As the Fifth Generation of Chinese filmmakers, such as Chen Kaige and Zhang Yimou, started to gain international exposure, the Sixth Generation was on the rise as exemplified by the film by Zhang Yuan. During a rainy night in Beijing, rock musician Karzi (Li Wei) gets into an argument with his pregnant girlfriend Maomao (Yu Feihong) over whether to keep their baby. Meanwhile, rock musician Cui Jian, who stars as himself, and his underground band are informed that the landlord is terminating the lease for their rehearsal room. Writer Daqing (Tang Danian) offers to help his friend track down a conman but ends up embroiled in a dispute over debt. The film recounts the production team’s real-life experiences through the lens of people living on the margins. From disillusionment to disorientation with the pressures of modern-day society, this film portrays the lives of people caught in an age of chaos.

The screening on 19 January will be followed by a conversation between Zhang Yuan and M+ Curator Chanel Kong in Mandarin.

Zhang Yuan (b. 1963, Jiangsu) is a Chinese director. After graduating with a degree in cinematography from the Beijing Film Academy, he went on to produce two self-financed films. Other notable works include Sons (1996), East Palace, West Palace (1996), Seventeen Years (1999), Green Tea (2003), Little Red Flowers (2006), and the documentaries The Square (1994) and Crazy English (1999).