The Tamesis
In this new crime comedy I love boosters, Director Boots Riley presents a vision of rebellion against the capitalist project that is not only highly principled in its execution, but also imbued with ultra-stylish, faux fur-trimmed and colorful glamour.
Poppy Liu (you may also know her) plays Jian Hu, a former Chinese factory worker who flees to the Bay Area to join a gang of professional pickpockets. hacker) is known for being outspoken about the political issues that matter most to her, and i love boostersshe joins a strong cast to bring a script that confronts these issues head-on to life.
“None of us made this movie to make money,” Liu says, “but I think it’s my favorite job I’ve ever had.” Here, she tells Fashion Everything about it.
Fashion: How did you prepare to play the role of Jian Hu in “Jian Hu”? i love boosters?
Liu Poppy: i respect boots [Riley] As an artist and creative, how he uses his voice and artistry to make social commentary, I felt like there was a lot of political alignment with him, so we were really invested in that. This movie covers a lot; not just a critique of capitalism, but class solidarity and global solidarity between China and the United States, which I think is really huge. I think the argument he’s making in this movie is that “the workers of the world are united” and that we’re divided by the same forces and systems of power, but for the character herself, she doesn’t really think about that. She’s just a Chinese girl who works in a factory and likes to mess around and have sex and act like a little kid, and you see her become radicalized in real time because she sees what’s going on with her family and loved ones and feels the need to do something about it.
Tell me about the political evolution of Jianhu throughout the film.
Even at the end of the film, I don’t think Jianhu necessarily self-identifies as an activist, organizer, or revolutionary, but all of her actions do, because I think at the core of all of those identities is a person who dares to imagine the world as a better place than it actually is, and to take action, no matter how big or small, in that direction. Once she emerged, she was completely focused on fighting for labor rights for workers in Chinese factories by any means necessary, and she was very brave. I don’t think that’s how she sees herself, though. She just said, “We want longer breaks, better hours, better wages, and an end to the chemicals that cause us disease and cancer.” They’re all tangible things, not revolutionary things in the classroom that you can theorize about. This is also important, but I think Jianhu is a person who is just starting to do this. She’s very action-oriented and I really like her as a character.
