Poetic and dreamlike, the beguiling debut from one of China's most innovative young directors explores the mysteries of time and memory.

Hailed as Best Emerging Director at Locarno, 26-year-old Chinese poet turned filmmaker Bi Gan makes a striking debut that transforms road movie into waking dream, at once vivid and fascinatingly enigmatic.

In the province of Guizhou, Chen Sheng, a rural doctor with a chequered past, sets out in search of his missing nephew. The journey takes him to the riverside city of Kaili and the town of Dang Mai, a seemingly otherworldly portal where past, present and future dissolve into a magical trance.

While evoking both the poetic narration of Tarkovsky and the contemplative stillness of Weeresethakul, Bi impresses with his own stylistic bravado – including a breathless long-take that forms the film's centerpiece – delivering a lyrical, shape-shifting debut as beautiful as it is elliptical.

Winner of the FIPRESCI Prize at Taipei's Golden Horse Film Festival and Special Mention for Best First Feature at Locarno.

"Bi comes from poetry and, in each of his film's distinct movements, exhibits a clear desire to astonish." – Film Comment