Jason Loftus’ Eternal Spring is a panorama of a documentary. On one hand, it’s an unblinking look into religious persecution. On the other, it’s a man’s journey to reframe his understanding of the events that forced him out of his home. Binding all of it is a visually striking form of storytelling that showcases a master illustrator.
In 2002, a young spiritual movement — Falun Gong — is viciously suppressed by the Chinese government. After years of unlawful arrests, jail, and torture, a small team devise a plan to push back against a stream of state-run propaganda. After briefly hijacking televisions in Changchun City, most of them are hunted down, killed, or imprisoned indefinitely. Daxiong, a prolific comic book artist, migrates to North America to avoid a similar fate, even though he didn’t participate.
Eternal Spring uses Daxiong’s art to recall his childhood, the hijacking, and its aftermath. But none of it diffuses the weight of the survivors’ interviews. Instead, it literally animates a plight most westerners have never heard of. Changchun bursts with motion as the film examines the connection between each participant desperately trying to elude capture.
This style also breathes life into those who fell, eternalizing them in the process. Daxiong preserves every quirk, scar, and subtler nuance of every interviewee, but two of the major players stand out. Big Truck, a physically imposing grain worker, is framed as an epic figure. From an early prison break to learning to climb power lines and his tragic capture, his story is akin to a superhero. (This isn’t at all out of place, given at least one of Daxiong’s contributions.) Liang, an engineer, shows signs of perpetual abuse later in the film, but it serves to strengthen his resolve. He gradually shifts from unassuming and hesitant to stoic and dauntless as endures unending violence.
But Eternal Spring isn’t just about defeat and hardship. As Daxiong consults with a survivor living in Seoul, Mr. White, he rebuilds his perception of the hijackers. He exchanges resentment and disappointment with empathy and admiration. At the same time, he mends a damaged relationship with his spirituality. He builds a memorial with his craft, and Loftus expertly weaves the animated sequences with often painful, yet necessary conversations.
Eternal Spring is in a category of its own, but it still feels at place among many of the most important documentaries. Loftus’s visceral, organic storytelling paints shades of Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Look of Silence. On the subject of art, Daxiong’s aesthetic feels like a not-too-distant relative of Ari Folman’s Waltz With Bashir. But Eternal Spring doesn’t just share a space for the most important documentaries; it sets a precedent for their future.
The film stresses pain begets healing even if a cause is ongoing. As Daxiong reflects on his conversations, he leaves with a final, straightforward statement: “What makes a hero is determination and kindness.”
Eternal Spring plays again Sunday, June 12 at 11:40 AM in the Kirkpatrick Theater at Harkins Bricktown as a part of the deadCenter Film Festival. Find more deadCenter 2022 coverage at The Cinematropolis.
