In the northern Chinese city of Manzhouli, they say there is an elephant that simply sits and ignores the world. Manzhouli becomes an obsession for the protagonists of this film, whose stories are set over one single suspenseful day from dawn to dusk, when the train to Manzhouli is set to depart.

The sole feature from Chinese filmmaker Hu Bo, finished just before his death at the age of 29, this monumental debut is a staggering achievement by any measure. A propulsive epic told through sinuous Steadicam master shots, An Elephant Sitting Still is an uncompromising directorial tour de force.