Resurrection, the latest work by arthouse director Bi Gan (who is also a screenwriter, poet, and photographer!), is a surreal journey through death and dreams, framed in Eastern sci-fi. Starring Jackson Yee, Shu Qi, Mark Chao, and Teresa Li, Bi Gan’s love letter to cinema was recently honored with the Special Award at the 78th Cannes Film Festival—as the only Chinese film shortlisted this year.

Across six narrative chapters, the film begins at the dawn of 20th-century China and takes viewers on a journey of cinema spanning the century. The story unfolds in a world where humanity has collectively stopped dreaming, all except for the Fantasmer, played by Jackson Yee, who willingly loses himself in the dreamworlds. He is hunted by a neurosurgeon played by Shu Qi, to stop the Fantasmer from distorting reality. From there, the movie follows the Fantasmer in all his rebirths across time, with Jackson Yee portraying multiple incarnations of the Fantasmer resurrected through the decades.

In an interview with Variety, Bi Gan explained the six chapters as: “The five senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch) and the mind, provide the framework for the film’s labyrinthine chapters.”While Resurrection is Bi’s third feature film, it’s definitely not his first rodeo in existential and experimental cinema. Bi also directed Long Day’s Journey Into Night, an introspective film on memory in nonlinearity. In 2018, the film premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival, receiving glowing reviews and marking Bi’s debut appearance at Cannes. Notably, Bi showed off his technical prowess in the final hour-long sequence, shot in 3D in a single unbroken take.

But it was Bi Gan’s 2015 debut feature, Kaili Blues, that laid the groundwork for his signature storytelling style: poetic, dreamlike, and grounded in a vivid realism that pays homage to Chinese landscapes. Despite being shot on a tight budget, Kaili Blues earned Bi the Best Emerging Director award at the Locarno International Film Festival—all at the age of 25.

Resurrection is a fever dream in cinematic form, where Bi Gan plays with sounds, visuals, and even the fourth wall. The film also features an original score by the French electronic band M83, known for their otherworldly sounds. While a Chinese release date has yet to be confirmed, Janus Films has acquired North American distribution rights. So keep an eye out for Resurrection, it may come to a theater near you soon!

All images via Weibo/@电影狂野时代.