There are times when I watch a documentary that I realize I am incredibly under-educated on real world issues. Perhaps my head is to glued on the silver screen and television for me to stop and actually research international issues or maybe I am in a country where Kristin Stewart cheating on Robert Pattinson is the only news I hear about for days at a time. Either way, one of my favorite parts about watching a documentary is hearing the stories I would never hear otherwise and coming to a better understanding of other countries, cultures, and struggles for both.
This is exactly how I felt after seeing the documentary Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry. The story of a very popular artist trying to make change in China, Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry is a great definition of David vs. Goliath; the everyday man against a system and a country that tries to hold him down.
While Ai Weiwei is a very famous artist in China, this film is not necessarily about his art. It definitely covers some of his major pieces that he has done to raise questioning and explanations for the deaths of thousands in China from a deadly earthquake, but the doc is more about his personal fights to try and raise knowledge world-wide and striving to have the country explain many of the "accidents" that have occurred.
The main incident that begins this entire journey is Ai Weiwei's attempt to find out more information on thousands of children that died in school collapses resulting from an earthquake. The main concern is that Ai Weiwei believes shoddy architecture, which he refers to as 'tofu' construction, was what caused the schools to collapse and that the tragedies could have been avoided.
The reason this actually becomes a story is not because he wants to find out the names of the children that died, it is because the government has not released the names AND tries to hinder Ai Weiwei in finding all the names himself. The government shuts down Ai Weiwei's online blog and squashes any of his attempts to question families and communities about the deaths.
Eventually, Ai Weiwei receives over 5,000 names by using mail, interviewing families in person, and using Twitter. What is amazing is this doc is just as much about technology as it is about Ai Weiwei's fight. Eventually, Ai Weiwei is beaten by police, fights for justice against the policeman who wronged him, and has many artists and friends around him who are imprisoned or go missing. This is all documented for the world in the only way Ai Weiwei can: through Twitter. With the Chinese government unable to restrict anything Ai Weiwei does on Twitter, he is free to share his stories and any information he finds through the social website.
To read the rest of the review (IMDb form too short) visit: http://custodianfilmcritic.com/ai-wei-wei-never-sorry/
This is exactly how I felt after seeing the documentary Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry. The story of a very popular artist trying to make change in China, Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry is a great definition of David vs. Goliath; the everyday man against a system and a country that tries to hold him down.
While Ai Weiwei is a very famous artist in China, this film is not necessarily about his art. It definitely covers some of his major pieces that he has done to raise questioning and explanations for the deaths of thousands in China from a deadly earthquake, but the doc is more about his personal fights to try and raise knowledge world-wide and striving to have the country explain many of the "accidents" that have occurred.
The main incident that begins this entire journey is Ai Weiwei's attempt to find out more information on thousands of children that died in school collapses resulting from an earthquake. The main concern is that Ai Weiwei believes shoddy architecture, which he refers to as 'tofu' construction, was what caused the schools to collapse and that the tragedies could have been avoided.
The reason this actually becomes a story is not because he wants to find out the names of the children that died, it is because the government has not released the names AND tries to hinder Ai Weiwei in finding all the names himself. The government shuts down Ai Weiwei's online blog and squashes any of his attempts to question families and communities about the deaths.
Eventually, Ai Weiwei receives over 5,000 names by using mail, interviewing families in person, and using Twitter. What is amazing is this doc is just as much about technology as it is about Ai Weiwei's fight. Eventually, Ai Weiwei is beaten by police, fights for justice against the policeman who wronged him, and has many artists and friends around him who are imprisoned or go missing. This is all documented for the world in the only way Ai Weiwei can: through Twitter. With the Chinese government unable to restrict anything Ai Weiwei does on Twitter, he is free to share his stories and any information he finds through the social website.
To read the rest of the review (IMDb form too short) visit: http://custodianfilmcritic.com/ai-wei-wei-never-sorry/