Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival 2010

With the 2008 Summer Olympic Games serving as a backdrop, Beijing Taxi follows three cab drivers as they navigate the fast changing city of Beijing. The careful examination of the lives of the taxi drivers provides an intimate and insightful look at China’s shifting culture. The film starts two years before the Opening Ceremonies and takes us through the launch of the Games - the ever-present $43 million construction plan and all of its disruptions looming in every scene. Taxi Driver Bai, a fatigued veteran of Mao, is looking forward to his retirement. Former schoolteacher, Wei, much to her husband’s annoyance, is consistently scheming up ways to make money. Optimistic Zhou is always dealing with an automotive break down or taxi permit loss. Despite their diversity, all of the drivers share common struggles regarding issues of identity, patriotism and so-called progress. The documentary offers breathtaking cinematography coupled with an effective observational approach. Director Miao Wang was born and raised in Beijing but moved to the United States in the early 1990s. Since China has an intensely strict screening process regarding films about the city, Wang decided not to ask for governmental permission. Beijing Taxi provides a unique and intimate glimpse at a world that most Westerners aren’t privy to.