Tang Zhijun, an editor of a science fiction magazine, attempts to find signs of an alien civilisation. When a strange young man claims to have received instructions from aliens, Tang and his team follow him in search of extraterrestrial creatures.
China Film Group Corporation Wanda Pictures Huayi Brothers Pictures Alibaba Pictures Group G!FILM Rao Xiaozhi Film Studio
Universe Exploration Editorial Department, Space Exploration Editorial Department, UFO를 찾아서, 宇宙探索編輯部
China
Pingyao International Film Festival
China
China
🙃 Comedy— 💎 Gem #123 (2021) 🏅 Top 100
"So it's like what I said before, on the surface, it looks like the television is broken. But actually, there's nothing wrong with the television. There is something wrong with the universe."
If I had to pick one film this year that came out of nowhere, surprised me completely, and is as close to perfect as matters, I’d pick Journey to the West, a witty and poignant comedy about a man who has devoted his life to finding extraterrestrial life.
I have watched this film at least three times this year, and it would be vying for top place in my 2023 ranked list, except it was nominally released in 2021…
“When the poem is long enough, one day we will understand the meaning.”
To go all the way to the outer reaches of the universe in search for an absolute truth to act as a balm for our broken soul, just to realize it has always lied within our own mechanism of self-deceit to steer clear of the intolerable pain.
I know UFOs are real, not because of congressional hearings, but because I watched this -- a delight
总体来说还可以。但是这种晃动镜头的风格拍90分钟以内差不多了，2小时太长了，没必要忍受漫长的不舒适的观影体验。
概括来说是民哲拍民科，套堂吉诃德和西游记的壳，裹上西南风土民情方言，佐以娄烨式摇晃镜头的假科幻。前半部分荒诞里蕴含现实在国产片里算不错，后半部分掉入男性自恋和人类中心主义，实际上是科学/哲学/艺术水平不够以至于无着落点。
很不喜欢父女故事线，以及有股自恋民科loser男气息，扣半星。郭帆出现，再扣半星。
我现实中知道的这种民科男既没有探索真知的灵气，也没有关心家人的体贴，只是自恋又不讲道理，拖累家人而已。
结尾看到镜头从探索宇宙到DNA双螺旋，到此想说，男编剧不要把自己看得太重要了。
It's ok but too long for this shaky camera style, should be under 90 minutes.
And I don't like that this kind of self-opinionated male crank is portrayed as someone with true insight and someone who cares about their family, since in reality they are far from that.
Also the ending seems anthropocentric perspective.
These male creators should realize that they don't matter to the universe and stop making these narcissistic fictions where they explore the truth while they are not understood by ordinary people.
Minus half star for Guo Fan showing up.
Be it a UFO in the sky or the lamplight across the street, the truth often appears to be a star shining in the distance and yet to search those great lengths is to also look back and realise not how far you've travelled but rather how close you have always been; mockumentary as the telescope; humanity as the vessel; so often as routine as it is transcendent, like mere grains of sand existing before an impossibly vast ocean.
WOOOOOOOOOOOOW HOLY FUCKING SHIT i loved this so much. super weird and philosophical and practically perfect for me. somehow all chinese films ive watched are so so great
ik this is not for everyone but it hits all the right spots for me. the premise. the pace. the characterisation. the acting. the batshit crazy plot. the classical score. the hand held shots and jump cuts (i usually despise them). the poetry. the gradual transition from being a mockumentary to a philosophical sci-fi. the cold open. the ending. THE ENDING
(also took me way too long to figure out the pieces used. i could identify shostakovich’s waltz no2 and bach’s prelude (arranged for cello and harp or something), but i still cant name the other symphonic piece used, im so frustrated)
31 aug, 1900, elements
this was pretty incredible. so unexpected. so human, so funny, so inventive, so so so good. a weird, beautiful take on life and connection. extremely fun and heartwarming. and the music! the poetry! this is an INSANE directorial AND writing debut feature from dashan kong (who is just barely 30!) who deserves his work to be seen the world over.
narcoleptic spinning cooking pot boy is the best character in cinema of the 20th century
recommended for fans of: one cut of the dead, the taste of tea, arrival, everything everywhere all at once, road movies
Direct translation of the title: Space Exploration Editorial Department
What is the purpose of the universe? This movie defines my existence.
诗歌只是人类情感沟通的工具，但是，数学是整个宇宙都通用的语言。Poetry is just a tool for human emotional communication, but mathematics is the common language of the entire universe.
We are beings made up of the stars and cosmos and no matter how small we feel we're lucky to be alive in the midst of such a miracle that is life and to be amongst living breathing bodies, our focus should never stray too far to the external, all the answers needed lie inside, they're just waiting to be explored. Autistic people have Alien Super Powers.
上班的人看不得这些啊，边看边哭。影片的核心就是多组矛盾的对立与统一，确定/不确定，数学/语文，科学/迷信，现实/理想，个人/宇宙，最后用“每个人的存在都是谜题，又同时是谜题的答案”来实现意义的统一。公路片的部分戏仿了《西游记》，你说西游记中的磨难是不是徒劳的，可以说是也不是，但是行走的这个过程本身就是意义。片中的主人公其实也想用宏大的超越自身的话题，来掩盖生活本身的伤痛与困顿，但是接受它需要花一辈子的时间，这也正是生活的意义。诗意与哲学发散的部分略显做作，不过我喜欢装得到位却不沾沾自喜的自我剖析。
Loved this from start to finish although I probably loved the start just a little bit more because I live in Beijing and it felt so authentic and familiar seeing the main character Tang in his dingy apartment, his messy office (complete with Hello Kitty air-purifier) and scooting around the city while the CCTV-building looms ever-threateningly in the background. The opening space suit scene is peak comedy, expertly set up and executed through smart editing and sharp acting. But it also has the perfect portion of pathos, for dear Tang, who having to impress the reps from a visiting company and needing to close the much-needed advertising deal to save his fledgling space-exploration magazine (an actual magazine in China in…
