“All Eyes and Ears” is a documentary that details the complex political relations between the U.S. and China. There were three main subjects in the film: the former U.S. ambassador for China, John Huntsman, his adopted daughter Gracie Mei, and a Chinese human rights activist, Chen Guangcheng. There are many intricate details that define U.S. and Chinese relations and this film tries to help audiences understand why things are the way they are now. Huntsman described his job when he was ambassador. He shared that the Chinese government had a lot of depth to it. Some parts were good and some were bad. The Chinese government tried to be fair but also did not like when people criticized its “fairness.”
There are many atrocities that happen in China, mainly human rights issues like extreme censorship, so the film brought in the famous Chinese human rights activist Chen Guangcheng to discuss the policies of the Chinese government. Gracie Mei, the daughter of Huntsman, talked about her experience in China. Although she is very young and somewhat innocent in nature, she talked a lot about what difficulties she saw when she visited China. This itself was very impactful.
The Tribeca Film Festival runs until April 26 and is presented by Lincoln Motor Company.
-Vinesh Vora
