Throughout this movie it is understood that Chinese artist Ai Weiwei was more of an activist through his artwork than anything else. His struggle for gaining an understanding from the Chinese government created even more incredible artwork from him and an incredible short documentary which truly showed just how passionate Ai is/ was. From being interviewed in his home studio to even being interviewed at his different artwork exhibits, Ai is clearly portrayed as an activist with compassion and a witty sense of humor.
Alyson Klayman started videotaping Mr. Ai in his home studio in Beijing but during the start of this documentary she simply wanted to understand his artwork. As time went on and Klayman continued to follow Ai around, a lot more events within the Chinese government began to affect his artwork and his activism. In 2008 a catastrophic earthquake hit the Sichuan Province killing and affecting many people. This was the beginning of what Ai really focused on when criticizing the Chinese government in this documentary and in his work. Due to their lack of concern for the people involved, it began to aggravate Ai. While a very cool, calm, and collected man overall, Ai still has this burning fire within him that sparks a lot of his artwork which has helped make him so famous.
After this earthquake, Ai began to pull away from his current project with the Chinese government, the National Stadium also known as the Bird’s Nest. This stadium was in the process of being built in Beijing for the 2008 Summer Olympics. Ai was a creative consultant in this project. He called the China Olympics effort a “pretend smile” and criticized them for their strongly implemented security. In a sense, Ai felt they cared more about this project than protecting and helping the people affected in the earthquake. He gained followers for his acts of courage.
Throughout the documentary it is obvious how badly the Chinese government wants to remove Ai from their “strong country.” It is even stated in the movie that the Chinese government wants it to be known how different and more “liberal” they are now compared to how the Chinese government used to be. However, Ai and many of his followers and other people who agree with his mindset tend to think there is always room for change. There are certain cases throughout the documentary where the police simply don’t want Ai around. It almost seems they fear he will gain more followers who will begin to expose the Chinese government just as he does.
One scene proves this in particular where Ai travels to a hotel in order to support a man exposing the Chinese government who is currently on trial. In the middle of the night a group of policemen come to Ai’s hotel room and bang on the door. They begin arguing with Ai and other people involved with the group and one actually physically punches Ai in the face. The cops detain the group, along with Ai, and he ends up missing the trial and the man he was supporting goes to jail.
This movie is not only about an artist but about someone who wants to fend for a country’s safety and protect those within the country. Ai has an intriguing way of producing art involving defiance against the people who tend to be the aggressor. Within the movie he says that he’s “a brand for liberal thinking and individualism.” He believes he gives other people the power to argue with the issues in his government. He wants to urge people to stand up for their rights and understand that there isn’t just one way to follow things and one way to be. His artwork shows that being different is powerful and showing this through artwork is incredibly impactful.
While showing the political side of Ai, there are many interviews included about his personal life. His mother, children, mothers of his children, and his wife are all involved in this video. This is just as impactful as the rest of the documentary because it shows that not only is Ai fighting for these other people but in some indirect way, he feels the need to fight for his mother, children, mothers of his children, and his wife. This also shows that Ai is in fact just as human as the rest of us. The viewers can see a personal resemblance with Ai because of his connection with his child, the mother of his child, and his mother. This creates more of an impact to them as a whole. It also shows that not only is Ai fighting for injustice but possibly for the purpose to make a better country and world for his family.
This film is very impactful and I believe the producers used specific techniques in order for the viewer to feel they knew Ai personally. Not only do they make it clear that the Chinese government didn’t do all they could for the people and families affected by the 2008 earthquake, but they also show how important this is to Ai. Ai wanted to help and bring about attention to the issues faced because of this earthquake. Throughout this movie it is shown how he fought, literally and figuratively, for the Chinese people in many ways. His artwork was just one form of expression for this. The producers do an amazing job in helping the viewer be on Ai’s side and validate why he did what he did. The techniques used with his family throughout the movie do an excellent job at making him seem like this great guy. This adds to ultimate feeling they want people to get out of this documentary which is anger for and with Ai. They are very successful in inciting rage and empathy into the viewers just like they, and Ai had for the people of China.
