Parkland of Decay and Fantasy
Essential Documentaries
•
1h 41m
Directed by Chenliang Zhu | 101 mins | 2022
Technology and spirituality are parallel forces in an abandoned and possibly haunted Chinese amusement park once taken over by outsider artists. If it is true that at the moment of death, consciousness sends out its last waves of thought into the universe, much like a text message sent from a mobile phone, the old theme park may be an antennae receiving signals from the beyond. Physical, spiritual and virtual realities are layered as the film explores how the gap between the dreams and realities of its wayward residents resonates with the highs and lows of China’s rapid economic growth over the past 30 years.
Up Next in Essential Documentaries
-
Physician, Heal Thyself
Directed by Asher Penn | 79 mins | 2023
"Physician, Heal Thyself" offers a searingly intimate portrait of the celebrated expert on addiction, stress, and trauma, Gabor Maté. The documentary follows Gabor’s life’s journey, from his start as a young contrarian to a contemporary icon still strugglin... -
Portrait of Jason
Leaving March 1
Directed by Shirley Clarke | 107 mins | 1967
A distillation of a single 12-hour interview in a room at the Chelsea Hotel with the charismatic Jason Holliday (“real” name Aaron Payne), a gay, African American cabaret dancer, part-time hustler, and full-time raconteur, Portrait of ... -
Scum Manifesto
Directed by Carole Roussopoulos and Delphine Seyrig | 29 mins | 1976
A crucial piece of early feminist video art from the Les Insoumuses collective that documents a staged reading of would-be Andy Warhol assassin Valerie Solanas’s notorious misandrist call-to-arms of the same name—the acronym sta...