"Economically dispensing his resource, Hu Bo accomplishes a cinéma-vérité veracity that completely reconciles his characters with their surroundings in conjunction with post-rock band Hua Lun's evocative, moody score. DP Fan Chao's camera doggedly shadows the four main characters, the undivided focal point of the shallow focus and protracted gaze, often on a dime, some sequence are clearly shot in stealth. The deliberately retricted view point also facilitates Hu to arrange several dramatic scenes off screen, like a vicious dog attack or a fatal fall off the staircase. Without resorting to editing or cutting, the camera allows audience to participate solely through the characters's expressions and reactions before granting a view of the upshots, a cinematic trick pulled off with seemingly effortless practicality."
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