PODCAST |Matt Micucci interviews Chen Guan, director of the film Shen Kong.
A conversation with Chen Guan, director of Shen Kong, the opening film of the 2021 Giornate degli Autori, the parallel and independent section of the Venice Film Festival. The film follows a young boy and a girl and their blooming romance as they go around their town in the pandemic looking for “something to play with,” as the director puts it. In this interview, Chen Guan talks about the challenges of shooting the film in the streets, the natural feeling shared in the relationship between the two lead actors and also gives us his own personal definition of desire. (Translation is provided by the producer of the film, He Xuan.)
Shen Kong : When a pandemic breaks out, Li You is given a long vacation while Xiao Xiao is forced to remain in a city that she does not know well. A strange atmosphere hangs over the urban landscape. The two of them wander the streets in search of fun things to do. Meanwhile, their emotions, state of mind, ethical values, and physical instincts gradually become tools of desire. Once they have indulged in their pleasures and their euphoria reaches a climax, what else is left for them to set their hearts on, apart from the marks they have left on the city?