✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ Read critic reviews
Denmark, China, United Kingdom · 2013
1h 26m
Director Andreas Johnsen
Starring Ai Weiwei, Jerome A. Cohen, Feng Wang, Pan Haixia
Genre Documentary
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World famous Chinese artist Ai Weiwei is under house arrest and facing a year on probation. Police agents follow his every move, he suffers from sleeping disorder and memory loss. But throughout it all, Ai Weiwei steadily finds new ways to provoke and challenge the might of the Chinese government in his fight for human rights.
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) by
The clever and defiant Ai, who is forever filming himself and others on his phone, does in one instance capture Johnsen on camera, but mainly the doc is missing any explanation of how a dissident forbidden from giving interviews agreed to it – as well as much context about his personal life.
The New York Times by A.O. Scott
Mr. Johnsen offers viewers the challenge and pleasure of an important artist’s company, and a chance to appreciate anew his wisdom, his wit and his bravery.
In Ai Weiwei: The Fake Case, a fascinating, essential marker in the ongoing saga of his exploits, the government fights Weiwei with artificial law to maintain an illusion of total control, fueling its target’s heroic persona in the process.
The A.V. Club by David Ehrlich
It’s curious that The Fake Case works best as a dark comedy, with one particularly memorable scene finding Ai sneaking up on a couple of newlyweds as they have their wedding photos taken and snapping a few of his own.
While Johnsen competently follows Ai over the course of more than a year of contemplation and anger, "The Fake Case" doesn't introduce anything new to the equation, and mainly succeeds by virtue of its subject's inherent appeal.
The Hollywood Reporter by Neil Young
Ai Weiwei: The Fake Case is a professional, straightforward example of the behind-the-headlines sub-genre, executed in slick high-toned digital video and eschewing the soundtrack music so ubiquitous in documentaries nowadays.
With the aid of Johnsen’s doc to overcome the obstacles China has put in his path, Ai’s voice carries louder than ever before.
Village Voice by Zachary Wigon
With such a compelling central figure it would be tough for the doc to not stimulate, but stimulation aside, its rather shapeless narrative can feel desultory.