Unmade in China (FILM REVIEW)
Unmade in China
Film Review
by Kam Williams
Big Brother Documentary Highlights American Filmmaker’s Frustrations in China
Inspired by a Youtube video that
went viral, Gil Kofman decided to make a movie about a lonely girl trapped in a
basement. The L.A. director subsequently
contracted to shoot the thriller, Case Sensitive, in China,
the nation now with the third largest film industry behind the United States and India.
Unfortunately, Gil forgot to factor
into the equation that not only is the government there thoroughly corrupt, but
dissent is not allowed. Consequently, the production would be plagued by delays
due to bureaucratic red tape and the presence on the set of government censors who
demanded everything from seven, politically and cultural-correct rewrites of
the script to the replacement of cast members with actors approved by the
Communist Party.
Worse,
Gil’s complaints about any of the above only fell on deaf ears, and he was even
warned that he would lose should he try to assert any legal rights. The
frustrated filmmaker failed to find any sympathetic shoulder among the locals
since, as he puts it, “The whole country has been benevolently brainwashed.”
In the end, however, the picture was
a hit, at least in China,
where it was released on 2,000 screens. But Gil never saw a dime of that money.
And to add insult to injury, bootleg copies of the film were being sold in
Asian bodegas all over the U.S.
within a few months, rendering it worthless theatrically upon his return to the
States.
His anguish as a result of the
extended nightmare is carefully captured in Unmade in China, a flick
which is a horrible advertisement for entering any business enterprise with the
Communists. Still, while watching this gullible American get rolled for his
work product, you can’t help but wonder why he didn’t cut his losses and give
up after the first week of being given so much grief.
A comical account of a year-long,
money-burning party which ought to serve as a sobering warning for any equally-naïve
entrepreneurs considering investing in China.
Excellent
(3.5 stars)
Unrated
In English and Mandarin with subtitles
Running time: 90 minutes
Distributor: 7th
Art Releasing / Antidote Films
To see a trailer for Unmade
in China,
visit:
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