China’s impressive economic growth has lead to concern from some Americans. But Atlantic Monthly’s James Fallows, who has been living in China for the past several years, likes to point out that most of the population in China still lives in relatively poor conditions. That’s what Jia Zhangke’s first three films—Platform (2000), Unknown Pleasures (2002), and The World (2006)—brought to mind as all of them focus on characters living in relatively squalid conditions.

All three films deal with the effects of larger forces—specifically massive social changes—on normal people. Platform chronicles the dissipation of Communism in the 80s by following members of dramatic group. At the beginning of the decade, we see them performing Communist pieces, but by the end of the decade they start performing pop music, partly because they need to draw an audience. Unknown Pleasures continues to follow the economic effects by showing a performing group that now generates revenue by advertising beer. Both films depict a rather bleak view of the effects of these changes on “regular” citizens—contrasting the more glowing promises of a more market driven economy and modern society.

In The World, the amusement park—a Chinese version of Epcot center containing replicas of famous international structures as well as having performances from various cultures—and the people around it—represents the ultimate convergence art and commerce that Jia started and followed in the previous films. But there’s something else: like the Matrix films, the amusement park also seems to represent the way technology has created and supplanted the real world with a virtual one. Like the previous films, The World presents a bleaker—or at least a cautious—view of these economic changes.

The amusement is a perfect vehicle for depicting this because the film literally takes the viewer backstage, behind the artificial facade, to the people waiting to fulfill their hopes and dreams, but largely have them frustrated. For me, many of the characters and their stories weren’t very interesting as they seemed pretty cliched, but I liked the way they contrasted with the pristine of the amusement park. There’s a strong sense that they’re trapped: we see one of the main characters riding the monorail that only circles the park. The airplane also seems to be used as a symbol for escape and possibly freedom.

Finally, something about the final line: “Is this the end?” followed by, “No, it’s just the beginning.” My take is that it continues the bleak view of the benefits from modern capitalist society—i.e. the real or best world doesn’t take place until we leave the material one.