William was sent to Shanghai to investigate a case of forged documents by Sphinx Insurance Company. Because he was infected with a peculiar virus, he was able to know the suspect's psychological activities clearly. Maria is an employee of Sphinx, a company that issues a special certificate "papelles", which is a mixture of insurance, passports and credit cards. Those without such documents can only live in designated sub-regions, where conditions are extremely harsh, basically desert-like wasteland, and these low-level citizens are forbidden to enter the civilized zone.
After investigation, William discovered that it was Maria selling the forged documents to those whom Sphinx refused to trade with. He understands that it is his duty to hand Maria over to the organization, but it seems that there is still a larger force working quietly. William fell in love with her deeply, and he couldn't just send Maria to a dead end.
Things are even more complicated. What surprised William the most was that Maria turned out to be cloning from the DNA of his dead mother's brain .
The couple was deported, and in order to avoid being chased by the authorities, they had to go to the world.
British director Michael Winterbottom has been very active in the past two years. This year he just won the Berlin Golden Bear for his "Between the Earth". This time he is competing for the Golden Lion with this science fiction film. The director does have a variety of styles, involving a wide range of genres, and he has never tried science fiction films in the past. Alan William Parker warned him in Berlin to slow down the filming speed, but this energetic director felt unnecessary. "I like to make six films a year, not two. The process of making one film will inspire you to want to make another." Once he is determined to start shooting, he will not easily bow to difficulties. " 24 Hour Party People " did not get the right to use most of the music in the film when filming started, and when the refugees from The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan who starred in "Between the Earth" were denied visas, Winterbottom was even forced to fake them Got a passport.
"This is basically a love story." Through this sci-fi love story to express doubts about the so-called "identity", in Winterbottom's view, "identity" is not an illusory label, but a symbol of privilege. Realize the difference in life.
“Most of the film’s scenes are set in Shanghai, but this story can happen anywhere. It’s not about Shanghai or China’s current situation.” In fact, the social background of the film is largely derived from Winterbottom’s Feelings during the shooting. "All over the world, there are huge differences between those who have freedom and those who are excluded, and they are becoming more and more polarized. Our film is to condense this global situation into one city. Those. People in cities have the right to get what we desire: good jobs, houses, health insurance. Life is organized and the city operates normally, but in essence it is a company, a strictly restricted way of living. Deported to the city Outsiders are thrown away, and they can only find a way to make a living on their own."
When asked whether the choice of China as a filming location was ironic of certain systems in this country, Winterbottom objected: “As long as it is rich, it is the same. The top priority for Western governments is to stop people from Africa and Mexico. , Iraq or other regions. They insist on setting up barriers to protect a privileged life."
"Look at our passport. We see it as a tool for travel; credit cards also allow us to easily go to other countries. With refugees, you will realize that these things are actually used to hinder most people. travel."
The film was shot in Shanghai. The director who likes to travel really likes to go to countries around the world to film, even those very dangerous areas, such as Sarajevo , The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, etc. Although the iconic landscapes of Pudong, such as the Oriental Pearl Tower, are fully displayed in the film, Winterbottom did not choose Shanghai because of its futuristic architecture. "A lot of buildings here, well, you can find them anywhere else in the world. In fact, the future does not completely wipe out the past. The past occupies a large part of the future. Originally, we wanted to shoot more in Hong Kong. It is a mixture of cultures. Sex is closer to what we want to find. Hong Kong is like an experiment, growing rapidly from scratch, and then being filled with people from all over. That is the future Shanghai that I want to describe, not today’s Shanghai. So in reality superior
