3. Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry
Rank by site 10, Rank by IMDb 6; Overall score = 16 points
Directed by Alison Klayman
Architect, conceptual artist, photographer, blogger, social critic, and activist are just some of Ai Weiwei’s facets, and Klayman explores them all in her film. Often referred to as the “Chinese Andy Warhol,” Ai is so much more. One of the rare dissident voices in China who the government can’t control or suppress, he uses his art to show the world – and his own government – that there’s something rotten in the state of Denmark. The movie interviews his family and colleagues, and follows his art installations and infamous 2011 arrest, subsequent disappearance and release. The bravery Ai shows in constant clashes with Chinese officials hell-bent on shutting him down is beacon of hope.
