Caught by the Tides (2024)

Caught by the Tides (2024). 1h 51m

“Have you ever bought an album by a band and find that, rather than new material, itu0026#39;s some old B-sides, remixes and a couple of new songs for added value? Of course you have, if youu0026#39;re over thirty-five, that is. Jia Zhang-keu0026#39;s u0026quot;Caught by the Tidesu0026quot; is in many ways just that. But in doing so, it does make a statement about his career, and indeed the changing face of the world around him.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eQiao Qiao (Zhao Tao) shares a romance with Guao Bin (Zhubin Li), but he moves on, with Qiao Qiao trailing in his wake. Over the years, and across the country, she follows him. But on reaching her destination, maybe what sheu0026#39;s been wanting isnu0026#39;t for her.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBut in reality, the plot is irrelevant, as much of this has already been written and filmed over the years; it has now just been repurposed. Outtakes from the likes of u0026quot;Unknown Pleasuresu0026quot; (2002), u0026quot;Still Lifeu0026quot; (2006) and u0026quot;Mountains May Departu0026quot; (2015), if I remember correctly. This allows to realistically show the two leads over time, and their unequal ageing. Scenes are, therefore, different, but very familiar, in what serves as something of a retrospective for Jiau0026#39;s work, in a more direct and better-executed way than Takeshi Kitano attempted with u0026quot;Takeshisu0026#39;u0026quot; (2005).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe problem with creating a film in this way is that while itu0026#39;s perfectly serviceable as a narrative film, shoehorning in what you already have makes this feel a little awkward in terms of flow. It feels more a series of vignettes than a well-constructed work. Having seen many of the films the outtakes are from serves to remind you of the original scenario, and so doesnu0026#39;t quite feel like a single story, but various stories stuck together.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBut there are some nice coincidences that materialise and allow Jiau0026#39;s message to come across. Text messaging on an old Nokia become TikTok videos on the latest smart phone. Jia is very tongue-in-cheek with his look at technology. TikTok stardom serves more for cheap advertising than actual fame and fortune; and service robots can be easily confused with simple questioning. Technology has played an interesting role in shaping the nature of human relationships, especially over the past twenty years.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eKnowing Jiau0026#39;s work, you will instantly recognise what is going on here. But if coming to his work fresh, this may seem like a slightly strange film that doesnu0026#39;t quite tie together nicely enough. Some scenes donu0026#39;t seem to really fit; more added in as they were available.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSo, this may require some background work for the uninitiated, and is one more for long-term fans. Though they might feel they are watching u0026quot;Still Lifeu0026quot; again. Has life moved on in the past eighteen years?u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003ePolitic1983.home.blog.”