Entertainment · Film · 10 hrs ago

Qiu Jiongjiong’s ‘Fuxi: Four Tales of Feasting’ explores myth through food

Qiu Jiongjiong’s ‘Fuxi: Four Tales of Feasting’ explores myth through food

Chinese filmmaker Qiu Jiongjiong’s new film links four tales through food and spans more than 2,000 years of myth and history.

Called “Fuxi: Four Tales of Feasting,” it is an anthology whose chapters centre on special meals and banquets.

Its first tale follows a prehistoric community that treats a dying elder’s tail as sacred food and serves it as soup during burial rites.

A later story draws on Sichuan legend, showing an abdicated king who has become a cuckoo but returns each year for a meal.

Across the chapters, the film mixes folklore, history and theatrical effects, using painted sets, costumes and practical stage techniques.

Food serves as a way to explore ritual and community, though the separate stories have little direct connection.

The film premiered in competition at the Tokyo Film Festival; the available information gives no further release plans.

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What people are saying

Hollywood Reporter reviewerFilm critic
Spicy and addictive, if not easily digestible.
via Hollywood Reporter
Variety reviewerFilm critic
it’s a joy to be back on the soundstage with Qiu regardless.
via Variety