De onverboden stad

Director Floris-Jan van Luyn returns to the neighbourhood in Beijing where he used to live in the 1990s as a correspondent for NRC Handelsblad. This old quarter, with its narrow passages, is about to be demolished, because down the road the futuristic looking National Theatre is been built. Van Luyn portrays the district in calm, scrupulous images, which offer a chance to observe the details. A beer seller on a bike acts as our guide and introduces us to a few inhabitants. We watch them in their daily activities, while in voice-over we hear them talk about their life in Beijing and their uncertain future. Some are satisfied; others take everything as it comes. But in conversations in the street or drinking a glass around a table, some people also complain about the increased house prices, the meagre reimbursement of moving expenses and the quality of politicians. Meanwhile, one after the other building is demolished.