Documentary directed by a filmmaker YU Guangyi over the past four years. The scene is mountains in the northeastern area of China as it is in his past works. He is turning his camera to the lives of shamans living in a cold village.
Putting out a lot of tobacco, walking outside and spitting out. The everyday life of such unfriendly elderly is adjacent to extraordinariness as a prayer. Nonetheless, it does not suddenly enter the transformer state as the person changes. The beginning of the ceremony is by no means arousal; there is a taste like a little "going out". While dragging their daily lives certainly, their actions are progressing but yet we have arrived to a different dimension from this world unknowingly.
When we notice, some are fainting, some are collapsing, others are on bleeding. The camera is shaky, but the shamans are never upsetting. Everything is done as usual, and it returns to usual time. Perhaps there maybe no boundaries between usual and unusual circumstances for them, from the beginning.
With a feeling just walking around, rather than crossing over, a time-space with unusually high tension is created. Playing a blood-fresh brand-new rhythm brings a mysterious relief, such as, when I noticed that, for example, my neighborhood barber is awesome. It gives some illusions as if meeting a somewhat strange relative after a long absence, with skillful and triumphant "storytelling."
Written by：Toji Aida
"Village of Sherman"
Director: Yu Guangyi
The 18th Tokyo FILMeX 2017 Competition
