Justin Chang

He resurfaces at one point, but what they once had is now lost forever. Meanwhile, we witness the staggering human toll of the Three Gorges Dam project, which has led to mass displacement and demolition of homes in the region. Jha has an uncanny ability to capture the big picture along with the small, to move from an intimate, character-focused drama to a more expansive, panoramic one.

With each shift in perspective, we're reminded that every person uprooted here has a story to tell. Much of the second act footage comes from Jha's 2008 film, Still Life, and his 2019 drama, Ash's Purest White. More than a decade separates those two movies, and Jia doesn't bother to hide the seams as he toggles between them.

With each shift in perspective, we're reminded that every person uprooted here has a story to tell. Much of the second act footage comes from Jha's 2008 film, Still Life, and his 2019 drama, Ash's Purest White. More than a decade separates those two movies, and Jia doesn't bother to hide the seams as he toggles between them.

With each shift in perspective, we're reminded that every person uprooted here has a story to tell. Much of the second act footage comes from Jha's 2008 film, Still Life, and his 2019 drama, Ash's Purest White. More than a decade separates those two movies, and Jia doesn't bother to hide the seams as he toggles between them.

One of the most captivating things about Caught by the Tides is that the images and formats change over time, from grainy film stock and low-grade digital video early on to smoother HD video and even some virtual reality footage in the later sections. Jia has showed us before how China and the larger world are being transformed.

One of the most captivating things about Caught by the Tides is that the images and formats change over time, from grainy film stock and low-grade digital video early on to smoother HD video and even some virtual reality footage in the later sections. Jia has showed us before how China and the larger world are being transformed.

One of the most captivating things about Caught by the Tides is that the images and formats change over time, from grainy film stock and low-grade digital video early on to smoother HD video and even some virtual reality footage in the later sections. Jia has showed us before how China and the larger world are being transformed.

Here, he shows us that the motion picture medium itself is continually evolving. In the third act, Chow Chow briefly reunites in Datong with Bean, who's now visibly aged. This section was shot in 2022, under tight COVID protocols, and Jia uses it to capture a mood of present-day alienation. He shows us influencers shooting their TikToks and friendly robots roaming the aisles of grocery stores.

Here, he shows us that the motion picture medium itself is continually evolving. In the third act, Chow Chow briefly reunites in Datong with Bean, who's now visibly aged. This section was shot in 2022, under tight COVID protocols, and Jia uses it to capture a mood of present-day alienation. He shows us influencers shooting their TikToks and friendly robots roaming the aisles of grocery stores.

Here, he shows us that the motion picture medium itself is continually evolving. In the third act, Chow Chow briefly reunites in Datong with Bean, who's now visibly aged. This section was shot in 2022, under tight COVID protocols, and Jia uses it to capture a mood of present-day alienation. He shows us influencers shooting their TikToks and friendly robots roaming the aisles of grocery stores.

But Jia never loses sight of our heroine or the extraordinary actor playing her. Through the entire film, Zhao Tao never says a word, a bold choice that perhaps made it easier for the director to shape a narrative out of the raw material. Zhao doesn't need the dialogue. She has the radiance and emotional eloquence of a silent film star.

But Jia never loses sight of our heroine or the extraordinary actor playing her. Through the entire film, Zhao Tao never says a word, a bold choice that perhaps made it easier for the director to shape a narrative out of the raw material. Zhao doesn't need the dialogue. She has the radiance and emotional eloquence of a silent film star.

But Jia never loses sight of our heroine or the extraordinary actor playing her. Through the entire film, Zhao Tao never says a word, a bold choice that perhaps made it easier for the director to shape a narrative out of the raw material. Zhao doesn't need the dialogue. She has the radiance and emotional eloquence of a silent film star.

By the close of Caught by the Tides, Chow Chow isn't dancing anymore. She's jogging at night with several other women and men. The scene plays like a tribute from Jia Zhangke to his fellow Chinese citizens, a deeply moving culmination of all that they've endured that holds out hope as they run bravely into the future.

By the close of Caught by the Tides, Chow Chow isn't dancing anymore. She's jogging at night with several other women and men. The scene plays like a tribute from Jia Zhangke to his fellow Chinese citizens, a deeply moving culmination of all that they've endured that holds out hope as they run bravely into the future.

By the close of Caught by the Tides, Chow Chow isn't dancing anymore. She's jogging at night with several other women and men. The scene plays like a tribute from Jia Zhangke to his fellow Chinese citizens, a deeply moving culmination of all that they've endured that holds out hope as they run bravely into the future.

Trauma has become so overused as a plot device that I'm grateful I went into Thunderbolts not knowing that it would plunge so deeply into its characters' mental health issues. The movie, directed by Jake Schreier from a script by Eric Pearson and Joanna Kahlo, may not be the most original treatment of those issues, but it's sincere and heartfelt in the way it approaches them.

Trauma has become so overused as a plot device that I'm grateful I went into Thunderbolts not knowing that it would plunge so deeply into its characters' mental health issues. The movie, directed by Jake Schreier from a script by Eric Pearson and Joanna Kahlo, may not be the most original treatment of those issues, but it's sincere and heartfelt in the way it approaches them.

Trauma has become so overused as a plot device that I'm grateful I went into Thunderbolts not knowing that it would plunge so deeply into its characters' mental health issues. The movie, directed by Jake Schreier from a script by Eric Pearson and Joanna Kahlo, may not be the most original treatment of those issues, but it's sincere and heartfelt in the way it approaches them.

It also happens to be the most enjoyable Marvel adventure in some time. It isn't a self-satisfied joke like Deadpool and Wolverine, or a forgettable slog like this year's Captain America Brave New World. Thunderbolts is an unwieldy jumble, to be sure, and it's been designed, like all Marvel films, to help extend the brand unto infinity.