Time Out's Film Screenings: Red Sorghum
Sunday 12 June, 4.15pm, Glam, Free (RSVP to our WeChat)
The film
The stuff of legend, Zhang Yimou’s directorial debut - adapted from Mo Yan's novel - satisfies both as a straight folk tale and as a subversive tribute to the vitality and endurance of Chinese peasant culture.
Set in a remote northern province in the ’20s and ’30s, the story is narrated by a man who remembers the lives and times of his grandparents. A girl is waylaid and ravished in a field en route to an arranged marriage with an elderly, leprous winemaker. The winemaker mysteriously dies, allowing her ravisher to eventually live and make red sorghum wine with her.
As the film develops, the tone shifts from light to dark, humour giving way to horror with the arrival of Japanese forces. Formerly a cameraman, Zhang fills the screen with rich, sensuous images that illuminate and celebrate peasant life (waving sorghum fields, an eclipse of the sun) and uses actors, music and colour in a deeply expressive way.
The venue
We’ll be screening the films in the casual, comfortable and top class surrounds of Glam, a venue we gave five stars to when it opened last year. There’ll be special drinks deals on offer, plus a tailored post-screening food menu for those who want to linger a little longer, featuring four Glam dishes plus a glass of wine for 228RMB per person (plus 10 percent service charge).
Entry is free, but you’ll need to RSVP. Send the message ‘Film’ to Time Out Shanghai's official WeChat account (QR code below) to reserve a spot.
For more info from Glam, follow them on WeChat at MGlam魅蓝.