Go for Broke

Go for Broke leaves you with the impression that you have been watching an aerial shot of Shanghai, in which a swarming mass of industrious people are busy taking advantage of the new economic conditions. The camera is zoomed in on one of them, Bao Zhong, who has just been sacked. When he walks out of the factory gate, we are informed in a text box of his name and the company where he has just been dismissed. There are many like him; hoards of people are being sacked, especially by large companies. But Bao Zhong is in a very cheerful mood: like everyone else, he will start up for himself.In the best neo-realistic tradition, Wang Guangli lets non-actors play their own lives. Go for Broke looks like a documentary in which we see, without any narration, how Shanghai is dominated by new opportunities. Everyone is busy with projects, plans, networks, investors, loans. Everyone wants to earn money, with new companies, gambling, in lotteries. But being your own boss is no fun after so many years on a salary. There are hassles about debts and balances, crooked contractors, hard-to-get loans. But above all there is an almost indestructible faith in the new world. At the same time disappointment is only just around the corner. Many people still live in poverty or lack medical care. The result is an amusing, lusty and thoughtful document from the New China.