2011 Movie
Dir. Andrea Segre · France, Italy · Italian, Mandarin
Two immigrants form a friendship in this contemplative seaside drama
Life can get tough if you move to another country. You have to adjust to the language, to the culture, and to the community you choose to move to, and that’s just if you decided to make the move intentionally. But some of these difficulties can be made much easier to bear with a good friend. Shun Li and the Poet is centered on a friendship between two immigrants in a Venetian island town, and although they come from other sides of the world, the kindnesses they share as strangers, and the intimacy they keep when they share more of their life stories, prove to be lovely. It might be a tad slow for some viewers, but the contemplation and celebration of their shared humanity makes for a lovely watch.
A study of the friendship between a Chinese woman and a fisherman who came to Italy from Yugoslavia many years ago, who live in a small city-island in the Veneto lagoon.
"A discreetly epic observation of solitude and circumstance."
— Rebecca Ellis
"A thin but attractively opalescent immigrant study, prioritizing exquisite, atmospheric detail over the bigger picture."
— Guy Lodge
After moving to the Venetian lagoon in the island town of Chioggia, Chinese bartender Shun Li befriends Yugoslavian fisherman Bepi, drawing attention from both their communities.
Most of the film is talking, so the last 20 minutes kinda feel a bit abrupt.
Nobody wanna see us together, but it don't matter, nooo…
Venice
3 wins
European Film Awards
1 nom
Isabella Endrinal is a curator at A Good Movie to Watch. She's now free from the corporate night shift. Previous articles have been published in outlets such as NANG Magazine. She's currently catching up on some classic films… if she isn't coping with the fact that the Haikyu anime will end soon.
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