Total Trust

Total Trust then follows three victims of this oppressive system. Weiping Chang is a lawyer defending people who petitioned the government to be forced out of their homes for government demolition projects. Defense lawyers are nuisances to the government, and Chen was arrested for his association with these protests.

Sophia Xueqin Huang is an investigative journalist who rose to prominence, giving voice to #MeToo victims. The problem was that many of the assailants Huang reported were party members. Weiping Chang helped Sophia with her legal problems, making Chang a bigger target. When Sophia protested Chang’s arrests, she was also a target.

Lastly, there’s Wenzu Li, who attempts to find justice for her husband, who was one of 300 lawyers arrested during the demolition protest. She even shaved her head in protest to raise awareness of the situation. Her husband was finally released and now lives at home under heightened levels of surveillance.

“…a chilling documentary.”

Total Trust is a chilling documentary. We are not that far off from where China is today, especially if you live in California. It’s hard not to feel the stress and tension of Chang, Huang, and Li living under the ever-watchful eye of the Party. And, if you spend any time on social media, you know there are trolls more than willing to report your every action to the powers that be.

As a documentary, Jialing Zhang has incredible access to her subjects and the troubles they face. Her cameras are on the ground, and clever editing gives you that queasy feeling. You feel what they feel. You feel the paranoia of always being followed. You feel the distrust of strangers who approach them all with “friendly” faces. Total Trust also makes you question our government’s response to the COVID pandemic, lockdowns, and forced vaccinations.

Is it just me, or do we really want this kind of society? Is it worth giving up our freedoms for that mere feeling of safety? Total Trust asks a lot of questions that each of us must answer before it is too late.

For more information, visit the Total Trust page on Film Movement.