Summary
This film depicts the journey of a Mexican, Roberto, resident in China. On his way to renew his visa, Roberto meets an African at a railway station between China and Hong Kong. "Why is an African in China?"#x9D; soon changes into a reflexive inquiry: "Why is a Mexican in China?"#x9D; Roberto explores the African residents' community in China and finds many new friends. The film is thus multi- and trans-national, with a Korean director filming the process as a Mexican resident in China explores its African community. Drifting City is full of non-spatial images like railroad platforms, shopping malls, markets, urban buildings that keep floating among inter-spaces. Meanwhile, Roberto's first-person narration about his own experiences intersect with his image as he leads the camera around as if he were a local guide. With Roberto, guiding foreigners among tourists and natives, the film is autobiographical and essay-like, but also looks and feels expository in its crossing and merging views of first- and third-person, living or floating in the inter-spaces.