Mountain Patrol

I've just watched a fantastic film called Mountain Patrol directed by Lu Chuan. The film is in Mandarin chinese. It is a bleak account of true events that took place betwee 1993-6 in Northern China. A brave and moral group of men set up a voluntary mountain patrol to try to stop poachers from mass murdering the endangered Tibetan Antelope...a Beijing reporter follows them on their futile persuit of the most destructive poachers and it is his reports that were the basis of the film. I know I seem to have a small obsession with the maltreatment of animals and the barbarism of man, and I am utterly fascinated by chinese art (music, cinema, theatre - whatever), but this film is so expressive in the most understated way and really highlights the ultimate value of both life and death with no romanticism or cheap 'string-pulling' tactics whatsoever. It is concerned with the idea of death - whether natural or murderous - and how small one life is in the bigger picture however huge that life seems to be to the individual. Often uncomfortable to watch (for me at least - in my hypersensitive state) I think it provides important philosophical stimulus......and the mountain scenery is unbelievable.