Resurrection

Like a candle that never burns and therefore never goes out, humanity in Resurrection has abandoned the act of dreaming in order to live forever. Those who secretly continue to dream disrupt the flow of time and must be awakened from their sleep. Tasked with this mission is a woman (celebrated Taiwanese actress Shu Qi), gifted with the ability to distinguish truth from illusion. When she encounters a monstrous man (Chinese superstar Jackson Yee), tormented like the Hunchback of Notre Dame—though instead of a hump, he carries a film projector on his back—she takes pity on him and plunges deep into his dream world.

Sounds wild? However often cinema is declared dead, the medium always finds a way to rise again. Resurrection breathes new life into this century-old art form with the curious, lovestruck, and wonder-filled gaze of a youth. In that passion, you feel the hand—and the heart—of Chinese poet, photographer, and self-taught filmmaker Bi Gan. At Cannes, the jury honored him with a Special Prize. Audiences there had already been swept into his surreal dreamworlds with Long Day’s Journey into Night (FFG2018), as well as shorts A Short Story (FFG2022) and Shards of Moon (FFG2023), the latter made in honor of Film Fest Gent’s fiftieth anniversary. This time, the director takes viewers on a spellbinding, visually stunning, and sensory journey through both collective and personal (film)memory.

Structured in six chapters, each corresponding to one of the senses—and the mind—Resurrection drifts unbounded through a century of history rooted in Chinese culture and a deep love of cinema. With boundless inventiveness, Bi Gan conjures the imaginative spirit of modern visionaries like Guillermo del Toro, Terry Gilliam, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, and Guy Maddin. Each era glows in the expressionistic play of light, shadow, and color crafted by cinematographer Dong Jinsong, amplified by masterful art direction and the brooding electronic score of French duo M83. Along the way, the dreamer assumes many guises. Lacking anchor or compass only makes the dizzying journey all the more adventurous. In this cinematic hall of mirrors, getting lost has never been so thrilling.