Ai Weiwei doc is a fascinating portrait of a fearless artist
 |
| Ai Weiwei |
"Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry" is an absorbing, thought-provoking portrayal of acclaimed Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei, who is most famous for designing the "Birds Nest" Olympic stadium used in the 2008 Beijing Olympic games. The documentary follows the work of Ai through the creation of several different pieces of art, including a couple of poignant tributes to the victims of the May 2008 Sichuan earthquake not to mention his own investigation into the Chinese government's mishandling of the tragic quake, as well a fascinating exhibit he did with handmade porcelain piece in London. "Never Sorry" is directed by Canadian filmmaker Alison Klayman, and it's part character study and part art exhibit, though with Ai, you can't have one without the other. Considering the unrest in the China, Ai is a brave soul, and his remarkable, expert use of Twitter is an interesting study by itsellf. Many of Ai's family and colleagues are interviewed for the film and all come to the same basic conclusion: that Ai is a brilliant, very talented and very opinionated artist. Minimal footage is given to Ai's biggest creation, the Birds Nest stadium for the Beijing Olympics, though that piece has some irony given Ai's criticism of the government, and the government was the one who commissioned it. Some of it's a little redundant and overlong in the last act, and you while Ai is truly a smart, unforgiving artist (he enjoys shooting the finger, using the f-word and piecing odd things together), you have a sense that his mission to change things will never stop; he's sort of a Chinese Michael Moore, who won't stop until some answers are given. "Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry" is a captivating look at a brilliantly talented artist and activist who has a large following (even larger outside his native country) and who hopes bring his democratic ideas to a nation who could use some change.
No comments:
Post a Comment