In Shirley He’s short film The Other Side of the Mountain, the filmmaker follows her artist father as he searches for his childhood home in Southwestern China. The journey is driven by her father’s desire to fulfill the wish of his aging mother, who is no longer able to travel. His story unfolds against the backdrop of a transformed landscape, where familiar streets and buildings have been reshaped by the passage of time, urban development, and history.
When her father sets foot in his old village decades later, he finds a town far different from the one he remembers. He finds himself surrounded by tall buildings, all on the brink of demolition due to age and decay. Is his old home still standing?
“When her father sets foot in his old village decades later, he finds a town far different from the one he remembers.”
As he wanders through the town, he visits a barber who laments that he is barely surviving in his business as people are either leaving or being displaced. Later, father and daughter join a public tour of a nearby dismantled nuclear power plant, one of the last remnants of the once-thriving city.
The Other Side of the Mountain is a fascinating and incredibly personal documentary. When one leaves on a new journey or chapter in life, we take a mental snapshot of the pristine and perfect world left behind. Returning decades later, that perfect picture decayed, which indeed happened for He’s father. Now, a sudden dose of reality comes in, and our joy-filled memories of the past are permanently altered.
Director Shirley beautifully captures the passage of time in her father’s eyes. She doesn’t merely follow him with a camera as he walks through his old city but has an eye for the country’s beauty and even from the decaying city. Each frame resembles a painting, and every moment brims with beauty and melancholy. If you’ve ever visited an old home, you’ll know exactly how it feels.
"…a fascinating and incredibly personal documentary."
