by Daan Schneider
“Some scenes may cause discomfort,” warns a disclaimer in front of “The Ark”, a film by Chinese director Dan Wei which had its world premiere at IDFA 2020's competition for feature-length documentaries. It also reads: “The contents of this film have been authorized by the subject Zhang Xiuhua and her children.” Neither of these remarks are superfluous. In the one hour and fourty minutes that follow, we witness up close – very close – the final days of the filmmaker's grandmother spent in a hospital, continuously on the verge of death. Shot in austere black-and-white and a claustrophobic 1:1 frame, the experience is harrowing, and at times difficult to bear.
The Ark screened at IDFA
Ms Zhang's illness leaves her unable to speak. Her sons and daughers continously surround her hospital bed, giving doctors a hand where needed and doing what little they can to lighten their mother's pain. The filmmaker does not spare the viewer from any of the more uncomfortable parts of the medical procedures: colostomy bags being emptied, an enema, a shot of some enormous gallstones which obstructed Ms Zhang's digestive system. It's all part of it, the filmmaker seems to say.
The family is under visible stress. While taking care of their mother and each other, they have to answer serious questions. Should they put their feeble mother through a risky surgery? Is it wise to spend large sums of money on postponing the inevitable? The eldest son takes matters in his own hands and starts calling old friends to ask for funds. His sister scolds him for such shameful behaviour.
In the background, a pandemic unfolds. We hear fragments of a radio announcements revealing the increasing urgency of the Covid-19 outbreak. The family starts wearing masks, but they have another crisis on their minds. As the health crisis goes global, this family is occupied with fighting death on a much smaller scale. Wuhan is a long way away.
An interesting aspect of the film is the religious divide running through the family. While some family members including the patient herself are devout Christians, others are not. The filmmaker is Christian too, and references biblical themes, the titular ‘ark' symbolising shelter and hope in times of crisis. Near the end of the documentary, family members have a bit of a fall-out as they are faced with a choice which can be answered the Christian, or the traditional way. It's an edifying scene, showing the tensions between the demands of family and faith.
As we were warned at the beginning, “The Ark” is a discomforting film to sit through – because of the medical procedures, the raw emotions of those involved, and, of course, the realisation that what we're witnessing is really a matter of life and death. The process of dying is a painful one to see, even on screen. Some viewers may be put off, but others will be impressed by the film's uncompromising intimacy and honesty in presenting this universal human experience.
