Aug 06 2008
Beijing Taxi
Stumbled across this website today, and its contents immediately piqued my interest in the film that it’s promoting. I suppose this is somewhat timely too, given that the 2008 Summer Olympics are set to begin in a couple of days in China.
Beijing Taxi is a documentary, one that is, according to its website, still a work-in-progress. It follows three cab drivers who go about their daily grind of picking up and delivering their fares around and throughout the ever-transforming city.
By doing so, filmmaker Miao Wang reveals the ups and downs that each taxi driver faces during a tumultuous period of great change (shooting began in 2006 and continues to this day), not only from the social, political and economical shifts that have affected Beijing for many years, but also from the government’s headlong rush into readying the city for the Olympics. The attempt to “clean up” Beijing’s image has, in the end, raised many hurdles that the working classes must now face, and which a good number may find impossible to overcome.
Reuters has already run an article about the doc here, and in it, Wang discusses the economic burden created by the new, “image conscious” taxis that drivers were forced to purchase in preparation for the international Olympics-related clientele they hope to impress.
The trailer, which you can see here, suggests that the movie is beautifully shot, another plus in its favor in my book. If you’re a documentary film fan, or just someone who stays on track with current events, keep your eyes open for Beijing Taxi. Should be an eye- (and mind-) opener.
