ART COLLEGE 1994 -- Gorgeous Animation Carries Slice-of-Life Film That Tries To Be Profound, but Ends Up Pretentious

Review by Sean Boelman

After his widely acclaimed Have a Nice Day made a splash there in 2017, animator Liu Jian returned to Berlinale with his third directorial outing, Art College 1994. Although there is much to admire about Liu’s artistic style, his latest outing is far too meandering in a narrative sense to appeal beyond an extremely niche core of cinephiles.

Inspired partly by the director’s own experiences, the film follows a group of art students on a Chinese art school campus in the mid-1990s as they wander through life in pursuit of purpose and the hope of creating something meaningful. As is often the case with semi-autobiographical movies, it feels like Liu really struggled to narrow down what the audience needs to see and what they won’t care about.

From the moment it begins with a quote from James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, it’s clear what level of pretension Art College 1994 is functioning on. It’s a movie about a bunch of kids talking about things that are well beyond their wisdom. If you are willing to suspend your disbelief that every conversation these art students have is some profound meditation on art or life, you might get something of value out of this. However, for most, this slice-of-life film will feel more like an impersonation of life than a capture of life.

Because all of the characters in the movie are constantly regurgitating dialogue meant to be “deep,” there’s no variance in the ensemble. The characters all feel like vessels for the writers’ observations, lacking distinct personalities of their own. As a result, it’s difficult to buy into the friendship dynamic — the key element missing for the success of this as a hangout film.

Of course, as is the case with virtually every movie in the genre, the pacing of Art College 1994 is incredibly relaxed. The hour and fifty-odd minutes go down easy, even if they aren’t particularly challenging or entertaining. Shan Lin and Jian Liu’s script certainly has some moments that are charming or funny, but few are likely to stick with viewers after the film ends.

It also doesn’t help that the voice performances are incredibly monotonous. For most of the runtime, everyone in the movie speaks in a very cool, controlled voice. In a way, it makes sense, considering there’s not a ton of escalation in the conflict, but it doesn’t lend itself to a particularly engaging or cinematic watch.

Indeed, the only aspect of Art College 1994 that is likely to make a big impression on viewers is the animation. The general character design and settings are fine, but the movie really shines when it replicates different art styles. As the characters explore different movements and styles of art, the film begins to incorporate some of these elements — whether through the work they are creating or entire sequences of the movie, infusing it with much-needed personality.

Art College 1994 boasts some impressive animation, but its story and script are nowhere near as deep as they perceive themselves to be. Although it’s hardly a bad movie, and nothing is offensive or particularly off-putting about it, audiences are likelier to walk away from this film feeling indifferent than they are to be moved.

Art College 1994 hits theaters on April 26.

Rating: 2.5/5