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There is now a CONTENT FREEZE for Mercury while we switch to a new platform. It began on Friday, March 10 at 6pm and will end on Wednesday, March 15 at noon. No new content can be created during this time, but all material in the system as of the beginning of the freeze will be migrated to the new platform, including users and groups. Functionally the new site is identical to the old one. webteam@gatech.edu
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Summary Sentence: A desolate Chinese town is overrun by con men with quirky schemes, one of which involves a sedative soap. Meanwhile, the town's lone honest man tries to recover a sapling tree he is certain has been stolen.
Full Summary: Under a tin-gray sky, in a hollowed out corner of northern China, a stranger arrives in town bearing magical soap—but smelling it will cost you. Nearby, a pair of unenthused cops try cracking a seemingly simple case. Or not. And you can forget religious solace; the only monk around is not what he seems. Director Jun Geng is at his best when he celebrates the gaunt, manufactured landscapes of an unseen China and holds anyone of authority up to a Jarmusch-esque light for examination. Geng’s affection for his ensemble of offbeat, yet every day, characters—combined with cool, angular visuals that create a strange harmony between the harsh, geographical backdrop and its humble inhabitants—makes their absurdist journeys feel human. Steeping a caper in a workerless industrial center puts a fresh twist on the crime genre, proving Geng’s love of working against convention, as he casts a satirical eye on a system so flawed it’s tragicomic. GTCN Movie Schedule Free and Easy (2017) - IMDb
Free and Easy posterUnder a tin-gray sky, in a hollowed out corner of northern China, a stranger arrives in town bearing magical soap—but smelling it will cost you. Nearby, a pair of unenthused cops try cracking a seemingly simple case. Or not. And you can forget religious solace; the only monk around is not what he seems.
Director Jun Geng is at his best when he celebrates the gaunt, manufactured landscapes of an unseen China and holds anyone of authority up to a Jarmusch-esque light for examination. Geng’s affection for his ensemble of offbeat, yet every day, characters—combined with cool, angular visuals that create a strange harmony between the harsh, geographical backdrop and its humble inhabitants—makes their absurdist journeys feel human.
Steeping a caper in a workerless industrial center puts a fresh twist on the crime genre, proving Geng’s love of working against convention, as he casts a satirical eye on a system so flawed it’s tragicomic.
