What if a brazen, new, first-time filmmaker decided—beyond audaciously—that they didn’t want to cut from one location to another (all quite distant from each other) for about oh, half their new movie, and instead chose to dare to go with one super-duper-transcendental half-hour-plus single take? The answer: you wind up with Gan Bi’s absolutely extraordinary Kaili Blues. Fair warning here: you need to be a seriously open and accessible film buff/cineaste/movie lover to be right for this picture. The cinema muse-deities have inspired and blessed Kaili with a magic and mystery that is utterly unique. This film is capable of generating giant cinema joyfulness in those who are ready to bring an open heart, mind, and eye to this viewing experience. Gan Bi won Best Emerging Director and Best First Feature at the 2015 Locarno Film Festival. I had the thrill of seeing Kaili Blues first at last year’s Venice Film Festival, and two months later at the Lisbon & Estoril Film Festival. The screenings I attended gave rise to audience-ecstasy in both situations. I loved it even more the second time. I can’t wait to see it again soon in Pleasantville. I hope you will join us! –Jonathan Demme

In the subtropical province of Guizhou, there is a small county clinic surrounded by fog. At the Kaili clinic, there are two doctors who live quiet, lonely lives. One of the doctors, Chen Sheng (Yongzhong Chen), embarks on a journey to find his young nephew, who he discovers has been abandoned by his father, Chen’s brother. On the way to Zhenyuan, Chen comes across a place called Dang Mai, a mysterious location where time seems to flow both forward and backward, and the lives of the local people who live there are shrouded in mystery. While there, Chen experiences his own past and future, lending him new insights into his own life. Featuring vivid, risk-taking cinematography, including haunting, gorgeous long takes, Kaili Blues is a cinephile’s dream come true—a stunning debut feature from a director you need to take note of.