Jia Yi
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Country/Region:
China Mainland
Release Year: 2016
Release Year: 2016
Story:
The documentary, “JIAYI”, adopts a particular position from where it objectively and non-discriminatingly uncovers a real world of these left-behind kids in rural area in China, which overthrows the social stereotyping towards this special group existing in the remote and underdeveloped regions. JiaYi, one of these unattended children, cherished every single reunion with her parents who work as migrant labors: she would travel thousands of miles with her grandfather to visit them; lying on her father’s leg and crying silently is her way of resisting saying goodbye; Tears flooded her eyes so violently that she didn't says any words when her mother had to leave earlier than planned to start working during the spring festival. However, life goes on no matter they are ready or not. She struggles to survive in the suffering of separation while at the mean time, she must learn to forget this painfulness and pretend to live like a normal kid who enjoys her time in school with peers. She, like a mature adult, can make her younger brother cry and then burst into laughs. Their life is filled with tears and laughter as they grow up happily and toughly. “Sadness” is not supposed to be the first image of these unattended children. Even though they have to withstand the loneliness and desperation that are not normally experienced by their peers, they still have their share of happiness and innocence. They contribute to maybe a minor section of this era but their very existence still leaves marks on this thriving generation filled with variations.
The documentary, “JIAYI”, adopts a particular position from where it objectively and non-discriminatingly uncovers a real world of these left-behind kids in rural area in China, which overthrows the social stereotyping towards this special group existing in the remote and underdeveloped regions. JiaYi, one of these unattended children, cherished every single reunion with her parents who work as migrant labors: she would travel thousands of miles with her grandfather to visit them; lying on her father’s leg and crying silently is her way of resisting saying goodbye; Tears flooded her eyes so violently that she didn't says any words when her mother had to leave earlier than planned to start working during the spring festival. However, life goes on no matter they are ready or not. She struggles to survive in the suffering of separation while at the mean time, she must learn to forget this painfulness and pretend to live like a normal kid who enjoys her time in school with peers. She, like a mature adult, can make her younger brother cry and then burst into laughs. Their life is filled with tears and laughter as they grow up happily and toughly. “Sadness” is not supposed to be the first image of these unattended children. Even though they have to withstand the loneliness and desperation that are not normally experienced by their peers, they still have their share of happiness and innocence. They contribute to maybe a minor section of this era but their very existence still leaves marks on this thriving generation filled with variations.
Casts & Crews:
Jiang Nengjie
Directors
Runtime:
88
minutes
Subtitles:
Chinese, English
Festivals & Awards:
2017 The 4th ShenZhen Youth Video Festival - Creative Award, China
2017 The 4th ShenZhen Youth Video Festival - Creative Award, China
Director‘s Statement:
Left-behind children seem to give people an impression mixed with sorrow, loneliness and poverty. This fixed pattern of responding to issues concerned with left-behind children has rooted deeply in our mind that we are partly blind to the real world where these unattended children dwell. Hence, we have put a lot of effort in this documentary aiming to reveal the neglected fact that kids living in rural area are not representatives of misery but rather they still enjoy their life with delight and innocence. Even though it is harsh for them, in such a young age, to experience desperation and separation, the crude reality shortens the distance between this particular group and audience with vivid and authentic appearance.
During filming, we took a close look on the life of one of these unattended kids, whose name is JIAYI. We literally lived with them at their homes everyday. Together we got bored, crazy and played the same game repeatedly without being fed up with it. I had to keep reminding myself not to be compassionate or empathetic towards them at the very beginning of contact. All these natural emotions would impede my entry to their intricate internal world made by particular experiences. I managed to be a role in their games and sometimes I would travel thousands of miles with them to see their parents shortly and then had to say goodbye together. Less like a bystander, I wanted to be a member to this special group so that I would be able to taste their feeling myself.
During filming, we took a close look on the life of one of these unattended kids, whose name is JIAYI. We literally lived with them at their homes everyday. Together we got bored, crazy and played the same game repeatedly without being fed up with it. I had to keep reminding myself not to be compassionate or empathetic towards them at the very beginning of contact. All these natural emotions would impede my entry to their intricate internal world made by particular experiences. I managed to be a role in their games and sometimes I would travel thousands of miles with them to see their parents shortly and then had to say goodbye together. Less like a bystander, I wanted to be a member to this special group so that I would be able to taste their feeling myself.
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Casts & Crews
Jiang Nengjie
Director
