Still Life

Two strangers arrive in Fengjie, a town being erased by the Three Gorges Dam project, hoping to find the partners they once lived with. A man named San Ming Han and a woman named Shen-Hong Guo move through cranes, rubble, and shifting waters, listening to the stories of locals who are losing homes and memories. The city above the river is rebuilt while the old streets sink, and the two travelers observe a society reshaped by displacement, migration, and new economic pressures. Without relying on bold revelations, the film quietly threads together quiet encounters, fragmented memories, and the stubborn endurance of ordinary people amid sweeping change. Its patient camera captures the textures of loss and endurance.

Directed by Jia Zhangke, Still Life features Han Sanming and Zhao Tao in a restrained, documentary mood. The film uses original material rather than adaptation and premiered in 2006 at the Venice Film Festival.

At the Venice Film Festival in 2006 Still Life earned the festival's top prize, the Golden Lion, signaling international recognition for Jia Zhangke's portrait of modern China. Critics praised its spare storytelling and the way long shots capture ordinary lives amid upheaval, highlighting social complexity.

Still Life has been praised for its quiet formalism and its raw portrayal of displacement from the Three Gorges project. It helped affirm Jia Zhangke's place in world cinema and influenced discussions about how large scale projects shape everyday life. The imagery also highlights the quiet dignity of ordinary people.

Critics noted the film's restrained pacing, its images of ruined towns, and tension between memory and progress. The drama centers on connection amid decay, examining how modernization redefines identity, kinship, and community without offering answers. Its humanity lingers, inviting viewers to reflect on what people lose and what they gain.