Film: Everything Will Be (2014)

May 5, 2014 | By

 

EverythingWillBe_picFilm: Excellent

Transfer:  n/a  Extras: n/a

Label: n/a

Region: n/a

Released:  n/a

Genre:  Documentary / Hot Docs 2014

Synopsis: Bittersweet portrait of Vancouver’s shrinking Chinatown, as condos slowly overtake decades-old artisan and family businesses.

Special Features:  n/a

 


 

Review:

There’s a striking stoicism among the shop owners, newspaper vendors, an artist, and a cultural gallery / developer in Julia Kwan’s vivid portrait of the fading breadth of Vancouver’s Chinatown as subsequent generations have moved out and the inevitable upscaling and gentrification of old neighbourhoods yield condos and trendy businesses aimed at a younger and more western clientele.

No one in the doc says change is bad, but there is a lamentation that important pieces of the city’s history is disappearing both physically and culturally, especially when shop owners are repeatedly entertained with million dollar offers by developers… and start to give in.

Neither bittersweet nor a rallying cry for extreme action, Kwan merely presents detailed glimpses of an aging and already eroded community which in the coming years may only exist in isolated pockets as generic and trendy businesses & condos replace once-sturdy mom & pop shops. Kwan’s message is very low-key but pretty obvious: one should measure change, and react to a neighbourhood’s evolution with care and caution, lest precious history vanishes forever.

 

 

© 2014 Mark R. Hasan

 


 

External References:
IMDB  —  Hot Docs 2014 Listing
 
Vendor Search Links:
Amazon.ca —  Amazon.com —  Amazon.co.uk

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Category: Blu-ray / DVD Film Review

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