#TIFF21: “ONE SECOND” REVIEW

Review by George Kozera

Set in China in the ’70s, ONE SECOND tells the tale of a labour camp escapee (Zhang Yi) that is desperate to see a newsreel which contains footage of his estranged daughter. When he arrived too late at the theatre screening, he is told it will be shown again the next day at a nearby village. When he sees a scruffy young girl (Liu Haocun) steal one of the reels, he manages to retrieve it and treks across the desert to deliver it to the next theatrical engagement.

ONE SECOND is laced with gentle humour, stunning desert vistas and a Cast of intriguing characters. The Maoist propaganda is fascinating to watch and the bond between the fugitive and the thief nicely morphs into a dyslexic father/daughter relationship. When you throw in the character of the projectionist known as Mr. Movie (Fan Wei), events on the screen turn lively.

ONE SECOND may have problems finding a North American audience used to bigger. The pace is languid and borderline melodramatic. But the Movie is pure and honest and commendable.

It screens:

Sat, Sep 18 IN-PERSON Roy Thomson Hall 4:30 PM

Sat, Sep 18 IN-PERSON Visa Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre 6 PM

Sat, Sep 18 DIGITAL PREMIERE SCREENING digital TIFF Bell Lightbox 7 PM