Caught by the Tides

Opens Friday, May 9, 2025

Woven together from footage filmed over a span of 23 years—a beguiling mix of fiction and documentary, featuring a cascade of images taken from previous movies and unused scenes—along with newly shot dramatic sequences, Jia’s latest boldly shapes disparate elements into a free-flowing tale of unspoken longing. Qiaoqiao (his longtime muse Zhao Tao) wanders an increasingly unrecognizable country in search of long-lost lover Bin (Li Zhubin), who left their hometown seeking new prospects.

Official selection: Cannes, New York Film Festival

  • Country China
  • Language Mandarin with English subtitles
  • Running Time 111 minutes
  • Format DCP
  • Distributor Janus
  • Director Jia Zhang-ke
  • Cast Zhao Tao, Li Zhubin, Pan Jianlin, Zhou Lan
  • Accessibility Assistive Listening, T-Coil

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