Youth (Spring)

Original Title: 青春; qīng chūn 

Duration: 212 minutes 

Country: China 

Language: Mandarin with English Subtitles 

Director: Bing Wang 

In Youth (Spring), the time and schedule of the working teenager is shattered and chaotic. Their bloom and decay occur simultaneously, as a paradox, while affection, friendship, and love are in a muddied state of daybreak and sunset. The sole remaining linear aspect of life is space itself: cluttered dormitories, cramped workstations, bleak small-town streets. Here we witness real people; we see them laughing and joking around, sometimes in groups, sometimes alone. It is almost a pity to watch the suffering in this film, because Wang Bing, in his cutting and folding of reality, tortures the viewer: from what perspective are you looking at these people, and from what perspective are you looking at yourself? 

Quote: 

“Lived experience is the essence of Youth (Spring) as well as it is of Wang’s project. As a filmmaker he embeds himself in China’s working classes, working his own trade alongside them.” —J. Hoberman, The Nation 

Awards: 

+ Cannes Film Festival: 2023 Nominee Palme d'Or 

+ Cannes Film Festival: 2023 Nominee Golden Eye 

+ Golden Horse Film Festival: 2023 Golden Horse Award Best Documentary Feature 

+ Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards: 2023 Independent/Experimental Film and Video Award