Jia Zhangke, the button-pushing Chinese filmmaker behind A Touch of Sin and 2004’s The World, is on the verge of releasing his new film in the west. Entitled Mountains May Depart, the time-hopping drama quickly became something of a festival favorite following its premiere at Cannes earlier in the year, and it’s now set for a bow in the States on February 12, 2016.
To stoke excitement, a new trailer has surfaced online for Zhangke’s latest directorial effort, showcasing the ways in which the film weaves in and out of three separate timelines: 1999, 2014, and 2015. Starring Dong Zijian, Liang Jingdong, Sylvia Chang, Zhang Yi, and Zhao Tao, Mountains May Depart follows a love triangle that spans generations.
Releasing at an opportune time, Mountains May Depart is in many ways a depiction of the changing face of China as a country, which has fast become one of the most important film markets on the planet – hence why American blockbusters continue to pull in big money overseas, such as Ant-Man. Besides, with an auteur such as Zhangke behind the lens, this is one to keep an eye on.
Mountains May Depart will shine a light on issues of globalization and Chinese identity when it opens on February 12 for those in the States, and we’re excited to see the next chapter in Zhangke’s decorated résumé.
China, 1999. In Fenyang, childhood friends Liangzi, a coal miner, and Zhang, the owner of a gas station, are both in love with Tao, the town beauty. Tao eventually marries the wealthier Zhang and they have a son he names Dollar. 2014. Tao is divorced and her son emigrates to Australia with his business magnate father. Australia, 2025. 19-year-old Dollar no longer speaks Chinese and can barely communicate with his now bankrupt father. All that he remembers of his mother is her name.
