Set in the 1970s, with the Cultural Revolution in full swing, performing art troupe members each face their own trials and tribulations. From escaping a family scandal to dealing with unrequited love, each experiences rejection that shapes their lives.

This rose-tinted but fascinating period film from I Am Not Madame Bovary director Feng Xiaogang immerses us in the artistic side of the People’s Liberation Army. Beyond dramatizing the challenges of the vocation, the film asks how the lives of young artists intersect with government ideology.