Mao Tao

A free-flowing work of unspoken longing that captures China's rapid twenty-first century growth and social transformation, Jia Zhangke's poignant love story—starring Zhao Tao and Li Zhubin in a beguiling mix of fiction and documentary, assembled from footage shot over a span of twenty-three years—follows a woman who wanders an increasingly unrecognizable country in search of a long-lost lover.

Kai, a solitary young man haunted by his belief that aliens are watching him, finds unexpected warmth in his new roommate, Xiaole. When Xiaole suddenly disappears, Kaiís search to find her becomes a deeply personal journey of love, loss, and self-discovery.