Li Wen Man You Dong Hu Li Wen at East Lake - Luo Li

CANADA/CHINA, 2015, DIGITAL VIDEO, 117 MIN

In this fascinating documentary fiction hybrid director Luo Li Emperor Visits the Hell, Rivers and My Father, I Went to the Zoo the Other Day takes us on a tour of the disappearing shoreline and dwindling waters of the rapidly changing landscape around East Lake in Chinas Hubei province. Once famous for being the location of Chairman Maos summer home, the lake and its surrounding area are rapidly being developed to make room for theme parks, condominiums and, potentially, an airport. Li sets the scene at the start of the film combining information and research about the area with interviews with its inhabitants. Once the stage is set the narrative kicks in and we find ourselves following Li Wen, an artist turned detective on his search for a crazed man reportedly seen around the lake. His journey and the encounters that ensue provide a smart, subtle and often comic look at contemporary China and its complex relationship to the past.