Director: Alison Klayman
Running Time: 91 minutes
Certificate: 15
One of the world’s foremost contemporary artists and famous faces, Ai Wei Wei is also a staunch defender of free speech, which has caused a few issues in his home country of China. Filmed over a three-year period, NEVER SORRY follows Wei Wei as he prepares for a number of exhibitions – Munich and London amongst others – and gets himself into all kinds of trouble with the authorities.
NEVER SORRY is arguably the most important documentary since, well, ever. Ai Wei Wei’s struggles with the Chinese authorities are shown here in an unbelievable, admittedly biased, but brilliant way. His determination for improved human rights in his country is admirable, intoxicating, and incredibly brave. We see Wei Wei suffer a blood clot in his brain following an unprovoked punch from a police officer and the subsequent police reports and lawsuits – all of which lead nowhere. But the most extraordinary part of this documentary is the climax. Following 81 days of detention, Wei Wei is a broken man; released on bail he is forbidden from giving interviews, leaving Beijing, documenting, or using social media for one year. You’d be forgiven for thinking he is beaten, but you’d be wrong. An interview is conducted with BBC radio following the destruction of his government authorised studio – a gift for his work on the ‘birds nest’ Olympic stadium – flouting conditions of his bail.
Director Alison Clayman has done a majestic job capturing every significant turn of Wei Wei’s life but most of all she portrays the person. At ease around others and clearly very charming Ai Wei Wei is a hero to everyone who wishes for freedom in China, and around the world for that matter. We do not get any extra features which is a real shame but the documentary will do. A magnificent piece of filmmaking that is as important as anything you will ever see. You may not be an art fan, but we are all human and NEVER SORRY demands our attention.
AI WEI WEI: NEVER SORRY is available on DVD now.
