Useless/Wu Yong
by Jia Zhang-Ke

VENISE – ORRIZONTI DOC PRICE
TORONTO – REAL TO REEL

English Title :
Useless
Original Title : Wu Yong
Country : Hong-Kong / China
Year of production : 2007
Duration : 81’
Genre : Documentary
   

Jia never tells you, "Look at this." His cinema treads lightly. He  peels away the layers to show the predicament of the country today, the weight of the past, the pressure of being a superpower and the workers who toil for little gain … "Wu Yong" looks at what lies beneath rampant industrialization, and at China today,where the past is being obliterated… “ INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE

synopsis

Three portraits of clothing: people who make them and people who wear them…
A hot and humid day in Canton. Amid the thunderous noise of sewing machines, women work quietly under fluorescent lamps in a garment factory. The clothes they make will soon be shipped to unknown customers. Likewise, the future of each face along the assembly line is blurred.
A wintry day in Paris. Chinese designer Ma Ke prepares her newly established brand “Wu Yong” (Useless) to be launched in a spectacular show. An anti-fashion designer, she abhors assembly lines. The trademark of her majestic line is based on first burying the clothes in dirt to allow nature and time to put the finishing touches on her work.
A dusty day in the mining area of Fenyang. A small tailor’s shop is patronized by miners who come for repairs, alterations and lively chats.

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