Journeying Westward: Jia Zhang-Ke's Mountains May Depart

In his latest work – the director's first foray into English-language filmmaking – Jia Zhang-Ke uses the rivalry between two men to critique, by analogy, China's speedily growing economy and its concomitant effects on land and culture. Beyond this, writes James Robert Douglas, the film offers a poignant illustration of time's role as both link and leveller in human relationships.

Additional keywords: class, family, displacement, migration, age, generation.