Cinema is a unique art form that encapsulates love, hate, action, violence, and anger—essentially all human emotions—in a singular voice. Cinema can elate you, disgust you, sadden you, and even disappoint you. This very nature of capturing human emotions sets movies apart from other art forms and contributes to their popularity among the masses. Chinese director He Jian-jun taps into this popularity and explores how films penetrate societal consciousness in the form of cinephilia and influence everyday life in his 2004 film ‘Pirated Copy‘.
The film presents different character arcs linked by a shared passion for cinema and the shady world of film piracy in Beijing. The characters come from the fringes of society, and their lives suffer from poor economic conditions, crime, and corruption. Only cinema offers a glimpse of a utopian dream in their lives. As Hossain Sabzian said in Abbas Kiarostami’s ‘Close-Up‘, “Cinema lost me my job. It robbed me of my life, my social identity. But even now, just one good film, and I eagerly turn back to cinema.” For these characters, movies provide an escape from their dark, dystopian reality.
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Yet amid this cinematic utopia, ‘Pirated Copy’ also highlights the transgression of the art form. Oftentimes, the characters attempt to imitate actions portrayed in films, resulting in outcomes that are even more dystopic than their existing lives. In one particular arc, a couple inspired by ‘Pulp Fiction’ plans to rob random people on the street, leading them into a series of misfortunes that drag them deeper into the dark underbelly of society.
The campy aesthetics of this production complement the dichotomy between dystopian reality and cinematic utopia. Cinematographer Yuan De-qiang uses a handheld digital camera to perfectly capture the dark, gloomy spaces of the dystopic underbelly. Often, clips from famous films appear on TV or video screens, juxtaposed with the characters’ poor financial and living conditions. This creates a metaphor for their longing to live a cinematic life, while the grainy, poorly lit, and shaky images remind them of the distance of this dream. One scene illustrates this division profoundly, showcasing a sick person watching an adventure movie on his TV while intercutting with shots of him lying in a hospital bed, receiving news of being HIV positive. His deep desire for adventure emerges from the film, yet reality forbids him from pursuing it.
Additionally, ‘Pirated Copy’ comments on the constant threat of authorities. The shots appear composed as if taken discreetly, creating a pervasive sense of tension, as if authority figures loom nearby, ready to intervene. Parallels connect it with He Jian-jun’s past experiences with the Chinese censorship board, which ultimately led to his ostracizing in the industry. Police often seen arresting those trying to sell pirated DVDs. In a hilarious scene, one seller gets caught, and during interrogation, the police find a copy of Nagisa Oshima’s controversial masterpiece ‘In the Realm of Senses’. They accuse the seller of being a pornographer, while he insists, “It’s only an art film.” This event satirizes the authorities’ failure to recognize art and their eventual disregard for it.
The movie occasionally drags in pace, and its campy aesthetics can be distracting. Nevertheless, it is filled with substance that captivates until the end. The characters are well-written and portrayed so effectively that every cinephile can relate to them. The actors, despite limited screentime, deliver profound performances that contribute significantly to the film’s overall purpose. They inspire a love for movies while simultaneously uprooting the utopian mythology surrounding them.
‘Pirated Copy’ stands as a film of cinephiles, for cinephiles, by cinephiles. Designed as a love letter to cinema, it showcases its limitations as well. Perhaps the art form has its mass appeal yet it always remain a distant dream. One can lose themselves in this dream for two hours yet they have to return to their reality eventually. He Jian-jun creates a thesis stating life is not a movie yet movies reflect life. And to look upon our lives, we need it more than anything else.
