Sino Silver Screen: New and Upcoming Movies in Beijing Cinemas
Nix the Netflix, turn off your torrents, ditch the DVD's and go and watch a film in a theatre for Pete's sake! The Beijing cinema scene is alive and well, and our column Sino Silver Screen can prove it. Here are our top picks:
Out Now in Cinemas
AndhaDhun (调音师)
Adapted from the French thriller L'accordeur, AndhaDhun is an Indian dark comedy that tracks a series of mysterious events that befall a blind pianist named Akash, who later becomes embroiled in a murder case. With a taut plot and fast-paced narrative, it's the type of film that'll leave you holding your breath, while the skillfully played black humor is entertaining as well as a clever way to disguise commentary on some of the dark facets of modern Indian society.
Screened with English and Chinese subtitles. Click here for tickets.
The Shadow Play (风中有朵雨做的云)
Notorious Chinese director Lou Ye's latest film, The Shadow Play, took close to three years to finally hit screens but unfortunately, in this case, some have not deemed it all that worth the wait. Dealing with themes of sexuality, gender, and the act of obsession, the movie begins with an official's suicide and uses narrative shifts and dizzying camerawork to create a very mysterious storyline, all of which ends with an ambiguous ending that calls upon audience interpretation and debate.
Screened with English and Chinese subtitles. Click here for tickets.
Hello Beijing (Hello 北京)
This documentary turns its gaze toward a handful of foreigners in Beijing, each of whom is following very different paths and working various occupations in the city. The movie follows them as they pursue their passions, capturing their pains and gains along the way.
Screened with English and Chinese subtitles. Click here for tickets.
Upcoming releases
Capernaum (何以为家)
Directed by Nadine Labaki, Capernaum is a 2018 Lebanese drama and winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes Film Festival. The film follows 12-year-old Zain who lives in the slums in Beirut, and who decides to sue his parents for child neglect. Told in a series of flashbacks and shot with mind-blowingly documentary-like realism, the film is moving, smart, and compassionate snapshot of life in poverty. Unfortunately, it seems like few if any screenings will provide English subtitles.
Screened in Arabic with Chinese subtitles. Click here for tickets.
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