Written and directed by upcoming director Lu Chan, Ke Ke Xi Li is a film based on the true events of the Kekexili Mountain Patrol in 1996. The group were a self-reliant, self-funded patrol team trying to protect the endangered and endeared species of Tibetan Antelope, which were mass slaughtered for their skin by gangs of Tibetan poachers.
In 1996 a journalist, Gayu, arrived from Beijing to meet with the leader of the patrol group, Raiti, to investigate the alleged poaching of Tibetan antelope. By law, poaching was illegal, however, it was not enforced and was largely an issue dealt with by the self-reliant Kekexili people in the form of a volunteer patrol group. They were neither employed by the Government, not assisted in anyway to protect the antelope. The struggle the patrol faced meant that every day they went on patrol, there was a possibility they may never return alive.
In such a small town, everyone does what they can to survive. The women weep when their husbands and boyfriends go out with their guns on patrol, hoping an praying for their safe return, understanding that the last time they see them leave, may be the last time they see them alive. The men still continue, undeterred by the possibility of death, and have vowed to protect the species from having their pelts sold for money. Enforcing a law in a town where no law exists.
Lu Chan has not only managed to capture the essence of the struggle that the mountain patrol faced, but has used a cast that is simply exceptional in performance. From heart break and struggle, to disgust and vengeance; every emotion, every tear, every desire is expressed with power and authority.
Although the two main protagonists in this film are Gayu and Raiti, everyone of the patrol man is given a justified screen presence. This is not your Hollywood-esque “Mr Blue” incident, where a character is introduced and killed within seconds. The patrol behave and act as a family, and when one is injured or killed, they pain is demonstrated explicitly by all and throughout with incredible emotion.
When I first started writing this review, I feared that I would go on endlessly about the sheer beauty of the location, cinematography and direction; it is simply put, breathtaking. From the wide angled mountain shots, to the close up of the dying, everything is perfectly captured to exude some emotion from the viewer. From the first few minutes of watching, I was immediately gripped and was not let go until the credits rolled.
The scenery is beautiful, stunning and vast. Chan has allowed the camera to capture the locations as a large part of the film, as much as any of the actors, rather than have the scenery as the backdrop to the film. The weather and rough terrain play a level of important characterisation too, as the men work endlessly to find the head of the poachers to bring him in, while being stopped by cold, snowy mountains, and the contrasting desert environments. Men are sacrificed, lives are lost, others are left to die; this is not a film with a happy theme.
Antelope, naturally, figure very importantly to the film. Animal lovers may choose not to watch this film, as they could consider some of the scenes cruel and inhumane. I don’t know enough about the film itself to say whether it was tangible special effects, or actual corpses, but it looked real and bloody enough to me to seem real.
Gore, however, does not feature heavily, only the essence and the emotional struggle to protect the species is carried throughout. The film uses this to allow a kinship to form between Gayu, Raiti and the rest of the group, as Gayu tries to understand the brutal justice and crimes that are being committed around him. At times, he himself seems unable to contain his disgust at what is taking place; even amongst his own patrol.
There are some truly magical and poetic scenes that take place. The ritual’s of those that are died are beautifully directed, as are the metaphorical and physical presence of the vultures that wait for the corpse to be cut to shreds so they may feast. The stark contrast between man-made ugliness and nature’s untouched, natural beauty was so overwhelming, I was transfixed by it. It’s rare to see a film show with such a low budget, about a topic unlikely to be of commercial interest, and yet manage to use the natural beauty and the harshness around it to such incredible effect.
Reality and raw energy is what makes this film so gripping to watch. The struggles the patrol face, the dilemma of what is right and wrong, and what Gayu feels would be correct to write as a journalist are just as tense as the moments when you hope that those that are close to death will, somehow, survive; that, through all this misery, depression and anger, there has to be some hope.
There is a modicum of humour, but it’s more a humour of sadness and desperation, rather than out and out humour. There are some instances, such as the folk singing and dancing which are a joy to watch and lift the film above the darkness. A few other scenes provide some welcome comic relief too, in particular a very long chase. The chase is set against harsh terrain and the possibility of death, but somehow comes across as very funny. It’s obviously intentional, but as equally as it is funny, it is also astonishing to which the lengths the actors go, and a testament to their commitment to making this film work.
Music has not been left out, but it’s not figured prominently. The audio for the film is mostly natural: Gun fire; the sound of vultures; monks praying; and vehicles trying to trek across the vast unforgiving landscape, add a whole new sense of atmosphere to the film, that would otherwise be ruined by over dramatic music.
There is nothing over dramatic about the music, thankfully, and instead there is the use of brief, but beautifully composed, melodies as well as traditional folk songs. They are used in subtle instances, but perfectly, without being overly long or unwelcome. It’s this attention to detail that manages to mesmerise you into continuing to watch the film. There is no point at which your perception of what is happening is broken, and you can be fully engaged and live through the dangers that the characters face.
I waited a long while before watching Ke Ke Xi Li. This was due to my initial disappointment with overly hyped films. Ke Ke Xi Li was also hyped as a great new film, from a relatively new director about an honest subject matter. It seemed like a difficult film to watch, and I expected over emotional scenes and wind instruments being played over scenes of antelope dancing in the fields and narration to the effect of, “We love antelope. They’re very beautiful”
What you will get instead is a hard, abrasive, down to Earth look at the struggles that the poor people took upon themselves to accomplish when their own Government didn’t care, against the dangers of being killed. The film is both honest, and brutal in its depiction of the violence and realities the patrol faced, easily ranking as one of my favourite films of 2004 thus far. I think it has been a an equal privileged for me to have seen this, as it has been for the Chan to make it.
Verdict: Astonishing, beautiful and brutal fact-based drama. An astounding example of incredible film making