The Ditch (2010)
"Jiabiangou" (original title)

It recounts the harrowing story of life at one of Mao's camps, at the end of the fifties, where 'rightists' were sent to be 're-educated through labor'.

Director:

Bing Wang

Writers:

Bing Wang, Xianhui Yang (novel)

Stars:

Zhengwu Cheng, Niansong Jing, Xiangnian Li

4 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Zhengwu Cheng
Niansong Jing
Xiangnian Li
Renjun Lian
Ye Lu	...	Xiao Li
Cenzi Xu	...	Gu
Haoyu Yang	...	Lao Dong

Storyline

It recounts the harrowing story of life at one of Mao's camps, at the end of the fifties, where 'rightists' were sent to be 're-educated through labor'.

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

Hong Kong France Belgium

Language:

Mandarin

Release Date:

14 March 2012 (France)

Also Known As:

Das Erdloch

Company Credits

Production Co:

Wil Productions, Les Films de L'Etranger, Entre Chien et Loup

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Endurance Limits

There are some films that you enjoy and some that you admire but not necessarily enjoy watching. The Ditch comes under the latter category. This enactment of the brutalities handed out to some Chinese citizens in late fifties & early sixties by the Mao regime, under the guise of "Re-Education", is certainly tough going. In fact there were several walkouts in the screening that I attended. Although The Ditch is a well made film with realistic performances and tightly controlled direction, it does raise the question of what is necessary to be shown on the screen and what should be left to the viewer's imagination. As an example, a graphic depiction of some one throwing up food and another prisoner feeding himself on the vomit is not everybody's idea of entertainment or even enlightenment. But, as a piece of film making and a history lesson, The Ditch has many worthwhile attributes though one may want to look the other way during certain scenes.