DOC NYC extra credit

On the rim of the sky is a documentary that took place in a small village in SiChuan, China which has minimal to none contact with the outside world due to its location of being on a cliff of a mountain. However, the awful earthquake that occurred in 2008 though out most parts of SiChuan has shaken this small village, physically and mentally. After the earthquake, many volunteers as well as money rushed into the village and this changed everything, including Shen Qijun. Shen has been the teacher of the only primary school in the village and since he doesn’t have a college diploma, his title is a substitute teacher which he has taken for over 26 years. Shen is passionate about his job but the title of only being a substitute teacher never once left his mind because he knows that he could be asked to leave as soon as someone with a college diploma comes in and takes over his job. Shen’s worst nightmare happens when Bao Tangtao, a volunteer teacher who comes to the village to being teaching because of his love for the pure, graceful village. While Bao didn’t take over Shen’s job, Bao has stirred up the peace in the village with his intentions of changing the education system in the village. The two eventually became hostile by the end of the film. The documentary is an intriguing one since small village like this doesn’t have much contact with the outside world so we don’t know much about it and it shows how big of an issue it could cost for the village to contact the outside world (Bao). This documentary doesn’t show a side on who is right and who isn’t so the whole film is under a neutral viewpoint so the audiences get to decide. However, I feel like this documentary is a little bit over-dramatic and unnatural during the heated arguments of Shen and Bao or even with other villagers where they would start throwing things and yelling at each other’s face. I think this could be because they aren’t able to act natural when there are several cameras filming them. Nonetheless, this documentary is a really good one because it shows how outside help might not always be helpful for a small village like this. It is because these “helpful” intentions could disrupt the village’s status quo that maybe the village is perfectly fine with the way it has always been, even though the outsiders would think it needs great improvements just because they aren’t used to this “condition”.