Liu Jian’s Art College 1994 takes a fond, yet discerning and humorous look at student life in a beautiful 2D animated film. Set, as the title indicates, in the mid-90s, the film expresses the aspirations, reflections, and feelings, of art and music students in a changing China. Inspired by the filmmaker’s own experiences – he originally studied painting at the Nanjing University of the Arts before turning to animation, the film is not autobiographical, but it is imbued with a very grounded sense of authenticity. It also succeeds in striking a universal note, conveying the essence of young people in their mid-20s, trying to achieve their dreams, in the process of figuring out who they are, who they want to be, and what kind of life they will create. The opening quote from James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man distils the message perfectly: “To live, to err, to fall, to triumph, to recreate life out of life.”
The narrative is rather meandering, which, if you remember your university days, is quite appropriate to the theme. As Xiaojun (Dong Zijian) and Rabbit (Chizi) collaborate on a large-scale painting, they exude the arrogance and idealism of youth, as well as its insecurities and doubts. Rabbit proclaims, “Nobody paints better than us!” Yet reflecting on the death of Kurt Cobain at 27, Xiaojun feels the pressure of time, the need to prove himself, and soon. While Rabbit is the more practical minded, concerned with ensuring his future income, Xiaojun is caught up with different philosophies and approaches, feeling that art should be “full of passion” and be open to change. The influence of Western culture and the tension between tradition and innovation is strongly felt in the film, often in humorous ways. Xiaojun and Rabbit attend an exhibit of conceptual art and accidently sit on one of the installations – a rumpled bed that is very reminiscent of Tracey Emin’s My Bed (1998).
Another focal point in the film are the two music majors, the vivacious singer Gao Hong (Papi Jiang) and the more soft-spoken, yet no less compelling pianist Hao Lili (Zhou Dongyu). They too struggle with the difficulty of achieving a music career, while contending with the expectations of society and their parents. Although Lili dreams of being “someone who does what she likes, lives how she likes,” and harbors a not-so-secret crush on Xiaojun, she acquiesces to her parents’ set up of a blind date with an appropriate suitor.
Art College 1994 is not as much about the plot as it is about mood, the trajectory of the individual students is much like the amusing interlude during the opening titles – a small bug tries to climb a stone wall, and although he keeps falling down, sometimes landing on his back with his legs waving in the air, he struggles to right himself and tries again.
Art College 1994
Director: Liu Jian. Screenplay: Lin Shan, Liu Jian. Animation: Li Jiajia. Editor: Liu Jian. Music: David Wen-Wei Liang, Sun Yunfan, Cui Jian, Alex Liu, Chen Li.
