Film Review: The Exiles (2022)

Violet Columbus and Ben Klein’s The Exiles is a lot of things — all of them wonderful. Part artist biography, part history lesson, part political rabble-rouser, and part “film within a film,” The Exiles covers a lot of ground with a sense of style and pacing as irreverent as its subject matter. In the months following the 1989 massacre at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, documentary filmmaking provocateur and activist Christine Choy (a Chinese immigrant living in New York) spent weeks filming three of the uprising’s leaders who were forced into exile following the demonstration’s events.

Her footage from ‘89 is captivating on its own, as it brilliantly captures the stress, exhaustion, and determination these men held for their cause, and could have made a compelling documentary by itself. But, to add another layer of complexity, Choy decides to track down her subjects — all of whom are still living in exile — and catch up with them about their families, regrets, and continued aspirations for their Chinese homeland. Admittedly, it’s all a bit of a whirlwind, but as we get to know Choy, it becomes clear that a whirlwind is the only thing that can do her gigantic personality justice. In the end, The Exiles is a fascinating think-piece about the price of direct action and perseverance despite the risks to oneself and one’s family, all told through the eyes of a truly one-of-a-kind artist.

The Exiles was screened as part of our coverage of the 25th Annual Full Frame Documentary Film Festival.

Originally published by ASHEVILLE MOVIES.