Bu zhi bu xiu

The Chinese title "No Stop, No Rest" could be the motto of someone whose calling is that of a reporter. The film is based on the life of reporter Han FuDong, whose writing eventually changed discriminatory laws.

In 2003-4 Beijing, 3 young people from the same city in north-east China are in Beijing seeking their fortune. The focus is on Han Dong, a high school dropout who has written and published some articles online. A reporter who has seen his work brings him in as an intern. Following a lead about illegal paid blood donations, he stumbles upon a conspiracy to fake health reports that show the person being free of Hepatitis B - a required condition for education and employment opportunities.

This is a good story on many levels. The obvious one is about investigative reporting. But there are two secondary stories - about the laws that discriminate against some 1/10th of the population of China, and the difficulties young people face in trying their luck in "the big city".

I was happy that I saw this as an online screening at the Toronto International Film Festival, since I could pause and rewind the action, and eventually watched the whole film again, with a better understanding of which were the main characters, and who were disposable, seen-only-once characters.