Unknown Pleasures
a JIA ZHANGKE picture
Synopsis
Nineteen years old and jobless best friends Qiaoqiao and Binbin spend lots of time just hanging around. Xiao Ji puts the move on pretty Qiao Qiao, a dancermodel with a thug boyfriend. Bin Bin is considering enlisting in the army but is not overly convinced it may be his only way out. For a nonchalant generation that sees the future dictated by financial gain, it’s sometimes too difficult to resist the temptation of easy money. Especially when they don’t see the point of living past 30…
Trailer
Stills
Press
"Jia’s most concentrated evocation of contemporary China’s spiritual malaise."
THE VILLAGE VOICE
"Lays bare the tao of contemporary China, like a doctor taking a pulse."
TIME OUT
"Jia Zhang Ke delivers what may well be his finest work to date."
BBC
"Jia creates some poignant images to convey key transitions in the characters’ lives."
VARIETY
"[Director Zhang-ke] Jia’s virtuoso long takes, choreographed mise en scene, and feeling for character and behavior place him in a class by himself."
CHICAGO READER
"[Music] has the ability to connect with everyone, and perhaps international audiences will connect with the Chinese youth of Unknown Pleasures for the exact same reason."
FILM CRITIC
Festivals
& Awards
Cannes International Film Festival
In Competition
Toronto Film Festival
Singapore International Film Festival
Fipresci Prize
Special Mention Award
Chicago International Film Festival
National Society of Film Critics Awards
Nominee
Vienna Film Festival
Thessaloniki Film Festival
Cast & Crew
| Zhao Tao | |
|---|---|
| Zhao Weiwei | |
| Wu Qiong | |
| Zhou Qingfeng | |
| Wang Hongwei | |
| Bai Ru | |
| Liu Xi'an | |
| Xu Shoulin | |
| Ren Ai'jun | |
| Xiao Dao | |
| Ying Zi | |
| Wang Limin |
| Director | Jia Zhangke |
|---|---|
| Screenwriter | Jia Zhangke |
| Producers | Shozo Ichiyama, Li Kit-ming |
| Executive producers | Masayuki Mori, Hengameh Panahi, Paul Yi |
| Director of Photography | Yu Lik-wai |
| Sound | Zhang Yang |
| Editor | Chow Keung |
| Art Director | Liang Jiangdong |
Releases