Globe and Mail Update
October 1, 2007 at 11:42 AM EDT
Up The Yangtze ****
There have been, and will be, many films dealing with the flooding of China's Yangtze River. This one is not to be missed. Canadian filmmaker Yung Chang goes back to the river where his grandfather grew up and documents the end of a way of life. Chang takes viewers on a cruise ship, which offers farewell tours of the about-to-be- flooded river. In Upstairs-Downstairs style, the comfortable lives of the perhaps well-intentioned but oblivious western passengers are contrasted with the difficult lives of the young Chinese crew members, who receive instructions from their bosses that include not to talk about Quebec separation and not to compare Canada with the U.S. The scenes on land are even more stunning - and heartbreaking.
Chang's hidden camera gives viewers remarkable access to a demonstration against the government's relocation policy. And in one excruciating and unforgettable scene, a family moves up the river bank. Beautifully shot, the film is also stunning to look at.
Extraordinary.