CAUGHT BY THE TIDES

Qiaoqiao (Zhao Tao) and Bin (Li Zhubin) are a couple who roam the city together, singing and dancing. Then Bin disappears without explanation to seek his fortune elsewhere, and Qiaoqiao sets out to find him. Her search leads through two decades of contemporary China, from the early 2000s into the pandemic years, through landscapes and cities transformed beyond recognition in that time. “Caught by the Tides” by the Chinese director Jia Zhangke (China, 2024) is the story of a woman drifting through her country as it rebuilds itself beneath her.

Jia assembled the film from material shot over 22 years: his own video footage, unused scenes from earlier works such as “Still Life”, and newly shot sequences, joined into a non-linear narrative between fiction and document. It played in competition at Cannes 2024. It was shown at Around the World in 14 Films in Berlin in 2024, in the Chinese Night section.

Shown at the 2024 edition of Around the World in 14 Films.

All films 2024 · Film Archive