Lu Zhang

In China, Xuie lives an impoverished life with her father who is far from helpful. She is living in Chongqing, the city of 40 million people. She works as a teacher, teaching Mandarin to foreigners. Even though she is from Chongqing, she doesn’t speak in Chongqing dialect, rather talking in Mandarin which is the standard language of mainland China. One day, her father gets arrested because of prostitution and she is called to the police. One policeman comes closer to her and her mind is taken by him. In the crowded and busy streets of industrial developing city, Chongqing, Xuie dreams to escape from her painful and hopeless life.Read More »

Gu Wentong, a middle-aged food critic, is drifting through the local eateries of vibrant Beijing with his younger photographer colleague Oyang. A divorcé with a 6-year-old daughter and estranged from his father for decades, he is looking for a new perspective on life while reconsidering his failings as a father, a son, and a lover. While the seasons come and go, people get together and move apart. Only one thing will remain the same: The White Pagoda where they all meet sooner or later.Read More »

Quotes from IMDB: This film should absolutely be on the “avoid” list of that group of audience fed on Hollywood fodder of car chase, explosions, and the like. But to those who are used to seeking out various kinds of cinematic experience, this could be quite rewarding. First, the visual experience.

Director ZHANG Lu seems to be extremely fond of using slow pan shots, with the interesting effect of showing you something that has been happening off screen, something that you may or may not have anticipated. It’s like that throughout the entire film.Read More »