It’s easy to feel hypnotized by the quivering wheat fields and frosty forests of “Living the Land,” a patient, multigenerational drama that immerses viewers in the traditions and labor practices of a farming community in China’s Henan Province. Cycles of weddings, funerals and harvests take place with the changing seasons, yet the forces of modernity and globalization seep into the villagers’ lives in subtle ways. The radio broadcast shares news of civil unrest in Ethiopia and Kuwait, and talk of machines that can “do the work of a whole village” leave some wondering: What would that leave for the workers to do?

《生息之地》里随风起伏的麦田、覆着霜雪的林地，很容易让观众深深沉醉其中。这部节奏舒缓、横跨代际的剧情片将观众彻底带入中国河南省一个农耕村落的传统习俗与劳作日常。婚丧嫁娶、春种秋收的轮回随四季更迭往复，而现代化与全球化的浪潮正以微妙的方式悄悄渗透进村民的生活。收音机里播报着埃塞俄比亚与科威特的内乱新闻，而关于那些“能干一整个村子的活”的机器的议论，让一些人心里犯起了嘀咕：真到了那一天，劳动者还能做什么？

The year is 1991, the beginning of a decade when modern technologies began spreading to rural parts of the country for the first time; and when economic reforms accelerated, causing agricultural families to split apart as their members moved to the city in search of better jobs.

故事发生在1991年，一个时代的开端：在这十年里，现代科技首次开始向中国农村地区普及，经济改革也持续提速，许多农户家庭因成员前往城市寻找更好的工作而分居两地。

This is the case with the parents of 10-year-old Chuang (Wang Shang), who now lives with his extended family in Henan. The writer-director Huo Meng takes an observational approach, capturing village life mostly from Chuang’s naïve point of view as he attends the local school and spends time with his cousins, one of whom is developmentally disabled, as well as his great-grandmother (Zhang Yanrong) and his favorite “auntie,” Xiuying (Zhang Chuwen).

10岁的闯（汪尚饰）的父母就是如此，他留在河南，和一大家子亲人一同生活。编剧兼导演霍猛采用了观察式的手法，大多透过闯天真的视角捕捉乡村生活：他去村里的学校上课，和表兄弟姐妹们相伴——其中一人患有发育障碍——还有他与太姥姥（张彦荣饰）和他最亲近的秀英小姨（张楚文饰）相处的点滴日常。

The film tracks about a year in Chuang’s life in a sober, sociological style of long takes and smooth pans. The story feels loose, intentionally directionless, at first, but as it winds toward the cooler months, its collection of small details builds up to big-picture revelations about the imminent rise of China as a global superpower. Chuang’s great-grandmother talks to him about college and the newlywed Xiuying considers divorce. Their community’s centuries-old customs may soon be endangered, but change comes with its burdens and blessings.

影片以冷静的社会学视角，通过长镜头与平稳摇镜，记录了闯生命中约一整年的时光。故事起初看似松散，似乎有意不设置明确的方向，但随着故事逐渐走向寒冷的季节，无数细碎的日常细节层层堆叠，最终勾勒出中国即将崛起为全球超级大国的宏大图景。闯的太姥姥总跟他念叨着将来要考大学，新婚不久的秀英正动着离婚的念头。这个村落里传承了数百年的习俗，或许很快就将面临消亡，而时代的变革，从来都是既会带来负担，也会带来福祉。

Living the LandNot rated. In Mandarin, with subtitles. Running time: 2 hours 12 minutes. In theaters.

《生息之地》。无分级。普通话对白，配字幕。片长2小时12分钟。正在院线上映。