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Kaili Blues (2015)

Kaili Blues (2015)

A hypnotic piece of slow cinema that disintegrates the boundaries between past and present

The Very Best

8.0

Movie

China
Hmong, Mandarin
Drama, Mystery
2016
BI GAN
Chen Yongzhong, Feiyang Luo, Guo Yue
113 min

What it's about

While traveling the countryside to locate his nephew, a small town doctor finds himself interacting with people from his past and future.

The take

This startling debut from Chinese director Bi Gan is a mesmerizing synthesis of cinema and poetry. A man searching for his nephew goes on a journey that blurs the boundaries between time and space, and dreams and reality. All this is expressed through gorgeous and understated camerawork reminiscent of Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s languorous lens. However, Bi Gan’s style is all his own, including spectacular long takes whose sophistication and complexity only become apparent once they are done. 

Kaili Blues’ hypnotic aesthetics are like a mud bath for you to soak and luxuriate in. There are no easy answers for putting together its past/present/future puzzle-box, and it’s best to leave the deconstructions for later viewings as repeated trips to Bi Gan’s dreamy recreation of his hometown will reveal even more.

 

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