Resurrection (2025 film)
{{Short description|2025 science fiction film by Bi Gan}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Resurrection
| image = Resurrection film poster.jpg
| caption = Festival poster
| native_name = {{Infobox Chinese/Chinese |child=yes |hide=no |header=none
|c = 狂野时代
|p = Kuángyě Shídài
}}
| director = Bi Gan
| producer = {{plainlist|
- Shan Zuolong
- Yang Lele
- Charles Gillibert
}}
| writer =
| screenplay = {{plainlist|
- Bi Gan
- Zhai Xiaohui{{Cite web |title=Resurrection |url=https://filmsdulosange.com/en/film/resurrection/ |access-date=2025-05-10 |website=Les Films du Losange}}
}}
| story = Bi Gan
| starring = {{plainlist|
}}
| cinematography = Dong Jingsong
| editing = {{plainlist|
- Bi Gan
- Bai Xue
}}
| music = M83
| studio = {{plainlist|
- Huace Pictures
- Dangmai Films
- CG Cinéma{{Cite web |title=Resurrection de Bi Gan (2025) |url=https://en.unifrance.org/movie/60672/resurrection |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=Unifrance}}
- Arte France Cinéma{{Cite press release |title=ARTE France Cinéma s'engage sur les prochains longs métrages de Hlynur Pálmason, Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet, Laura Samani, Chie Hayakawa, Chabname Zariab et Bi Gan. |date=2024-03-12 |publisher=Arte |url=https://arte-magazine.arte.tv/press-kit/2999 |lang=fr}}
- Obluda Films{{Cite news |last=Frater |first=Patrick |date=2024-10-15 |title=Bi Gan's 'Resurrection' Boarded by U.S. Indie Obluda Films (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2024/film/news/bi-gan-resurrection-obluda-films-1236178447/ |access-date=2025-05-08 |work=Variety |language=en-US}}
}}
| distributor = Les Films du Losange (France){{Cite news |last=Keslassy |first=Elsa |date=2024-09-06 |title=Chinese Director Bi Gan's Sci-Fi Thriller 'Resurrection' Boarded by Les Films du Losange (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2024/film/news/bi-gan-resurrection-les-films-du-losange-1236131506/ |access-date=2025-05-08 |work=Variety}}
| released = {{Film date|df=y|2025|5|22|Cannes}}
| runtime = 160 minutes
| country = {{Plainlist|
- China
- France
}}
| language = Chinese
| gross =
}}
Resurrection ({{lang-zh|s=狂野时代|l=Wild Times}}) is a 2025 science fiction drama film written and directed by Bi Gan. It stars Jackson Yee and Shu Qi.
The film had its world premiere at the 78th Cannes Film Festival on 22 May 2025, where it won the Prix Spécial. It is expected to be theatrically released in China in 2025.
Plot
In a future where most of humanity has lost the capacity to dream, a woman discovers that one creature is still able to experience them. She enters the monster's dreams, using her ability to perceive illusions to determine the truth in its visions of Chinese history.{{Cite web |title=Kuang Ye Shi Dai (Resurrection) |url=https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/f/kuang-ye-shi-dai/ |access-date=2025-05-10 |website=Festival de Cannes}}
The film is divided into six chapters, with each representing one of the five senses, plus the mind.
Cast
- Jackson Yee
- Shu Qi
- Mark Chao as Commander
- Li Gengxi as Tai Zhaomei
- Huang Jue as Mr. Luo
- Chen Yongzhong as Spirit of Bitterness
- Zhang Zhijian as Old Master
- Chloe Maayan as the Smoke Attendant
- Yan Nan as Deceased Man
- Guo Mucheng as Girl
Production
Bi Gan's then-untitled film was announced in 2021, when Huace Pictures announced it would be producing his next work; Huace had also funded Bi's previous film, Long Day's Journey Into Night (2018).{{Cite news |last=Davis |first=Rebecca |date=2021-04-02 |title=China's Huace Pictures' New Slate Includes Bi Gan Film, 'Writer's Odyssey' Sequels |url=https://variety.com/2021/film/news/huace-pictures-2021-movies-a-writers-odyssey-bi-gan-1234943010/ |access-date=2025-05-08 |work=Variety}}
Initial reports stated that it would go into production in 2022.{{Cite news |last=Raup |first=Jordan |date=2022-03-02 |title=Bi Gan to Shoot Third Feature This Year |url=https://thefilmstage.com/bi-gan-to-shoot-third-feature-this-year/ |access-date=2025-05-08 |work=The Film Stage}} However, Variety reported that Bi was still finishing the script in September 2023, with the film being given an English title, Resurrection.{{Cite news |last=Keslassy |first=Elsa |date=2023-09-06 |title=Chinese Director Bi Gan Sets Sci-Fi Movie 'Resurrection,' With Jackson Yee and Shu Qi (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2023/film/news/bi-gan-sci-fi-movie-resurrection-jackson-yee-shu-qi-1235714515/ |access-date=2025-05-08 |work=Variety}} Shu Qi and Jackson Yee were cast in the lead roles, and Dong Jingsong was attached as cinematographer, having previously worked with Bi on Long Day's Journey Into Night.
Principal photography was divided into three phases, with the first beginning in April 2024 and the second ending in September 2024.{{Cite news |last=Liu Zongzhi |date=2025-05-16 |title=毕赣执导《狂野时代》角逐"戛纳主竞赛单元" |url=https://www.163.com/dy/article/JVHGVHIE0530WJIN.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250516073350/https://www.163.com/dy/article/JVHGVHIE0530WJIN.html |archive-date=2025-05-16 |url-status=live |access-date=2025-05-16 |work=Qilu Evening News |lang=zh}} Filming took place on location in multiple cities, including Chongqing and Copenhagen. The third phase of filming resumed in the fourth quarter of 2024 and concluded in April 2025.{{Cite news |author=Cheng Xiaojun |date=2025-04-10 |title=毕赣新作《狂野时代》入围戛纳主竞赛单元，易烊千玺舒淇主演 |url=https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_30787020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250510081800/https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_30787020 |archive-date=2025-05-10 |access-date=2025-05-10 |work=The Paper |language=zh}} The rough cut was finished in May 2025, just days before its premiere at Cannes; Bi later said that the theatrical version would be different from the cut shown at Cannes, as further editing and work on visual effects was needed.{{Cite news |last=Katz |first=David |date=2025-05-23 |title=Review: Resurrection |url=https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/477862 |access-date=2025-05-24 |work=Cineuropa}}{{Cite news |date=2025-05-24 |title=#毕赣说狂野时代今年... |url=https://weibo.com/1623886424/5170142876537434 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250526050629/https://weibo.com/1623886424/5170142876537434 |archive-date=2025-05-26 |access-date=2025-05-26 |work=Sina Movies |lang=zh}}
In a press conference, Jackson Yee stated that the film's 30-minute long take took more than half a month to shoot – it had to be filmed at night, and only one take could be done each day.{{Cite news |author=Chen Chen |date=2025-05-23 |title=《狂野时代》每个人看都不一样，拍摄过程也'像做梦一样' |url=https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_30866972 |access-date=2025-05-24 |work=The Paper |lang=zh}} Bi said it was a relatively easy part of the filming process, as the crew had prior experience shooting the long takes in his previous two movies, Kaili Blues (2015) and Long Day's Journey Into Night. Dong shot the long take using the DJI Ronin 4D.{{Cite interview |author=Dong Jingsong |title=Ronin Legacy: Episode 3 - The Long Take |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9f7SjpkBck&t=200s |date=2024-07-30 |time=3:20 |publisher=DJI}}
According to Bi, the film's use of a "movie monster" references German expressionist cinema, notably horror movies such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) and Nosferatu (1922); its first chapter is set in the early 20th century, "[employing] the cinematic language of that era".{{Cite news |last=Ramachandran |first=Naman |date=2025-05-20 |title=‘Resurrection’ Brings Bi Gan Back to Cannes With a ‘Movie Monster’ That Showcases a Century of Cinema: ‘A Celebration of the Lives of People’ (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2025/film/news/bi-gan-cannes-film-resurrection-ode-to-cinema-1236404430/ |access-date=2025-05-21 |work=Variety |language=en-US}}
Release
Resurrection premiered in competition at the 78th Cannes Film Festival on 22 May 2025.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2025/film/global/cannes-festival-julian-assange-bi-gan-martin-bourboulon-1236390855/|title=Cannes Festival Adds More Films, Including Eugene Jarecki's Julian Assange Doc 'The Six Billion Dollar Man,' Bi Gan's 'Resurrection,' Martin Bourboulon's '13 Days, 13 Nights'|last=Keslassy|first=Elsa|work=Variety|date=May 8, 2025|accessdate=May 8, 2025}}{{cite web|url=https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/2025/the-screenings-guide-of-the-78th-festival-de-cannes/|title=The Screenings Guide of the 78th Festival de Cannes|date=8 May 2025|website=Festival de Cannes|access-date=8 May 2025}} It was a late addition to the festival, not having been included in the initial shortlist announcement on 10 April 2025;{{Cite news |last=Lattanzio |first=Ryan |date=2025-05-08 |title=Cannes (Finally) Adds Bi Gan's 'Resurrection' and More Films to Official Selection |url=https://www.indiewire.com/news/festivals/cannes-adds-bi-gan-resurrection-lineup-1235121509/ |access-date=2025-05-08 |work=IndieWire |language=en-US}} it was added on 8 May 2025. The delay was attributed to the film first needing to obtain domestic approval from the National Radio and Television Administration, which eventually granted it a public screening license.{{Cite news |author=Liao Fusheng |date=2025-05-08 |title=唯一華語片…「狂野時代」入圍坎城主競賽 舒淇衝影后 |url=https://www.worldjournal.com/wj/story/121478/8727662 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250510082858/https://www.worldjournal.com/wj/story/121478/8727662 |archive-date=2025-05-10 |access-date=2025-05-10 |work=World Journal |language=zh}}
In an earnings call in April 2025, Huace Pictures gave it an estimated release date of the second half of 2025 or 2026.{{Cite news |author=Ha Mai |date=2025-04-18 |title=华策影视2025一季度盈利9211万 主投《刺杀小说家2》《寻秦记》下半年上映 |url=https://roll.sohu.com/a/885968030_114941 |access-date=2025-05-08 |work=Sohu |lang=zh}} During an interview at Cannes in May 2025, Bi said he expected it to be released in 2025.
Janus Films acquired North American distribution rights after the festival wrapped.{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2025/film/news/bi-gan-cannes-winner-resurrection-janus-films-north-america-1236410822/|website=Variety|date=27 May 2025|title= Bi Gan’s Cannes Winner ‘Resurrection’ Nabbed by Janus Films for North America (EXCLUSIVE) |first=Naman|last=Ramachandran}}
Reception
=Critical response=
Resurrection received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised Bi Gan's direction and style, though some took issue with its opaque narrative. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 80% of 15 critics' reviews are positive.{{Cite Rotten Tomatoes |id=resurrection_2025 |type=film |access-date=2025-05-25}} Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 83 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".{{Cite Metacritic |id=resurrection-2025 |type=film |access-date=2025-05-23}}
Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave it four out of five stars, writing, "It is a deeply mysterious film whose enigma extends to the title – is what is happening 'resurrection' in any clear transformative sense? [...] Asking or answering these questions may not be the film's point and its riddling quality, combined with its spectacular visual effects, may leave some audiences agnostic – and I myself wasn't sure about the silent-movie type effects. Yet it’s a work of real artistry."{{Cite news |last=Bradshaw |first=Peter| author-link=Peter Bradshaw |date=2025-05-22 |title=Resurrection review – fascinating phantasmagoria is wild riddle about new China and an old universe |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/may/22/resurrection-review-bi-gan-china |access-date=2025-05-24 |work=The Guardian}} For The New York Times, Manohla Dargis said, "What makes the film especially delectable is that Bi Gan changes visual styles and narrative techniques throughout this movie odyssey. [...] Chockablock with nods to other films and filmmakers, Resurrection is a cinephile’s delight. [It] may be wreathed in melancholy, but Bi Gan’s own journey through cinema is enlivening and encouraging."{{Cite news |last=Dargis |first=Manohla |author-link=Manohla Dargis |date=2025-05-23 |title=At Cannes, Sneaky Period Pieces and Film Lovers’ Delights Rule the Screen |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/23/movies/cannes-film-festival-resurrection-magellan.html |access-date=2025-05-24 |work=The New York Times}}
A few critics singled out the film's long take that appears near the end. Ben Croll of TheWrap called it a "breathlessly conceived and astonishingly pulled-off [...] bravura sequence";{{Cite news |last=Croll |first=Ben |date=2025-05-23 |title='Resurrection' Review: Bi Gan's Marathon Dream Film Is Baffling and Euphoric |url=https://www.thewrap.com/resurrection-review-bi-gans-marathon-dream-film-is-baffling-and-euphoric/ |access-date=2025-05-24 |work=TheWrap |language=en-US}} The Film Stage{{'}}s Su Zhuo-ning wrote, "The New Year’s Eve escapade, in particular, is an absolute marvel. There’s a casual fluidity to how things unfold as two characters make their way through the neighborhood that immediately creates a surreal, trance-like atmosphere. [...] Such choices—e.g. when the frame’s entire color scheme changes upon a character’s forceful entry into the room—take your breath away."{{Cite news |author=Su Zhuo-ning |date=2025-05-23 |title=Cannes Review: Bi Gan’s Resurrection is a Triumph of Sheer Audacity and Exceptional Craft |url=https://thefilmstage.com/cannes-review-bi-gans-resurrection-is-a-film-of-sheer-audacity-and-exceptional-craft/ |access-date=2025-05-24 |work=The Film Stage |language=en-US}}
In a negative review for Deadline, Damon Wise criticized the film's storyline: "While the visuals are endlessly inventive, the narrative is simply just endless; none of these vignettes seem have any plot or resolution whatsoever, which is certainly cool as a concept but not so much fun to watch. [...] Resurrection (whatever that title really means) is oddly liberating, being a film that — it would appear — operates on dream logic and leaves interpretation up to the individual."{{Cite news |last=Wise |first=Damon |date=2025-05-22 |title=‘Resurrection’ Review: Bi Gan’s Dream Scenario Is The Perfect Cure For Insomnia – Cannes Film Festival |url=https://deadline.com/2025/05/resurrection-review-bi-gan-1236408677/ |access-date=2025-05-24 |work=Deadline |language=en-US}}
= Accolades =
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |
| scope="col"| Award
! scope="col"| Date of ceremony ! scope="col"| Category ! scope="col"| Recipient(s) ! scope="col"| Result ! scope="col" class="unsortable"| {{Refh}} |
|---|
| rowspan="2" scope="row" | Cannes Film Festival
| rowspan="2" | 24 May 2025 | rowspan="2" | Bi Gan | {{nom}} | align="center"| {{Cite web |date=10 April 2025 |title=The films of the Official Selection 2025 |url=https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/press/press-releases/the-films-of-the-official-selection-2025/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250410110719/https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/press/press-releases/the-films-of-the-official-selection-2025/ |archive-date=10 April 2025 |access-date=27 April 2025 |website=Festival de Cannes}} |
| Special Award (Prix Spécial)
| {{won}} |
References
{{reflist|30em}}