China Synopsis
上访
The dysfunctional Chinese justice system allows citizens with grievances against their local governments to petition the court to clear or correct their record. Yet in order to do so, the petitioners must travel to Beijing to file paperwork and wait an indefinite period to plead their case. Following the saga of a group of petitioners over the years of 1996 and 2008, Petition unfolds like a novel by Zola or Dickens. This was filmed surreptitiously from the point of view of the petitioners, and not the justice officials, the police, or those heavies sent by the municipalities.
The 2008–2010 China Window
69 China films released in this three-year window, ranked here by audience rating. Petition sits at position #26.
Other Titles From YLE
The 2000s China Landscape
Catalog density by release year in the 2000s. Highlighted year (yellow) is when Petition premiered. 142 total titles in this decade from China.
Reception Benchmarks
Ranked #455 of 946 China films indexed here (52nd percentile by TMDB audience score).
Among China Documentary productions specifically: #40 of 52 (top 77%).
Production Details
| Primary Country | China |
|---|---|
| Original Language | Chinese |
| Spoken Languages | Mandarin, English |
| Production Companies | YLE, BBC, TSR, ARTE France Cinéma, RTBF |
| Runtime | 2h 0m |
| Release Date | May 22, 2009 |
| IMDb | tt1426381 |