“a visually striking tale about a boy’s (and his generation’s) loss of innocence and hope” – The Hollywood Reporter
Third-time director Miaoyan Zhang takes us through his country’s bleak provincial wastelands in this stripped-back tale of a boy searching for his mother. With him, we experience the village’s dereliction and despair as he bounces from child slave-labour in a brick factory, to a gang of young thieves and even pushing his way through the inhabitants of an opium den.
Shot in slick black-and-white, the loose camerawork, long takes and poignant performances from its non-professional actors give the film an inescapable realism. Zhang peels back the posturing of a modern-day society, to reveal the underbelly of the post-industrial age.
Director, producer and cinematographer Miaoyan Zhang in attendance.
