Resurrection (China, France, 2025)
Original version with subtitles
Directed by: Bi Gan
Age rating: 16
Running time: 2 hours 40 minutes
Bi Gian’s ‘RESURRECTION’ feels less like a traditional film and more like a genuine cinematic experience. It is one of those rare films where, upon leaving the cinema, you suddenly realise you have no idea how long you’ve actually been sitting there – as if a different era had begun outside in the meantime.
This psychedelic episodic film jumps between different genres, eras and atmospheres, exploring the connections between film, dreams and intoxication. It is hard to pinpoint exactly what it is about. Instead of a clear plot, a stream of motifs and impressions unfolds. Time and again, the Chinese director’s work feels like a journey through the history of cinema itself – almost like 100 years of cinema condensed into 160 minutes.
The sound design, in particular, draws you completely in and appeals less to the mind than to the senses. RESURRECTION therefore works less through its plot than through the experience it evokes. For some, this may be too much or too abstract, yet this is precisely where its strength lies. A film that could never have the same impact when streamed. This is cinema.
