History of Chemistry 1 & 2

  • 124'
  • China
  • 2006
The film is made up of two parts that are quite different in visual style, but that were both made with the same ironic and bizarre view of the world. The first part was shot in classic black & white in China, while the second part was shot in England in colour.
The stories in the film are primarily the occasions for visual inventions. There are quests which do not seem intended to find anything. Much points towards science and its history, as does the title, but little is real and a lot is invented. Playful seems to be the key word. The film maker invented ingenious and humorous puzzles and then leaves solving them to the viewer.
Especially in the second part, the imagination takes over. In the Chinese part, the home match, you could say, reality is interwoven with invention, but in England, the maker is not hindered by much prior knowledge of the country and its traditions.
Just like his friend Yang Fudong, Lu Chun Seng is primarily a visual artist and has also trained as such, but his films are outspokenly cinematographic and their narrative length also makes them unsuitable for use for screening in a museum. He is an artist who has obviously taken a good look at films, but who also manages to ignore the rules of the game in his approach. It makes his work curious and original. A document from a nonexistent world. (GjZ)

Director
Lu Chun Sheng
Country of production
China
Year
2006
Festival Edition
IFFR 2008
Length
124'
Languages
Mandarin, English
Sales
ShanghART Gallery
Screenplay
Lu Chun Sheng
Cinematography
Lu Chun Sheng
Editor
Lu Chun Sheng
Music
Wang Fan, B6
Cast
Xie Qin, Jin Xiao
Director
Lu Chun Sheng
Country of production
China
Year
2006
Festival Edition
IFFR 2008
Length
124'
Languages
Mandarin, English
Sales
ShanghART Gallery
Screenplay
Lu Chun Sheng
Cinematography
Lu Chun Sheng
Editor
Lu Chun Sheng
Music
Wang Fan, B6
Cast
Xie Qin, Jin Xiao