Film enthusiasts often fixate on one unreleased title that shifts from excitement to obsession. Well before viewing Bi Gan’s Resurrection, the writer had become tiresome on the topic to those nearby. Following its Cannes premiere in 2025, where it won a special prize and sparked debate over its bold style or chaotic form, the anticipation grew intense. Hopes for nearby festival screenings repeatedly failed until the film reached Prime Video nearly a year later. Bi Gan, from China’s Guizhou region, built a distinctive career with prior works like Kaili Blues and Long Day’s Journey Into Night that mixed memory, reality and extended shots. Resurrection extends these ideas by treating dreams as cinema’s core role. The story occurs in a future where people forgo dreams for immortality. A few rebels called Deliriants persist in dreaming and face pursuit. Jackson Yee portrays one such figure with a built-in projector, while Shu Qi plays a woman who aids his final memories. The narrative unfolds in six segments tied to Buddhist senses, each using styles from different film eras across imagined lifetimes. Supported by strong technical collaborators, the film creates inventive sequences that defy easy explanation and showcase fresh approaches to moviemaking.
