NYFF 2020: Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue
nyff 2020Storytelling has long stood as one of the most prolific and exciting forms of human expression, this is celebrated in Jia Zhangke's newest documentary feature, Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue. Capturing his local literature festival in Shanxi, China, the film gives authors the platform to speak their opinions on literature as a form of expression and what the practice means to them. Obviously personal, both due to history with the event and the relevance the subject has in his own life, Zhangke's film stands as a poetic love letter to the art form and its evolution over time – that, despite not always being perfect, is rather moving overall.
If there was one thing to stand out the most from the film, it would be passion. Not just is it clear that Jia Zhangke is inspired by what he is capturing but those sharing their views through sit-down interviews also speak with a clear passion and love for the topics discussed. Whilst each individual might have their own unique perspectives and specific ideas, the deeper themes remain universal and will connect with audiences from any background. No matter what piece of content one is creating, the sense of value found in using content creation as a form of expression remains a constant and it immediately will cause some audience members to relate to these subjects on a deeper level.
Whilst this connection is enough to cause the film to be watchable, the final product struggles to find an engaging thesis to push this connection to be something more memorable. The 112-minute runtime that the film carries goes by rather slowly, as for every interesting interview and perspective there is an equal amount of dead air or interviews that feel bland and forgettable. The fly on the wall approach of simply capturing a subject and allowing it to speak for itself is always risky, and Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue is a prime example of how this formula can actually end up hurting the overall feature. The film's interesting segments float in a sea of emptiness that fails to ultimately capitalise on these perspectives and build a powerful voice for itself. When looking back, it is more appropriate to say that there are a number of captivating interviews within the film rather than the feature being captivating on its own.
For those who carry a passion for expression through literature and other forms of content, there is still enough within Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue for the film to feel overall watchable and undeniably moving at times, but the film is its own worst enemy. The wandering pacing between interviews simply doesn't do the subject material justice, causing the film to feel slow and boring at multiple points. There is a focused and incredibly powerful 80-minute feature buried within the film, but as it stands, the film holds more potential than it does results.
