Chen, a preoccupied doctor working in a small clinic in the rain-drenched city of Kaili, decides to fulfill his late mother’s wish and sets off on a journey to look for his brother’s abandoned child. His partner in the clinic, a lonely old lady, asks him to also find her former lover.

This remarkable debut is formed by a playful structure, rich characters, and one of the most beguiling long takes in modern cinema. Kaili Blues is a dreamy rumination into a nation’s past and the eternal grip tradition has on contemporary life. Winner of the Best New Director award at Locarno.