Mama

Often cited as Chinas first independent feature film this lowbudget drama filmed largely in the directors Beijing apartment depicts the life of a single mother a topic considered taboo at the time caring for her mentally challenged son Shot with a documentary aesthetic that includes interviews with families of mentally challenged persons the film helped kickstart the Sixth Generation of filmmakers including Wang Xiaoshuai and Jia Zhangke and their ethos of employing documentary realism to depict the true conditions of contemporary China