Passages

Running time: 102 mins

United States Premiere

Certainly one of the most fascinating films in this yearâ??s festival, Yang Chaoâ??s evocative Passages is a masterpiece of modern cinemaâ??a brilliant mosaic of life in China; filled with haunting landscapes and beautiful cinematography.

Si Xu and his girlfriend, both 18, live and study in a provincial town where their future looks fairly bleak. Unsurprisingly, they aren't particularly interested in finishing school and would rather earn money to head to the big city.

One day, they set out by bicycle and by train, making their way towards a city on the Yangtze Riverâ??just hoping for a miracle. Along the way, they instead discover the miraculous variety and duplicity of "the real world.â? And they are soon faced with a decision; to take their parents' advice and try to build a life based on compromise or to take a risk and hold on to their freedom of choice by continuing to live their own lives?

Geng Le and Chang Jieping are captivating as the two young adults, both naïve, yet searching to break free of restrictive traditions and expectations. Passages is, quite simply, a remarkable filmâ??quietly elegant, with a mixture of placid irony, romanticism, and intense realism. It is a rewarding and thoughtful contemplation on the difficulty of escaping societal norms, and by the end, it is impossible not to want to know what happens.

Tamee Tanoor

GLOBAL LANDSCAPES