Educational Media Reviews Online

A slice of life documentary about people who congregate near the Songua River in northeastern China, the lack of any context, narration or back story make this ethnographic film dry. People at leisure walk on and off a boat, and they fly kites. Children play in the sand. Fishermen drag fishing nets in the river. The dialogue is limited to the vendor selling pinwheels. According to the back of the DVD, this was “Filmed only one year after a major chemical spill (one of the largest river spills in recent years);” however, the spill is not mentioned in the film. It is essential to show the before in a before and after story. Don’t expect any ripples in this stagnant film.