Man in Black

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Man in Black

2023

1h 1m

Documentary

Biography

Music

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6 Reviews

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WANG Xilin, 86, is one of China's most important modern classical composers. The film exhibits the body and soul of a man scarred by a life of suffering, a "man in black" who is yet still capable of deep and sincere compassion. With excerpts from his symphonies, he revisits some of the horrifying events that still live on in his memory, as testimony to an era that saw the dehumanization of the Chinese nation.

Jonathan Romney

Screen International

It’s a sobering, striking work – as much performance piece as documentary per se, and a notable departure from Wang Bing’s usual objective observational mode.

May 23, 2023

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Matthew Carey

Deadline Hollywood Daily

Man in Black constitutes one of the most unique “biographical” documentaries I’ve ever seen. It’s not an assemblage of archive clips and interviews... This is more like an evocative tour of a man’s mind.

Nov 18, 2023

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Hector A. Gonzalez

The Movie Buff

The lens follows the maestro, as each composition traverses through your body and the words stick in your soul.

Rated: B+

Oct 20, 2023

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Siddhant Adlakha

JoySauce.com

It's an exceptional work of music criticism through cinematic technique, exploring the dynamic between an artist and his art—but it soon transforms even further, into a history lesson relayed both orally and musically

Oct 10, 2023

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Matt McCracken

In Review Online

But what [it] underscores... is that there is power in an unwavering orientation toward keeping memory alive and maintaining a faith in the truth spoken and experiences endured by people... who have been made to fight for their existence.

Jun 5, 2023

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Àngel Quintana

Caimán Cuadernos de Cine

After the words we listen to his symphonies, which have a grandiose tone, but Wang Xilin tells us that in them is the movement of a people in chains that cannot find their paths to freedom. [Full review in Spanish]

Jun 1, 2023

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Bing Wang

Director

Xilin Wang

Self

Lihong K.

Producer

Sonia Buchman

Producer

Nicolas R. de la Mothe

Producer

Karin Chien

Executive Producer

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Synopsis

WANG Xilin, 86, is one of China's most important modern classical composers. The film exhibits the body and soul of a man scarred by a life of suffering, a "man in black" who is yet still capable of deep and sincere compassion. With excerpts from his symphonies, he revisits some of the horrifying events that still live on in his memory, as testimony to an era that saw the dehumanization of the Chinese nation.

Director: Bing Wang
Producer: Lihong K., Sonia Buchman, Nicolas R. de la Mothe
Production Co: La Région Île-de-France, Goodman Gallery, Gladys Glover, Louverture Films, Wil Productions, Le Fresnoy Studio National des Arts Contemporains
Genre: Documentary, Biography, Music
Original Language: Chinese
Runtime: 1h 1m
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1