When a desperate SOS letter penned by a political prisoner turns up in Halloween decorations sold in Oregon, it sparks a nail-biting chain of events that exposes appalling human rights violations and leads to sweeping labor reform in China.... (Full plot summary below)
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When a desperate SOS letter penned by a political prisoner turns up in Halloween decorations sold in Oregon, it sparks a nail-biting chain of events that exposes appalling human rights violations and leads to sweeping labor reform in China.
Leave your thoughts about Letter from Masanjia.
| Georgia StraightKen EisnerMultiple layers of irony wipe any sweetness away. |
| Film ThreatAdam KellerSun Yi’s stoicism is admirable and moving, but it’s his ex-wife Fu Ning’s tearful recollection of their separation that cements the story in your mind. Her testimony does what so many activist documentaries fail to do: make large-scale suffering real to the viewer. |
| TheArtsStlSarah Boslaugh...a simple leap of faith by Sun Yi, a Chinese man imprisoned for his Falun Gong beliefs, set a process in motion that ended with the abolition of the labor camp system in China. |
| User ReviewSugar SThe bravery and heart it took to make this film is astounding. I hope that tells you something about the story itself - tense, nerve-shattering, Sun Yi's modest kindness and good heart makes his torture and mistreatment at the hands of China's authorities. All for his spritual beliefs? This doc is one of the best I've ever seen in my life. |
| User ReviewNeil CThis documentary in specific is more accurately a mockumentary. It presents an exceedingly whitewashed image of the persecution of Falun Gong by the Chinese Communist Party, Masanjia Forced Labour, and the nature of the persecution itself in China. For example, early on the woman who finds the letter fails to read the text "Chinese Communist Party Government" from the letter verbatim and instead reads it as "Chinese Government Party". This is to not bring attention to the issue of communism, which should be at the forefront if Sun Yi is really a Falun Gong practitioner, as we emphasize having people Quit the CCP as part of our beliefs in how to oppose and turn the persecution around peacefully. Sun Yi was tortured with a bed sheet on an aluminum bunk bed? I can appreciate the discomfort that pose would cause, especially after hours of enduring it, but for one, a bed sheet will rip, another, that bunk bed is likely extremely easy to upset with a scared, suffering prisoner thrashing about. Frankly, even BSDM fetish amateurs would create a better bondage and pain situation than this, so you can forget about any dreams this method would be used by the most evil regime in history when torturing the spiritual group they regard as the greatest threat to their power of all time. The reality is that Falun Gong practitioners have been persecuted for their beliefs in the most extreme ways. You can Google "Kilgour and Matas Report" for information on the organ harvesting persecution. This was unconvered by former Canadian Secretary of State, David Kilgour, and Canadian human rights lawyer, David Matas many years ago and is evidenced properly. What will come out in the future is more damning. This supposed documentary fails to put Sun Yi's supposed cultivation of Falun Gong at the forefront of the topic and discussion. This is a big time red flag, as in Falun Gong, we believe in validating Falun Dafa as a correct and genuine way of meditation, spiritual practice, and even a science. Deviating from this during the creation of a large budget production is a big charlatan warning! If Sun Yi were a real Falun Gong practitioner, he would have been tortured through methods like in a straight jacket with his arms behind his back tied to a ceiling by his wrists for 5 days, not strapped to a bunk bed for 5 days. A tiger bench would have been used. Breaking over a wheel would be used. Tearing off finger nails would be used. Do you know how hard it is to endure physical pain for multiple days? Really, really think over the last time you had an extremely bad toothache. Could you put up with it without painkillers? The story doesn't make sense. Sun Yi claims he wrote these letters in bed at night, yet the letter is written with no signs of sideways writing, and Sun Yi's handwriting has no evidence of trauma-abuse or post traumatic stress or malnourishment. How? This mockumentary is evil that attempts, miserably, to whitewash over the persecution of Falun Gong and paints a diminutive, unrighteous, and inaccurate view of Falun Gong spiritual practice itself. I encourage and implore the watcher of this movie to do your own research and learn what Falun Gong teaches itself. Everything is free on its website to read, and it's even an enjoyable, well written read. Worse, Caylan Ford has practiced Falun Gong herself since 2003. I am the one who originally spread the practice to her at Alternative High School in Calgary. This documentary in specific is more accurately a mockumentary. It presents an exceedingly whitewashed image of the persecution of Falun Gong by the Chinese Communist Party, Masanjia Forced Labour, and the nature of the persecution itself in China. For example, early on the woman who finds the letter fails to read the text "Chinese Communist Party Government" from the letter verbatim and instead reads it as "Chinese Government Party". This is to not bring attention to the issue of communism, which should be at the forefront if Sun Yi is really a Falun Gong practitioner, as we emphasize having people Quit the CCP as part of our beliefs in how to oppose and turn the persecution around peacefully. Sun Yi was tortured with a bed sheet on an aluminum bunk bed? I can appreciate the discomfort that pose would cause, especially after hours of enduring it, but for one, a bed sheet will rip, another, that bunk bed is likely extremely easy to upset with a scared, suffering prisoner thrashing about. Frankly, even BSDM fetish amateurs would create a better bondage and pain situation than this, so you can forget about any dreams this method would be used by the most evil regime in history when torturing the spiritual group they regard as the greatest threat to their power of all time. The reality is that Falun Gong practitioners have been persecuted for their beliefs in the most extreme ways. You can Google "Kilgour and Matas Report" for information on the organ harvesting persecution. This was unconvered by former Canadian Secretary of State, David Kilgour, and Canadian human rights lawyer, David Matas many years ago and is evidenced properly. What will come out in the future is more damning. This supposed documentary fails to put Sun Yi's supposed cultivation of Falun Gong at the forefront of the topic and discussion. This is a big time red flag, as in Falun Gong, we believe in validating Falun Dafa as a correct and genuine way of meditation, spiritual practice, and even a science. Deviating from this during the creation of a large budget production is a big charlatan warning! If Sun Yi were a real Falun Gong practitioner, he would have been tortured through methods like in a straight jacket with his arms behind his back tied to a ceiling by his wrists for 5 days, not strapped to a bunk bed for 5 days. A tiger bench would have been used. Breaking over a wheel would be used. Tearing off finger nails would be used. Do you know how hard it is to endure physical pain for multiple days? Really, really think over the last time you had an extremely bad toothache. Could you put up with it without painkillers? The story doesn't make sense. Sun Yi claims he wrote these letters in bed at night, yet the letter is written with no signs of sideways writing, and Sun Yi's handwriting has no evidence of trauma-abuse or post traumatic stress or malnourishment. How? This mockumentary is evil that attempts, miserably, to whitewash over the persecution of Falun Gong and paints a diminutive, unrighteous, and inaccurate view of Falun Gong spiritual practice itself. I encourage and implore the watcher of this movie to do your own research and learn what Falun Gong teaches itself. Everything is free on its website to read, and it's even an enjoyable, well written read. Worse, Caylan Ford has practiced Falun Gong herself since 2003. I am the one who originally spread the practice to her at Alternative High School in Calgary. You must do your own research after watching this! "A Decade of Courage" is a fantastic counterpoint. |
