Ta'ang
Across Asia
•
2h 26m
Directed by Wang Bing • Documentary • 2016 • 147 minutes
Director Wang Bing brings his careful eye to the mountainous border-region of northeastern Myanmar in Ta’ang, a powerful and revealing observational documentary that follows members of the Ta’ang minority as they flee to China to escape an ongoing and escalating civil war. In a pair of refugee camps, those displaced by the war attempt to create reasonably safe living conditions, while others go deeper into China where they may find work in sugarcane fields or try their luck in urban areas. Meanwhile, those still in Myanmar must journey across the mountains, belongings and livestock in tow, as the sounds of gunfire and artillery echo around them.
Ta’ang captures the constant insecurity, instability and disorientation that come with life as a refugee, the complexities of the choices the Ta’ang face, and the emotional toll they take.
"A masterpiece depicting dignity in the face of dehumanizing displacement."—Artforum
"A remarkable visual document...more real and raw than most documentaries on exodus and refugees. Eerily beautiful and deeply touching."—Toronto International Film Festival
Up Next in Across Asia
-
Inside the Red Brick Wall
Directed by Hong Kong Documentary Filmmakers • Documentary • 2021 • 88 minutes
In 2019, the world was captivated by pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. Demonstrators, many with colorful umbrellas, faced teargas and rubber bullets for calling to an end to increasing Chinese control of Hong Kong....
-
Bright Future
Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa • Drama • With Joe Odagiri, Tatsuya Fuji, Tadanobu Asano • 2003 • 115 minutes
"Casts its spell by drawing out the horror of everyday existence bit by bit, and then tossing in some otherworldly weirdness that makes the hair on the back of your neck try to run for cove...
-
A Man Vanishes
Directed by Shohei Imamura • Documentary • 1967 • 130 minutes
One of the most important and complex works by two-time Palme d'Or winning director Shohei Imamura, A MAN VANISHES begins as an investigation into one of the thousands of missing persons cases that occur in Japan each year.
The film ...
