The Blue Kite

The Blue Kite
Tian Zhuangzhuang
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSeo9H-5uvQ

The "Blue Kite" is during the time period in China discussed during our December 1 meeting. The movie has an English subtitle.
It is a slow moving story of the Chen family during the 1950-1960s shown in the viewpoint of the boy Tietou from his birth to adolescence. The story began with the marriage of Tietou's parents that had to be postponed because of Stalin's death. You need to know about the time period in China to understand the struggles endured by members of the Chen family. Once in awhile, there are actual references to events of the Party Rectification Movement, the Revolutionary Committee of the KMT, and the Great Leap Forward. Otherwise, the actions by family members help viewers understand when times were good or bad. The main central location is the courtyard of where Tietou lives with his mother in Beijing. The collection for social status, communal kitchen, smelting metal, people sent off to work in agriculture, and the black market happened around the community of Beijing and used to show the people's support for or against Mao's efforts. The blue kites Tietou flies indicate when his life is being affected positively or negatively. He is enjoying flying his kite when he is happy, but when the kite gets stuck in a tree you know he is going to have a struggle or heartache. I think the draw to this movie is that it was banned by China government before it was completed.