Hidden among the mountains north of Beijing, far from the crowds, pollution, and bureaucracy of the capital city, a Wild West-themed gated community promises to deliver the American dream to its several thousand Chinese residents.
Jackson Hole, China is one of the country's several replica cities, places that aim to replicate the essence and architecture of what makes their Western counterparts so popular as well as convey an image of success and wealth. In Jackson Hole specifically, the American picture of rugged individualism as presented in American media and 1950s Hollywood serves as an abstract ideal to pursue. Director Adam James Smith is granted access to this exclusive town and lives among the residents to document their lives in this unique town. One such citizen is Annie Liu.
Liu escapes the stressors of an increasingly uninhabitable Beijing to pursue happiness, freedom, romance, and spiritual fulfillment in Jackson Hole. She hangs many of her hopes on the town in her attempts to achieve her idea of the American Dream only to find the American idyll harder to attain than what was promised to her in China's Wild West. After widespread criticism from the Chinese media and feeling pressure from new breeds of nationalism radiating out from both the Chinese and American governments, the community becomes split between those who cling to the American dream and those who seek to reclaim their Chinese national identity within this idyll.
"Highly Recommended. It's a highly entertaining and illuminating documentary and will be of broad general interest as well as specific to those interested in Chinese Studies, American Studies, and anthropology." — Educational Media Reviews Online
"Captivating documentary...an intriguing and intimate exploration of how this group of people pursue happiness while grappling with some dire consequences of China's fervid urbanization...Americaville has succeeded in diving beneath that surface and unveiling some of the personal struggles experienced by the well-to-do. As such, Americaville contributes to a more nuanced understanding of urban China by tracing the urbanites' movement to the countryside...[Social stratification worsened by economic inequality] is laced into the main storyline in a skillful and subtle way that while it seems to be lurking in the background, it forms the ineluctable mirror image of the rich, and thus enhances our understanding of their distinct and yet interlinked life worlds." — Darcy Pan, Stockholm University, Anthropology Book Forum
"Provides amazing insight not only into the way other cultures view life in the United States but also shines a spotlight on many aspects of life in China" — Abby Farer-Haydon, studentfilmreviews.org
"Tells the story of an America overseas — an America according to China" — The Center
Citation
Main credits
Smith, Adam James (filmmaker)
Smith, Adam James (film producer)
Zhang, Qi (film producer)
Other credits
Cinematography & editing, Adam James Smith [and 3 others]; music, Rob Scales.