赵大勇继《南京路》之后的2008新作《废城》，片名英文译为Ghost City——“鬼城“，其实依然是活生生的人的故事；这是一座废城现在这里住了一些农民。生活在这里的人不但享受着城里人的房屋和街道，还有他们头顶上的湛蓝的天空与暖洋洋的太阳。 本片用“上帝的声音”（Voices）“记忆”(Recollections)“少年”（Innocence）三段独立的部分来表现这座废城里人生活状态。 一.上帝的声音:两代传教士的平淡无味的家庭生活和传教工作。但看似平淡的背后似乎隐藏着父子之间多年的苦涩与矛盾。 二.记忆:一段热恋中的情侣、一段分裂的家庭和被拐卖的妇女讲述埋在心里多年的苦闷。三个不同遭遇故事却有着共同的结局那就是最终离开废城。他们过往的生活都变成了记忆。 三.少年:十二岁的阿龙独自一人生活。他每天与伙伴们一起去干活赚钱一起抓鸟游玩 ，有时去信鬼有时信基督。无拘无束的活着。 导演阐述： 在我生存的环境里，当人们在革文化的命的同时也就是在蔑视生命存在的价值。 贪婪人们为了满足自己不尽欲望，不顾一切的摧残着仅存的文明。 面对已经面目全非的过去我们只能把历史变成传说。 城已经面目全非了但是活在这里人们的人性，我们还能看的清吗？

Street Life documents the lives of Chinese migrants in Shanghai, one of the world’s largest and most vibrant cities, now symbolic of China’s economic might. The film centers on Nanjing Road, one of China’s oldest commercial streets and today a popular destination for tourists and moneyed Chinese. The street has also become a Mecca for uprooted and homeless Chinese, who make ends by collecting garbage and recyclables. These characters and their stories are the focus of the film. The central character in Street Life is a migrant known as “Black Skin.” Black Skin faces numerous pressures in the course of the film, including police violence. In the end, these pressures are too much for him to bear and he goes mad. Black Skin’s story intersects with those of fellow bottle collectors, enterprising thieves and even a young boy who has been abandoned.