Fallen City

Zhao Qi's Fallen City (China, 2013) - Three families from the decimated Chinese city of Beichuan who lost loved ones in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake struggle to cope with more than just the emotional aftermath in Zhao Qi's absorbing docu "Fallen City." Strictly as a depiction of ordinary people working through grief after horrific loss, the pic is expectedly moving, if nothing radically new, but it gets much more interesting when its focus expands to encompass broader issues about the protagonists' lives. Selected to compete at Sundance after its IDFA premiere, Zhao's debut could build limited theatrical prospects, but will be most at home on upscale TV. 2013SUN. RATING: 7.