痴 (2015): Besetzung, Handlung & Streaming

Released in 2015, 痴 is a drama, historie and dokumentarfilm film directed by Qiu Jiongjiong, running about 331 minutes.

What it’s about. Zhang Xianchi is a man thrown into the Cultural Revolution and its afterimage, plunged into the ideological deadlocks of the era and suffering its consequences beyond it. Born into a family that supports the nationalist Kuomintang, Zhang eventually became a leftist and joined the Communist Party. But his family’s background eventually catches up with him, and in a series of bureaucratic measures, he is labelled as a Rightist, leading to a slew of irrational yet life-affecting consequences. His story is told through an exhilarating hybrid of forms, blending documentary-styled interviews and spectral theatrical displays within an ever-mutating studio-space. Hypnagogic in its imagery and ironic in attitude, Mr. Zhang Believes is a tour-de-force treatise of a man caught within dogmatic political maneuverings, which it critiques indirectly with creative and stoic fervour.

Who’s in it. 痴 stars Cai Yifan, Xiao'ou Ma and Jimmy Zhang.

How it landed. With an audience score of 8.0/10, 痴 sits among the best-reviewed titles in the catalogue.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch 痴 page.

If you liked it. Fans of 痴 tend to enjoy Die Verurteilten, Der Pate, Schindlers Liste and Der Pate - Teil II.