Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks (2003)
- Original title
- 铁西区
- Directed by
- Wang Bing
- Genre
- documentary film
- Country
- People's Republic of China
- Runtime
- 9h 11m
- Rated
- 12
- Rating
- 7.8 of 10 from 52 voters
- Elsewhere
- IMDb
The catalogue in 3D
The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.
How it feels
This documentary shows the slow collapse of a Chinese industrial district in the early 2000s. It follows workers and residents as factories close and unemployment spreads. The film is nine hours long and focuses on daily life in decaying spaces.
slow-burnbleakobservationalmelancholicimmersivecontemplativegrittyunhurried
What happens
Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks (Mandarin: [tʰjè ɕí tɕʰý] t'yeh-shee-chuh, 铁西区, Tiě xī qū) is a 2002 Chinese documentary film by Wang Bing. Over nine hours long, the film consists of three parts: "Rust," "Remnants" and "Rails." Tie Xi Qu was filmed over the course of two years between 1999 and 2001 and details the slow decline of Shenyang's industrial Tiexi district in the midst of unemployment crisis known as "Xiagang" (meaning to step down from the post). This area was once a vibrant example of China's socialist economy. With the rise of the free market and the move towards other industries, however, the factories of Tiexi have all begun to be closed down, with them much of the district's worker-based infrastructure and social constructs. Although Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks is rarely screened due to its length, many critics have named it one of the best and most important films of the 2000s. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)
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The Long Season (2023)- More like this film, on a shelf you can walk up to.It's the lit case on the top shelf.