Dream Empire

Dream Empire, directed by David Borenstein in 2016, presents an intriguing exploration into the rapid urbanisation and property boom in contemporary China. The film's protagonist is Yana Yang, a small-town country girl turned novice entrepreneur, who strides ambitiously into this property furore, buying into the fantastical notion of China's rising middle-class dreams.

Yana's bold entrepreneurial journey kicks off in Chongqing, one of China's largest and fastest-growing cities, where she establishes her peculiar business: an "American-style" real estate firm with a host of foreign performers. The company hosts extravagant events complete with pseudo-European buildings and foreign "talent," often aspiring international artists and expats seemingly subsumed into the China Dream, which includes Jimmy, an intern who forms part of the ensemble. This is where Borenstein himself had been a participant-observer, thus providing an eruptive glimpse into the outlandish, yet stark reality of the urban landscape.

Through insightful ethnographic observation, Dream Empire showcases the bizarre way in which Western pop culture is utilised to stimulate property sales and help create China's urban utopia. This approach deeply entwines China's real estate industry with culture and hyper-consumerism, and Borenstein captures this phenomenon splendidly. The inclusion of Western performers in the sales events, a spectacle designed to create an illusion of sophistication and affluence, alters the perception of the predominantly suburban and rural buyers towards the properties.

Yana's rise and journey as a businesswoman morphs as the film progresses. Her initial dreams of prospering through leveraging the housing boom gradually find themselves clouded by unforeseen challenges. The irony of the China Dream exemplified through her own ambitions effectively presents viewers with a China trying to navigate its dichotomies: tradition versus modernity, rural versus urban, and illusions versus harsh realities.

As an entrepreneur, Yana faces her share of struggles and heartbreaks while navigating the tumultuous terrain of the real estate world in China. The viewers see her story unfold against a backdrop of fevered nationalism and explosive urbanisation that inch closer to becoming a social crisis. The discrepancy between the glittering presentations of Yana's firm and the reality presents a social commentary, hinting at a looming economic catastrophe.

Yet, Dream Empire does not place the whole critique on Yana's shoulder. In fact, she is shown as a victim of the system, her actions and ambitions heavily influenced by the socio-political dynamics over which she has no control. This touch reflects the complexities of the system, eliciting empathy for her character while also suggesting that she is more a victim than a perpetrator.

Director David Borenstein strikes a remarkable balance between social critique and human-centric narrative. He firmly plants the audience into the heart of the unfolding drama without resorting to didacticism or excessive condemnation. Instead, he pulls back the veil of China's urbanisation to show us the people caught up in its tidal wave.

This film's subject certainly isn't an easy one, with Borenstein tackling issues of social and economic change, global consumerism, and capitalism's darker edges. But he addresses these through a focus on human stories, especially that of Yana. The audience is given deep insight into her hopes, dreams, fears, and the harsh blow of realities, all of which make her a compelling figure to follow.

The cinematography is striking, producing provocative and evocative visuals that capture the stark contrast between the rural towns and frenzied urban metropolises. These visual contrasts underline the severe disconnect between the dream of the urban utopia and the reality that most Chinese confront, adding another layer to the narrative.

Dream Empire ultimately gives viewers a thought-provoking and deeply engaging look into one of the key phenomena shaping today's China — the sprawling urbanisation and its accompanying challenges and paradoxes. By highlighting the human stories entwined with the quest for urban utopias, this film not only provides an enriching ethnographic observation but takes individuals on an empathetic journey through the dreams and disappointments of those caught in the dynamic tumult of modern China.