Films A-Z
Petition
Petition
Zhao Liang / France / 2009 / 124 min.
From the outside, it looks like an economic miracle and a global superpower. Internally, it labours under a rotten atmosphere of unprincipled Party leaders, all-encompassing corruption and the trampling of human rights. Today's China has two faces where justice cannot be found. Petition is a film that takes a look at the fate of men and women angered by the situation in regional areas. Qi spent 12 years trying to get justice after the death of her husband, who died and was quickly cremated after his treatment was neglected in a company hospital. She refused to simply accept this, so she drew up a petition and went to the authorities. Like her, people with grievances come to Beijing from all over China, and petition the central authority for their case to be explained. Some disappear; others are forced to eke out a living in a nearby "petitioners' village," which is a savage slum where people live in blankets and plastic bags. All of this takes place against the backdrop of preparations for the Summer Olympics.
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