© DANGMAI FILMS
Resurrection, Bi Gan’s post-apocalyptic tale on memory
In a post-apocalyptic future, a woman brings an android back to life by recounting the history of China. With Kuang Ye Shi Dai (Resurrection), one of this year’s feature films in Competition, Chinese director Bi Gan continues his exploration of the space between the real and the imaginary. He takes us on a sensorial odyssey through poetic scenes imbued with the imaginative and speculative, where memory and technology merge and meld.
Bi Gan came onto the scene in 2015 with his first feature film Lu Bian Ye Can (Kaili Blues), universally acclaimed for its captivating esthetic. He has since established himself as a major player in shaping and defining the new generation of Chinese arthouse cinema. Indeed, one need look no further than 2018’s Diqiu Zuihou De Yewan (Long Day’s Journey Into Night) , in which he boldly introduces a 59-minute unbroken long take in 3D, immersing us in a sequence that is hypnotic in its ambiguity.
The director is self-taught, having honed his skills and developed his vision by making experimental shorts. In these films, we can see his first explorations into what have become core themes: time, dreams, memory. Throughout, he crafts a distinctive visual language: long takes, a floating perspective, lighting diffusing a twilight feel… an esthetic that complements the dreamlike quality present across his work.
In Kuang Ye Shi Dai (Resurrection), a woman emerges from brain surgery and finds herself in a semi-conscious state, the world around her laid to waste. She comes upon the motionless body of an android and decides to tell it the history of China. Slowly, with each passing night, the robot’s senses are restored. When her stories arrive at the present, she faces a dilemma: should she return to the real world, or should she follow her heart and remain with this machine?
With his new film, Bi Gan expands the use of visual effects and brings a sense of democratization to his narration. We can see his creativity evolving, all the while staying true to the sensory and poetic characteristics that make his work so distinct.
During casting, he met actress Shu Qi — who came to Cannes 10 years ago with Hou Hsiao-hsien’s masterpiece Cike Nie Yinniang (The Assassin). Joining her on the screen is Chinese actor Jackson Yee and Canadian-Taiwanese actor Mark Chao. The music — always an essential element in the world of Bi Gan — was composed by French electronic group M83.
