Xiao Wu

Wednesday, April 30 - Monday, May 5, 2025

Special Events

  • Sun May 4 : 

    Q&A with dir. Jia Zhang-ke at 1:30 p.m.

    Buy Tickets

SHOWTIMES AT IFC CENTER

Sunday, May 4 at 1:30 p.m.: Q&A with director Jia Zhang-ke

One of cinema’s great debuts, this film by the generation-defining Chinese auteur Jia Zhangke is a searing first expression of his signature theme: the disillusionment of people left behind by a society modernizing at whiplash speed. Shot on 16 mm with nonprofessional actors and without state approval, Xiao Wu enfolds its critique within a subtly ironic study of a cocky, aimless pickpocket (Wang Hongwei) who, as those around him advance thanks to the opportunities of the new market economy, finds himself increasingly alienated. A budding relationship with a brothel worker (Hao Hongjian) seems to offer him a sense of meaning—but is it as illusory as the promises of capitalism? Already a master of the slow-burn long takes, minimalist framing, and meaningful silences that would become his trademarks, Jia fashions a quietly shattering portrait of humanitycaught in the jaws of globalization.

Screening as part of Time and Tide: The Films of Jia Zhang-ke

See more and save! Get a Jia Zhang-ke Ticket Pack ($30 for IFC Center members and $45 for non-members). Ticket packs are good for any three shows in the retrospective.

  • Country China
  • Language Mandarin with English subtitles
  • Year 1997
  • Running Time 108 minutes
  • Format DCP
  • Distributor Janus
  • Director Jia Zhang-ke
  • Cast Wang Hongwei, Hao Hongjian
  • Accessibility Assistive Listening, T-Coil

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.