One of the defining factors of a nation is its division into executive, legislative and judicial branches, also called “organs of state” or “state organs”. The institutions build upon one another, while also ensuring a state can maintain order and also be operational, which is the foundation of a democracy among other political systems. However, within some nations, these “organs” are just a front covering up what really goes on behind, especially in authoritarian systems abusing them to pursue their own ideology. In “State Organs” by Raymond Zhang, the metaphor carries a double meaning, one which may shed some light into the doings of the ruling political party in China. The feature makes for a harrowing viewing experience as it takes a look not just into an authoritarian regime, but also into the darkest abyss of inhumanity.
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During the course of the documentary, we follow the accounts of Zhang Qingfa and Dr. Will Huang, telling us about the search for their relatives who vanished under dubious circumstances in the early 2000s. One linking factor between both cases is that Zhang’s sister as well as Shawn Huang have been practitioners of Falun Gong, a religious movement who, at one point, had more followers than the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Considering its popularity, Jiang Zemin, then President of China, stated persecuting the movement and its members stating Falung Gong has been “quietly infiltrating the CCP and state apparatus”. In the following years, many practitioners were arrested or forced to leave the country, especially after their peaceful protesting was met with violence from the state, sending in the police or even soldiers to stop the demonstrations. However, to the shock of the surviving relatives and many others, the fates of Zhang’s sister Yun and Will’s brother Shawn are just two cases in one of the most gruesome organ harvesting operations legitimized by a state.
When it comes to a documentary such as “State Organs”, you have to take into account two elements. At first, there are the two stories which the features follow, supported by accounts of family members as well as legal experts and observers of the crackdown of Falun Gong. While there are certainly aspects of movement worth mentioning or criticizing (its stance on homosexuality and anti-evolutionist views to name just two examples), “State Organs” is more about what these accounts tells us about China*s political regime and its relationship to the media and society. What is especially eye-opening is how the regime created a narrative for the people and the media, labeling Falun Gong and its members essentially as enemies of the state, which served as a cover-up for what really happened to the practitioners that were arrested, imprisoned and killed. The accounts add a personal layer, whereas the other interviews, with political and legal experts, give the feature an almost historical perspective, making “State Organs” quite relevant when it comes to other political and social topics in China.
However, apart from the narration there is also the style of the documentary which needs to be looked into further. While the accounts, as mentioned before, speak for themselves and will probably already shock and touch the audience, especially the editing adds to this effect. In some instances, this added effect, the fast pacing and editing, however, feels somewhat over the top and also sensationalist. The same applies to the use of sound and music which support the overall effect, but more than once could have been a little less, given the account of the interviewers we hear or the re-staging of events that we just heard about.
“State Organs” is a harrowing documentary about one the greatest crimes of the Chinese political party against its people. Raymond Zhang tells us about two cases which shed light into the whole deal, while adding a historical perspective to the events, even though his formal approach could have used a little restraint in some scenes.
