Farewell My Concubine

This masterpiece from the nineties, awarded with the Palme D’Or, returns to the screen in a restored 4K version. In Chen Kaige’s film, we discover the epic history of China from the 1920s to the 1970s through the life stories of two friends, actors from the Peking opera: Dieyi (Wong Kar Wai’s leading man Leslie Cheung) and Xiaolou (Zhang Fengyi). Their friendship is challenged when Xiaolou gets involved with Juxian (Gong Li, known from, among others, Raise the Red Lantern). The story of this love triangle takes place against the background of turbulent events that shook the entire country: World War II, the communist and cultural revolution. Navigating between spectacular opera scenes that draw from tradition, and the force of history that destroys the past, Chen tells a panoramic story about passion, unrequited love, and terrorizing ideology. Delighting the audience with elaborate costumes and visual splendor, Farewell My Concubine is one of the most prized Asian films of all time.

Sebastian Smoliński

Chen Kaige (b. 1952) is a Chinese director who attended the Beijing Film Academy from 1978 to 1982. He was part of the so-called Fifth Generation of Chinese film directors and made his debut feature, Yellow Earth, in 1984. His most famous film is Farewell My Concubine (1993), an unflinching look at the Cultural Revolution in China. His other films include Forever Enthralled (2008) and Sacrifice (2010).

New 4K restoration.