Pickpocket (Xiao Wu), Jia Zhangke, China, Hong Kong, 1997, 108’
Xiao Wu, a young petty thief who commits his thefts in the small rural town of Fenyang, China, sees the world of his youth come to an end: the local authorities have toughened the penalties for street crime offences; his best friend and partner in adventures, Xiao Yong, has not invited him to his wedding, he has retrained and is now engaged in high-flying smuggling operations. Only the presence of Mei Mei, a young woman whom Xiao Wu meets at a whorehouse, seems to offer a little light in such a gloomy panorama. Times have irrevocably changed and despite the proliferation of radio jingles, household appliances and pop music as promises of a better future, Xiao Wu seems doomed to eternal loneliness and social ostracism.
Presentation by: Luis Miranda