Eternal Spring

I just saw this movie with my friend who travels to China regularly. It was his suggestion that we see this movie. It tells the story of a 2022 Falun Gong (FLG) hacking the Changchun TV station new program to broadcast a rebuttal video against CCP persecution.

I am not that familiar with the FLG, other than it may be a Buddhist cult. Now I think that it may be influenced by CCP anti-FLG propaganda. Even though I have not heard about this incident previously, the narrative is sadly familiar. The CCP is concerned about control and when they feel threatened, the party will crush and perceive opposition, then lie to conceal their actions. Out of all the people involved, many were imprisoned, tortured, and murdered by the local police and the government. Two of them are currently outside of China and were featured in the movie. The actual historical scenes were animated instead of live action but does not take away from the storytelling. Anyone with interest in modern Chinese history should watch this movie.

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Over a decade ago, I purchased a bunch of discount AMC movie tickets from work. I thought they were lost but fortunately I found them, and they were still useable. Since this was a matinee, the ticket price was “only” $10.69; the regular adult ticket price is $15.69.

Also, since this was a documentary and in Mandarin (with English subtitles), the theater was pretty empty. When I walked into the theater fifteen minutes early, I was the first person in the room. Eventually, about twenty people walked in, which I guess is great attendance for a Sunday afternoon.