Useless Man

ZHENG Dashengs Tianjin Xianren A Useless Man portrays the characteristic figure of an idler roaming the streets of Tianjin shortly before the SinoJapanese War Director Zheng skillfully interweaves the traditional storytelling performance with a humorous and somewhat absurd narrative which blurs the distinction between life and performance illusion and reality Deeply rooted in local Tianjin culture the films authentic depiction of the atmosphere of the city is filled with wisdom and energy Insightful and highly entertaining the film is a brilliant technical tourdeforce