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Three Times
In three 45 minutes segments the director takes us through three love stories set in three different times, 1911, 1966 and 2005. In a fascinating approach each couple is played by the same two actors, Qi Shu, one-time soft porn actress (she is far from alone in following this route to recognition as an actress)…
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Souzhou River
Suzhou River mixes love story and crime genres in a modern film noir. Set in the urban decay of post-industrial Shanghai the film is peopled with gangsters, street hustlers and nightclub denizens. In a plot that twists and turns the narrator keeps us guessing whether the central story is about his love for Meimei (Xun…
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Holy Motors
Surrealist comedy delivering a visual feast populated with gripping performances. A day-in-the-life tale of a shadowy character called M. Oscar results in a concoction tailor-made for cinephiles. Makes other films look staid. The spark for the film came from Carax’s observation that stretch limousines were being increasingly used for weddings. He was interested in their…
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The Assassin
The film centres on Nie Yinniang, an assassin who is directed to slay corrupt government officials by her master, Jiaxin, a nun who raised her from the age of ten. When Yinniang displays mercy by failing to kill during her duties, Jiaxin punishes her with a ruthless assignment designed to test Yinniang’s resolve: she is…
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So Long, My Son
China’s recent history – from the lingering sting of the Cultural Revolution and the draconian one-child policy (in effect 1979-2013) to the dramatic shifts in social structures as the country careened toward a market economy – is explored through an intimate focus on two families, exposing the human cost and personal hurt tempered by compassion,…
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The Farewell
In 2013, Chinese-American director Lulu Wang was told that her grandmother (‘Nai Nai’ in Chinese) had Stage 4 lung cancer with three months to live. The family decided not to tell Nai Nai of the diagnosis and devised a ruse — a fast-tracked wedding in her hometown Changchun —for everyone to see her one last…