The Shadowless Tower

Director: Zhang Lu

2023 / 144min / DCP

A delicately shaded film about the compromises and unexpected beauties of growing old, The Shadowless Tower stars Xin Baiqing as Gu Wentong, a divorced middle-aged writer who has turned his back on poetry for the prosaic job of food criticism, his well-worn routine disturbed by an encounter with a young photographer (Huang Yao) whose influence prompts him to take stock of both his past and present. Set in Beijing’s Xicheng district, Lu’s film is both a rich character study and a keenly observed portrayal of everyday life in contemporary China, featuring exquisite performances from both leads, from lauded Fifth Generation filmmaker Tian Zhuangzhuang, in the role of Gu’s estranged father, and Wang Hongwei in the role of Xin’s brother-in-law.