
- Kijkwijzer 9
- Eng
Following Qiu Yu, a clown in the Sichuan opera who is based on the director’s famous grandfather, we venture into a fantasy-like world full of political drama based on the reality of living in China between the 1930s and the 1980s. With his two humorous sidekicks, Qiu Yu tries to negotiate his entry into Hades whilst his departing soul looks back on his childhood, performances, family tragedies, and political affairs.
The hybridity between fiction, historical recollections, and experimental theatre adds to the unique aesthetic of A New Old Play (2021). On top of being the film’s director, Qiu Jiongjiong is also a well-known contemporary artist which can be seen in the images he created, setting the scene while embracing the absurdity, political and ritualistic spectacles, and comical vaudeville.