Directed by Jia Zhangke • 2002 • China
Starring Wu Qiong, Zhao Wei Wei, Zhao Tao
One of the first great films of the twenty-first century, Jia Zhangke’s third feature (and his first shot on digital) sets an arresting tale of disaffected youth against the backdrop of a changing China. Evoking the existential malaise of China’s so-called “birth control” generation—who came of age following the country’s one-child policy—UNKNOWN PLEASURES unfolds in a series of stunning, slow-burn long takes as it traces the relationship between an aimless teenage couple searching for meaning amid the detritus of Western pop culture.
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The World
Directed by Jia Zhangke • 2004 • China
Starring Zhao Tao, Cheng Taishen, Jing JueAn at once intimate and expansive exploration of globalization from visionary director Jia Zhangke, THE WORLD takes place in the eponymous theme park on the outskirts of Beijing, where iconic monuments from the Eif...
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Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue
Directed by Jia Zhangke • 2020 • China
From master director Jia Zhangke comes a vital document of Chinese society and its transformation since 1949. Jia interviews three prominent authors—Jia Pingwa, Yu Hua, and Liang Hong—born in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, respectively. In their stories, we h...
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The Hedonists
Directed by Jia Zhangke • 2016 • China
Starring Han Sanming, Jindong Liang, Yuan WenqianJia Zhangke finds wry tragicomedy and sharp social insight in the story of unemployed Shanxi coal miners whose search for work leads them to surprising places.
