This animated, dark Chinese comedy is very strange. First, it is in a uniquely low-tech 2D animation style. The shots are almost stills. There is very little movement within shots. That is to say though it is in animation style, they are not very animated. I suppose that's just what movies are, still pictures put one after another. But they don't depict movement. It sits on the one still shot and the talking goes in the background. Now maybe it's just me, but I have a hard time discerning emotion in Chinese. It all seemed rather monotone to me, especially without being able to see real people or movement.
That's not where the strangeness ends. There are some strong communist undertones in the movie. And yet, they're comedic, very knowing. There is a totally out of place music video full of karaoke images of triumphant workers singing about going Shangri-La. It is supremely bizarre. The movie is quite self-aware in its un-seriousness. We hear a clip of Donald Trump on the radio. They talk about Brexit, and The Godfather. They never let us forget that though it may look animated, this takes place in our world. No matter how ridiculous the things we see on screen.
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