Xiang Tiang is a Chinese writer and director. After graduating from the Central Academy of Drama (Beijing) with a BA degree in Dramaturgy, she entered Columbia University School of the Arts Film MFA Program. Her first film, “The Stage of Golden Beach” (2021) was officially selected by “Interfilm Berlin” Internationale Kurzfilmfestival Berlin, Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival, Regina International Film Festival & Awards, and Pingyao Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon International Film Festival. She has wrote and directed other short films: Potion (2022), Kiss All Summer Goodbye (2023), and A Whim To Kill (2023). From 2021 to 2023, she has worked for Shanghai International Film Festival as guest jury of Short Competition, and preselection Juror of Golden Goblet Feature Competition.
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Bin is a female worker of a slaughterhouse in southern China. It is well-known in the small town that she has been sexually harassed by her teacher in her school days, a factor that actually has significant impact in the way the majority of her co-workers have essentially alienated her. The year the story takes place, however, before the Spring Festival, Bin, now as a young single mother, is forced to dance in a show which is intended for local government’s funding. During the rehearsal, Bin falls into the clutches of a male dance teacher’s assault. She tries to ask for help only to suffer cold receptions and essentially being ignored. At last she chooses to expose the man’s behavior in her own way.
The issue of female harassment in the hands of ‘higher up’ men has been one that has been repeatedly explored in cinema during the latest years. At the same time, though, in the case of Chinese cinema, the presentation is not exactly common, in an aspect that definitely deems “The Stage of Golden Beach” a unique and rather courageous film.
The presentation however, particularly in regards to the pacing of the movie and the execution of the finale is definitely problematic. And if the first issue could be attributed to the length of the film (18 minutes) the second is simply a problem with the direction and writing. Of course, the a factory worker using her body as a weapon when everything else has failed in a rather patriarchical world were harassment seems to be the rule, is rather understandable. The way Bin involves her child, however, makes it rather difficult to support her in her actions, essentially muddying the message here.
On the other hand, in terms of production values, the movie is on a rather high level. The way Bin’s dancing expresses the character’s inner state and essentially dictates the pace of the movie is quite impressive to watch. The same applies to the use of lighting and particularly the shadows which are rather effectively implemented here, with the overall work of DP Chris Song being among the best traits of the movie. Sido Yao LV and Song’s editing are somewhat problematic though, with the movie moving too fast on occasion, in the prism mentioned in the previous paragrah.
Liu Liu as Bin is quite good, highlighting her inner struggle and a will for everyone to leave her alone, something that seems to never happen. The resolve she portrays in the last part of the movie is also competently performed, in an overall nice effort.
“The Stage of Golden Beach” has good intentions, good execution in cinematic terms, it just needed a better work in the writing and a longer duration in order to be utterly fulfilled.
