The Gardener and the Dictator – Hot Docs 2025
April 24 to May 4, 2025
FILM FESTIVAL
Hot Docs
Hot Docs 2025
PROGRAMME
World Showcase
The final years of an elderly couple in China are documented in The Gardener and the Dictator. Filmmaker Hui Wang returns home to Wuhan, China to film her elderly grandparents, Kuai Xianzhuang and Wang Zhongxian, both of whom are in their late-80s. Kuai has decreased mobility and Wang has become her primary caregiver. Hui Wang learns the details of her grandparent’s history, including Wang’s shameful past working as a collaborator for the Japanese, during their occupation of China.
The Gardener and the Dictator Synopsis
The Gardener and the Dictator is the sophomore feature documentary directed by Chinese-Canadian filmmaker (Jane) Hui Wang. Filmed nearly fifteen years ago, around the same time she was filming her 2015 debut Last Harvest, Hui Wang moves in a personal direction by filming her elderly paternal grandparents, who were her childhood caregivers. The film opens with a 1993 home video celebrating the 70th birthday of Kuai Xianzhuang, before moving forward nearly two decades later, as Kuai and her husband Wang Zhongxian still go about their daily lives in Wuhan, China.
My Thoughts on The Gardener and the Dictator
The Gardener and the Dictator is the very definition of a personal interest documentary, as Hui Wang turns the camera on her grandparents, both of whom would die before the completion of the film. The film allows Hui Wang to not only get to know about her grandparent’s past, but also document this elderly Chinese couple’s daily routine in pre-COVID-19 Wuhan, China, particularly at a time when the population of the country is becoming younger. While The Gardener and the Dictator gets a bit sad towards the end, it is still a character study worth checking out.
Full Disclosure: I am acquainted with director Hui Wang through her role as a manager at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema. However, this connection has no influence on the content or opinions expressed in this review.
Trailer for The Gardener and the Dictator – Hot Docs 2025
