideration Jia's body of work, it examines the dichotomy between the documentarian and the filmed subjects. The essay argues that, different from Jia's previous works, 24 City orchestrates a national narrative that remembers, glorifies, and closes off the past. However, there are also moments in the film that reveal a contesting power dynamic between the documentarian and the interviewees in the film. What is revealed in 24 City, therefore, is the inseparability of truth and lies collaborated among the filmmaker, the filmed subjects, and very possibly the target audiences.
Publication Title
Concentric: Literary and Cultural Studies
First Page Number
97
Last Page Number
118
Recommended Citation
Wang, Chialan Sharon, "Confronting the real, construing reality: Artistic vision and gaze in Jia Zhangke's 24 City" (2013). Kean Publications. 2118.
https://digitalcommons.kean.edu/keanpublications/2118