HEADING SOUTH - YUAN YAUN (2020)

Written and directed by Chinese filmmaker Yuan Yuan, Heading South is an intimate portrayal of family, separation and competing worlds in China, and performed well on the festival circuit (especially those awards celebrating students). It is perhaps worth noting that she studied film in New York, supported by BAFTA. The drama follows Chasuna, a Mongolian girl who stays the night with her father in Beijing to celebrate his birthday and to collect alimony. Beginning and ending on the steppe, it brings to mind the feature documentary The Eagle Huntress, though no one told the horse not to look at camera. It is an effective drama with superb acting and nice moments (like how differently dogs are treated) reminiscent of Lynne Ramsay, but there is perhaps a tendency to extol films in the West simply because they are foreign. If you like Heading South by Yuan Yuan be sure to rate it and share it!