Killing the Chickens to Scare the Monkeys by Jens Assur

The military milieu of Killing the Chickens to Scare the Moneys (title referring to a Chinese policy by which dissidents are executed to frighten others) was a probable choice from Swedish artist and former war photographer Jens Assur. Named photographer of the year by the age of 23, Jens brings an astute and ironic story of military justice in the Republic of China. Comprising of nine scenes divided into two parts, but screened retrospectively, the film deploys cold hearted and subversively humorous methods to recount a fatal incident that was powered by a blind political regime in conjunction with a haphazard turn of events.

The aloofness in which the film treats the violence reverberates a universe reminiscent of Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds, yet the emphasis is not given to a rigorous scripted dialogue amongst militants, but to the meticulously choreographic mise-en-scène. Despite his photographic background, Assur is not interested in showing off what he can do with fine imagery; he opts for an extremely wide lens instead, which envelops the action in a series of uninterrupted takes. As a result, the spectators’ eye is free to roam within the cadre and explore foreground and background for various narrative clues. It is until the second half of the film though that we realize the randomness of it all, which is what really pays off (or not) after its strikingly unhurried opening scene.

by Eftihia Stefanidi