LAAPFF 2020: Finding Yingying
LAAPFF 2020It is hard to come away from Jiayan Shi's Finding Yingying and not be utterly flawed and emotionally devastated by what you have witnessed.
The documentary follows the missing persons case of twenty-six-year-old Chinese student Yingying Zhang who went missing from her Champaign campus in Chicago. Director Jiayan Shi documents, with harrowing and eye-opening footage, the Zhang family as they travel to the US to search for her whereabouts. From there, the film erupts into a murder case and a devastating documentation of a family having to co-exist without knowing where their daughter is.
To say this is a hard watch would be an understatement. This is an incredibly dark multifaceted tale of a family coping with devastating circumstances, an immigrant in America and the risks of being a woman in society. All these elements are covered in a poignant and captivating extent. Shi documents a trifecta of intertwining cultural and social issues with deep dive into the interconnected issues that they all represent and the repercussions of what could have prevented such action from ever been undertaken.
First and foremost, the documentation of the turmoil Zhang's family is going through is nothing short of disturbing. To see the hope in their eyes and silver lining on their tongues of finding Yingying makes a devastating, albeit hopeful, venture to witness. Crafted in a set of interviews with the family as well as documenting social events and searches for a body, it is almost unbelievable that Shi's film could become any more harrowing — then it does.
The mystery begins to unravel and reveal after reveal are brought to the surface, and each and every one of them cut deeper and deeper. Brought truly home when Yingying's mother makes the journey with devastating results, as well as the true nature and extent of why this crime was committed.
That being said, this is not just an incredibly important film that documents a tragic case, it is a film that has the maturity to aim its sights on why this tragedy happened and what follows is a sincere investigation of the immigrant’s story.. Narrating excerpts from Yingying's diary spoken aloud by director Jiayan Shi adds to the brutality and devastating loss of a bright, young woman who has given up everything for a better future.
Sacrificing time and effort regarding her family to push herself in an effort to constantly achieve success after success in her chosen ecological department is an eye-opening account of not only Yingying’s character but also her dedication and sacrifice.
Shi also documents the trials of being a woman within society. The steps and affiliation that one has to take in order to feel safe, only for the tragedy of the case to showcase the moment of abduction in the calmest manner possible: stepping foot in a strangers car. This offers a disturbing reality check for those still denying that these problems do not exist. The use of external camera footage further bringing a terrifying atmosphere and tension to the proceedings.
Yet, there is the stinger still to come — the murderer hiding in plain sight. Shi reveals through narrative and previous footage that has already been shown, that the perpetrator of this crime has been there all along — lurking in the background in silence, mixing with the family and searches. It is a moment that will turn the viewer sick, but a reveal that emphasises the terror of not knowing who out there is capable of such heinous crimes.
